The old town square's center is home to a statue of religious reformer Jan Hus, who was burned at the stake for his beliefs. The statue known as the Jan Hus Memorial was erected on July 6, 1915 to mark the 500th anniversary of his death.
The Church of Our Lady in front of Týn is a dominant feature of the Old Town district of Prague, and the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century. Towers of church are 80 m high and topped by four small spires.
The Prague Astronomical Clock or Prague Orloj 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.
If one looks closely, one can see the apostles in the small square windows above the astronomical dial. They appear and rotate every hour on the hour.
Evening view of the east bank of the Vltava River.
Charles Bridge is a famous historical bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of 15th century. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava, the Charles Bridge used to be the most important connection between the Old Town, Prague Castle and adjacent areas until 1841. Also this 'solid-land' connection made Prague important as a trade route between east and west Europe. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge or the Prague Bridge but has been the "Charles Bridge" since 1870.
The bridge is 516 meters long and nearly 10 meters 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.
During the night Charles Bridge is a quiet place. But during the day it changes its face into a very busy place, with painters, owners of kiosks and other traders alongside numerous tourists crossing the bridge.
Guard at the entrance to Prague Castle. Prague Castle is one of the biggest castles in the world (according to Guinness Book of Records the biggest ancient castle) at about 570 meters in length and an average of about 130 meters wide.
One of the tower's of St. George's Basilica at Prague Castle in the distance.
Almost there.
St. George's Basilica is the oldest church building within Prague Castle. The basilica was founded by Vratislaus I of Bohemia in 920. It was then enlarged in 973 with the addition of the Benedictine St. George's Convent.
It was rebuilt following a major fire in 1142. The Baroque facade dates from the late 17th century. A gothic style chapel dedicated to Ludmila of Bohemia holds the tomb of the saint. Also buried in the basilica are Vratislav and Boleslaus II of Bohemia. The building now serves as a concert hall.
Notice that the right tower is slightly thicker than the left tower. This distinction was used to help people discern north from south.
A pair of shoes left out to dry.
A busy street.
Daytime view of the river Vltava. It is actually very shallow and can be walked across. The Vltava is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running north from its source in Šumava through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague (Praha), merging with the Elbe (Labe) at Mělník. It is 430 km long and drains about 28,090 km2; at their confluence the Vltava actually has more water than the Elbe, but joins the Elbe at a right angle to its flow so that it appears a mere tributary. Several dams were built on it in the 1950s, the biggest being Lipno Dam in Šumava.
The alley of 30 mostly baroque statues and statuaries situated on the balustrade forms a unique connection of artistic styles with the underlying gothic bridge. Most sculptures were erected between 1683 and 1714. They depict various saints and patron saints venerated at that time.
Here construction is blocking one of the more famous statues, St. John of Nepomuk. John of Nepomuk or John Nepomucene (c.1345 – 1393) is a national saint of Czech, drowned in river Vltava at the behest of Wenceslaus, King of the Romans and King of Bohemia. Later accounts state that he was the confessor of the queen of Bohemia and refused to divulge the secrets of the confessional. On the basis of this account, John of Nepomuk is considered the first martyr of the Seal of the Confessional, a patron against calumnies and, because of the manner of his death, a protector from floods.
The river boat captain and assistant on our short cruise on the Vltava.
The river used to power many flour mills.
If one looks closely atop the hill, one can see the thin outline of the Metronome. The Metronome is a giant, functional metronome overlooking the Vltava River and the city center of Prague. It was erected in 1991, and stands on the plinth left vacant by the destruction of an enormous monument to former Soviet leader Joseph 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. It was designed by international artist Vratislav Novak.
The Jewish Town Hall in Josefov, Prague, is an 18th century Rococo building that is the center of the local Jewish community. It is perhaps best known for its two clocks, one on a tower with Roman numeral markings, the other, lower, with Hebrew numbers and hands that turn counterclockwise, just as Hebrew reads from right to left.
The Old New Synagogue situated in Josefov, Prague, is Europe's oldest active synagogue. It is also the oldest surviving medieval synagogue of twin nave design.
I went back later to Prague Castle to go inside St. Vitus Cathedral. Saint Vitus's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Prague, and the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. The full name of the cathedral is St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral. Located within Prague Castle and containing the tombs of many Bohemian kings, this cathedral is an excellent example of Gothic architecture and is the biggest and most important church in the country. By the time of St Wenceslas jubilee in 1929, the St Vitus cathedral was finally finished; it took almost 600 years to built it. Despite the fact that entire western half of Cathedral is a Neo-Gothic addition, much of the design and elements developed by Peter Parler were used in the restoration, giving the Cathedral as a whole a harmonious, unified look.
On the clock tower, there is one clock for the minutes, and one clock for the hours.
Inside now.
The tomb of John of Nepomuk inside the cathedral.
The original design called for the tower to be much higher; however, the completed one has been "capped off" at a lower height. One can see the incongruity with the rest of the design.
The Petřínská rozhledna (Petřín lookout tower) is a 60 metre high steel framework tower in Prague, which strongly resembles the Eiffel Tower. Although it is much shorter than the Eiffel Tower, it stands atop a sizable hill, Petřín, so the top is at almost the same altitude. The Petřínská rozhledna was built in 1891 and was used as an observation tower as well as a transmission tower. Anatole's maid recommended that I visit the tower. She was from Prague (many of the workers in London come from Eastern Europe). It seems Eastern Europe is to the UK as Mexico is to the US.
View of Prague from the tower.
View of Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral.
Nighttime view of Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral.
No comments:
Post a Comment