Prague Guide

Prague Sights

Prague is a popular tourist destination. There are lots of old buildings, many with beautiful murals on them. It contains one of the world's most pristine and varied collections of architecture, from Art Nouveau to Baroque, Renaissance, Cubist, Gothic, Neo-Classical and ultra-modern. Some of its many tourist attractions are:

Old Town

Staré Město is a quarter in the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. "Staré Město" is Czech for "Old Town", in contrast to Nové Město, or "New Town," a more recent addition to the city. Notable sites in Staré Město include the Old Town Square, Astronomical Clock, and Wenceslaus Square. Staré Město lies across the Vltava River from "Mala Strana", or the "Little Quarter." The two sections of town are connected by Charles Bridge.

Lesser Side

Malá Strana (in English literally "Little Side", though more frequently described as "Lesser Quarter" or "Lesser Side") is originally a popular and nowadays also official name for former Menší město pražské ("The Lesser Town of Prague"), one of Prague's historical and oldest boroughs.

Its name comes from its position on the left (west) bank of the river Vltava, on the slopes immediately below the Prague Castle, in opposition to the larger cities of Prague on the right bank, to which it is conjoined by Charles Bridge.

In the Middle Ages, it was a dominant centre of the German settlement of Prague. It also housed a large number of noble palaces, while the right-bank cities were comparatively more bourgeois and more Czech.

Novelist Jan Neruda lived and wrote about Malá Strana.

At Malá Strana the Petřínská rozhledna is located.

Hradčany with the Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral

Hradčany, the Castle District, is the Prague district surrounding Prague Castle.

The castle is said to be the biggest castle in the world at about 570 meters length and an average of about 130 meters wide. Its history stretches back to the 8th century. The St Vitus Cathedral is located in the castle area.

Hradčany was an independent borough until 1784, when the four independent boroughs that had formerly constituted Prague were proclaimed a single city. The other three were Malá Strana, Staré Město and Nové Město.

Prague Castle

The Prague Castle (Czech: Pražský hrad) is the castle in Prague where the Czech kings and presidents have had their offices. It is one of the most visited tourist sites in the Czech capital.

It is said to be the biggest castle in the world at about 570 meters in length and an average of about 130 meters wide. Its history stretches back to the 8th century. The castle contains the St Vitus Cathedral. The neighbourhood of the Prague Castle is called Hradčany.

The Prague Castle is place where crown jewels of Bohemian Kingdom are kept.

Saint Vitus Cathedral

Saint Vitus Cathedral is a cathedral in Prague, seat of the Archbishop of Prague. Full name of the cathedral is St Vitus, St Wenceslas and St Adalbert Cathedral.

Located within Prague Castle and containing the tombs of Czech kings, this cathedral is an excellent example of gothic architecture.

Construction began in 1344, at first according to designs of Matthias of Arras, and after his death in 1352 it was taken over by Peter Parler. He completed only the choir and part of a southern transept. The cathedral was not finished until the 19th century, when the nave and western twin-tower façade were built.

Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge (Czech: Karlův most) is a famous historical bridge crossing the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in 1400. As the only means of crossing the river in Prague, Charles Bridge used to be the most important connection between the Old Town, Prague Castle and adjacent areas till 1841. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or the Prague Bridge (Pražský most) and is known as "Charles Bridge" since 1870

The bridge is 516 meters long and nearly 10 m wide, resting on 16 arches shielded by ice guards. It is protected by three bridge towers, two of them on the Lesser Quarter side and the third one on the Old Town side. The Old Town bridge tower is often considered to be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in the world. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, erected around 1700.

Prague Astronomical Clock

The Prague Astronomical Clock or Prague Orloj (Czech: Pražský orloj, pron. [prash-skee or-loi]) is a medieval astronomical clock located in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The Orloj is mounted on the southern wall of Old Town City Hall in the Old Town Square and is a popular tourist attraction.

The Orloj is composed of three main components: the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; "The Walk of the Apostles", a clockwork hourly show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months.

Wenceslas Square

Wenceslas Square (Czech: Václavské náměstí) is the centre of the business and cultural communities in the New Town (Nové Město) of Prague. The English name is a misnomer, as Wenceslas Square is not really a square at all, but rather a 750-metre boulevard. It has been a place where many historical events occurred; it is also a traditional place for demonstrations, celebrations, and similar public gatherings. The square is named after Saint Wenceslas, the patron saint of the Czechs.

Vysehrad

Vyšehrad is a castle located in the Czech Republic, built in the 10th century, on a hill over the Vltava River. Situated within the castle is the Cathedral of Saint Paul and Peter, as well as the Vysehrad cemetery, containing the remains of many famous people from Czech history.

Vysehrad became part of the capital city, Prague, in 1883.

Brief Historical Overview

The fortress was originally built in the tenth century. Local legend holds that Vysehrad was the location of the first settlement which would later become Prague, though thus far this claim is unsubstantiated.

When the Premysl dynasty settled on the current site of Prague Castle, the two castles maintained opposing spheres of influence for approximately two centuries. When Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV began to build the Prague Castle in its current dimensions (in the early 14th century), Vysehrad was abandoned as a royal home.

At the beginning of the Hussite Wars, it was captured by the Hussites.

It underwent a renovation in the 17th century, when the Austrian Empire took over the Czech lands after the Thirty Years' War and became a training center for the Austrian Army. It was also incorporated into the Baroque era city walls around Prague.

Petrinska rozhledna, an observation tower

The Petřínská rozhledna is a 60 metre high steel framework tower, which strongly resembles the Eiffel Tower, in Prague, Czech Republic. The Petřínská rozhledna was built in 1891 and was used as an observation tower as well as a transmission tower. Today you will find the Petřínská rozhledna a main tourist attraction. With no elevator, reaching the top of the tower is a challenge for even those who consider themselves fit.

Zizkov Television Tower

The Žižkov Television Tower is the new landmark of Prague, which was built between 1985 and 1992. The Prague - Žižkov Television Tower is of a very unconventional design: it consists of three concrete pillars, which carry cabinets for the transmitters, the tower restaurant and an observation deck. The tower is 216 metres high. The height of the tower restaurant is 63 metres and that of the observation deck 100 metres. The Prague - Žižkov Television Tower weighs 11800 tons and is also used as meteorological observatory.

Like many examples of Communist Era architecture in Central and Eastern Europe, The TV tower is generally resented and despised by locals, who see it as a symbol of Russian oppression. The Czechs are often mystified as to why foreigners (especially from Western Europe and North America) are so fascinated with it.

Prague Metronome

The Metronome is a giant, functional metronome located overlooking the Vltava River and the city center of Prague. It was erected in 1991 on the former location of an enormous monument to former Soviet leader Josef Stalin (the monument was destroyed in 1962). The 75 foot-tall Metronome is now mostly a scenic vista and a meeting place for young people.