With ten days in Prague, we took our time enjoying the city. This post begins with a walking tour, one of our favorite ways to get a sense of the city itself.
A Historical Walking Tour around Prague: Our guide led us from Wenceslas Square, through the Old Town and across the Charles Bridge.
Wenceslas Square: And yes, this one is named for the “Good King Wenceslas,” the patron saint of Bohemia. This “square” is in the New Town and looks more like a huge boulevard. The Czech National Museum sits at one end, as does the monumental statue of Wenceslas on horseback, looking down on the square, while the other end leads into the Old Town. This is the venue for public gatherings, celebrations and protests. But on most days, it’s just busy with locals and tourists.
Church of Our Lady of the Snows: Founded originally by a Carmelite sect in the fourteenth century, it’s now a Franciscan church and monastery in Prague.
Statue of Franz Kafka (2003) by artist Jaroslav Róna in the Jewish Quarter of Prague near the Spanish Synagogue depicts Franz Kafka riding on the shoulders of a headless figure, inspired by Kafka’s story “Description of a Struggle” (1912)
The John Lennon Wall: The Bohemians liked John Lennon, especially his liberal activist lyrics and commitments. So they established a wall in Lennon’s honor. Over the years, hundreds have added their texts, images and graffiti to the wall, so you can no longer make out the original image of John Lennon. Nevertheless, the Lennon Wall is a mecca for tourists, reflecting the rebellious, liberal attitude of Bohemia.
Sculptures by David Cerny (1967 — ) Prague is a showcase for the work of its Prague-born sculptor, David Cerny. Here are a few that we saw while walking the town.
- “The Horse” (2015) is in a mall along the square. It’s meant to be St. Wenceslas riding a dead horse. Don’t ask Cerny to explain: just enjoy it.
- “The Hanging Man”: (2005) The man hanging on is clearly Sigmund Freud. What odd things one finds walking the streets of Prague.
- “Proudy” or just “Piss”: (2004): In the courtyard of the Franz Kafka Museum, you’ll find statues of two men urinating into a pond shaped like the map of Czechia. This time the symbolism is pretty easy to read, although the idea of politicians — facing off to pee on the country they lead – can easily apply to just about any country on earth.
- “Head of Franz Kafka” (2014), by artist David Černý includes 40 layers of polished stainless steel, all rotating. it’s pretty amazing. See it to believe it. Kafka’s Head
Jan Huss and St. Nicholas Church on the Old Town Square:
Jan Huss (1369-1415) was a popular Prague priest, theologian, rector, and an early critic of the Roman Catholic Church, a “pre-protestant” if you will, refusing to accept the authority of the pope and condemning the sale of indulgences. Huss also wanted the service to be delivered in the vernacular language. His work inspired later protestants like Luther and Calvin. In 1415 they martyred him by burning him at the stake, but it wasn’t enough to suppress his ideas. It took the Hussite Wars of 1419-1434 for the Catholics to resume domination over the Czech Hussites.
The Jan Huss Memorial, so prominent in the Old Town Square, is an impressive and moving tribute to the Bohemian martyr and his followers who fought in the Hussite Wars (1419-1434), between the Bohemian Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of the Pope, the Holy Roman Emperor and the European monarchs loyal to the Catholic Church. The monument was unveiled in 1915 marking five hundred years since the martyrdom of Jan Huss.
St Nicholas Church on the Old Town Square is one of Prague’s oldest churches, once Catholic of course, but often the site for Hussite preaching. Despite the rich, Baroque style of the church, historically it goes way back. The modern Czechoslovak Hussite Church was proclaimed publicly in St. Nicholas Church in January of 1920. Today St. Nicholas is home to regular Hussite worship services on Sunday and Wednesday, and it often hosts concerts of classical music.
A Night at the Opera: We enjoyed an engaging performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the beautiful Estates Theater. English subtitles were provided with screens near the stage, making it possible for us to follow. This symbolic fairy tale of an opera, with Mozart’s always amazing music, was enhanced by the tremendous artistry of the settings, the costumes, the performances, and very clever direction.
The Mucha Museum: No, it doesn’t claim to have “mucha more” than other museums. It celebrates the work of Czech artist Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939). I’d never heard of him, but Van insisted that he was important, and once we reached the museum, I realized how much of Mucha’s work was quite well-known. Mucha lived in Paris during the “Art Nouveau” period, where his paintings, and his decorative theater posters, particularly those of Sarah Bernhardt, became widely known. Later, he returned to Prague and worked on his magnum opus, The Slav Epic, consisting of twenty huge canvases. On completion, Mucha donated the project to the city of Prague, but it has too seldom been on display for the public, and the city is still searching for a permanent home. The museum intrigues me and left me wanting to see more of Mucha’s beautiful artwork.
A Concert of Medieval Music: Riding the trams we ventured into another part of town, where we found the Nedlid Restaurant for a great meal of traditional Czech food. A short walk from there was the venue for a concert by the Tiburtina Ensemble, (eight women, including two harpists) who specialize in interpreting medieval music. Billed as “Harmonia Caelestis,” this concert offered music by the Medieval Abbess, Hildegard of Bingham (1098-1179). Accompanied only by the harpists, this concert featured the lovely, harmonized women’s voices.
The Jewish Quarter: Josefov or Josefstadt was once the Jewish Ghetto in Prague. The gorgeously decorated Spanish Synagogue now houses the Jewish Museum in Prague. We visited this, and other surviving synagogues as well as the Old Jewish Cemetary, which operated from the first half of the 15th century until 1786. It contains the remains of many historically important figures. But it’s so crowded and full now, there is room for no more. The Jewish Quarter also includes sites familiar in the life of Franz Kafka. Speaking of which:
Franz Kafka Museum: No writer is so closely associated with Prague as Franz Kafka, whose life was spent mostly in the Josefstadt area, but his museum is across the river on the western side of town. It’s both literary and biographical, dark and quirky, but certainly of interest to fans of Kafka.
To the Petrin Tower and the Monastery: Emily and Van stayed in one day, so Sara and I set out on our own in the morning. First we took the trams across the river and down to the Funicular that climbs up to Petrin Tower. The parks are beautiful, with leaves turning green and trees blooming with lots of white and pink. It’s gorgeous.
- Petrin Tower: From the funicular it’s a short walk to the Petrin Lookout Tower, built in 1891. Because this smaller replica of the Eiffel Tower in Paris sits atop Petrin hill, we’re told that the viewpoint here is actually higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. With Sara’s knee issues, we skipped the 299 stairs and took the elevator to the top. The view from the top was extensive, and for once we had a clear day with good visibility. If some of our pictures seem like a bird’s-eye-view, they were taken from this tower.
- Strahov Monastery: From the Tower, it’s just a short but beautiful walk over to the Strahov Monastery, founded in 1143 by the Premonstratensians, also called the Norbertines, after their founder, St. Norbert. The monastery sits high on the hill, overlooking the Vltava River and the city of Prague. We enjoyed visiting the gorgeous Strahov Library, even though we could only view and photo its two magnificent rooms by leaning through a doorway. We especially enjoyed a small meal at St. Norbert’s Restaurant: an onion soup, a goulash soup, and some really good St. Norbert’s beer.
An Accidental Find: Fred and Ginger in Prague: On the tram, we took a wrong direction, but that proved useful. Evan caught a glimpse of the “Dancing House,” an unusually modern and whimsical piece of architecture in Prague. So we exited the tram and made our way down to the riverside. The locals refer to the Dancing House as “Fred and Ginger” for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the beloved movie dance team in the mid-20th century. You can easily see why.
Searching for the “Beer Museum”: We walked further to find the “Beer Museum,” but it was closed. So we walked to another “Beer Museum,” this one near the river. We each had a “flight” of five beers, for a total tasting of ten, along with onion rings and French fries. It’s not really a “museum,” just a good bar that serves a great variety of beer.
Our Day trip to Kutna Hora:
Happily, Emily and Van are with us again today for a 1 ½ hour drive east of Prague. It was nice to view the countryside, especially now with everything green and blooming, and to see the villages along the way. Kutna Hora, once a thriving center for silver mining, became a wealthy medieval town. When the mines produced less, the town lost its power. Today, its medieval center is designated a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its remarkable architecture.
- First, we visited the Sedlec Ossuary, better known as “The Bone Church,” a chapel beneath the cemetery of the Church of All Saints. It’s curiously decorated with the bones of 40,000 plus souls. No photos were allowed in this strange tourist attraction, but with a few photos found online we can give a sense of its weirdness. The artist who created this macabre chapel in 1870 was a woodcarver, Frantisek Rint, whose signature on the wall is also, of course, made with bones.
- The Church of St. Barbara is a mostly Gothic and slightly Baroque wonder. It’s not a cathedral, but it’s built in that style. It’s a gorgeous church with its high Gothic arches and flying buttresses. Instead of the crucifixion, this altar features a colorful sculpture of the Last Supper. Gorgeous stained-glass windows that are quite modern were beautiful in the sunlight. There’s even a wooden sculpture of a miner prominently displayed. St Barbara is the patron Saint of miners.
- Given more than an hour to explore on our own, we walked by the Jesuit College and its many sculptures and into the more well-preserved and intriguing medieval area. It left us wishing we had more time to enjoy the town.
Burning the Witch at Ladronka: Back in Prague but far away from the tourist areas, we joined the locals for a traditional festival on April 30: Čarodejnice, the “Burning of the Witch,” the Czech version of Walpurgis Night, celebrating the end of winter. On this day, Ladronka Park was probably the biggest festival in Prague. Up on the ‘peak’, all were welcomed with tons of food and beer stands, loud bands, and a huge bonfire with a five-meter-tall straw witch awaiting her immolation.
Like the locals, we bought beer and sausages, with rolls and mustard, and rented “sticks” allowing us to cook our sausages over the smaller fires provided, while others roasted their marshmallows to make smores. Finding an open spot by the fire was tough, but the final result was delicious and well worth it.
As darkness approached, the fire was lit, the Witch went up in flames, and everyone cheered in celebration. So this is how the Czechs kiss winter goodbye and welcome the spring.
How to spend a day in Prague: We start with coffee at the Academia Bookstore on Wenceslas Square. More walking around in Prague. Great lunch in the old town center at “The Irish Times”: Fish & Chips & Guiness. Later a Boat Ride on the Vltava River with a charming “Captain” pointing out historical sights and engaging views along the way. Back on shore we re-visit the Old Town Square for ham and a sausage cooked outdoors over a wood fire. Then we walk the narrow streets to find trdelnik, a locally popular pastry shaped like a large cone. Here it’s often served filled with ice cream. Our sweet teeth now satisfied, we find our way to the Jazz Republic for a taste of Prague’s nightlife – great fun even if we lasted through only one set.
From Prague, we say goodbye to our best buddies, Emily and Van, who return to their home in Braga, Portugal, while we head east, to visit Krakow, Poland.
