Background
Prague is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. The city has a temperate oceanic climate, with relatively warm summers and chilly winters.
Prague is a political, cultural, and economic hub of central Europe, with a rich history and Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectures. The city has more than ten major museums, along with numerous theatres, galleries, cinemas, and other historical exhibits. An extensive modern public transportation system connects the city.
Highlights
The five highlights picked for this vacation are, Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, Petrin hill, and Vysehrad.
Prague Castle
Prague Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site, it consists of a large-scale composition of palaces and ecclesiastical buildings of various architectural styles, from the remains of Romanesque-style buildings from the 10th century through Gothic modifications of the 14th century.
Prague Castle has been an important symbol of the Czech state for more than a thousand years. The castle has always been the seat of Czech monarchs, as well as the official residence of the head of state. It was founded in the 9th century and became the seat of Czech rulers and later presidents.
The castle is made up of historical palaces, offices, church and fortification buildings, gardens and picturesque spots. Within its walls lies a varied and fascinating collection of historic buildings, museums and galleries that are home to some of Czechia's greatest artistic and cultural treasures. According to Guinness World Records, it’s the world's largest ancient castle complex.
Figure 1 - The Prague Castle
Charles Bridge
Charles Bridge is a medieval stone arch 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 early 15th century. This new bridge was originally called Stone Bridge or Prague Bridge, but has been referred to as "Charles Bridge" since 1870.
As the only means of crossing the river Vltava until 1841, Charles Bridge was the most important connection between Prague Castle and the city's Old Town and adjacent areas. This land connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe.
It is protected by three bridge towers, two on the Lesser Quarter side (including the Mala Strana Bridge Tower) and one on the Old Town side, the Old Town Bridge Tower. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, originally erected around 1700, but now all have been replaced by replicas.
Figure 2 - The Charles Bridge
Old Town Square
Old Town Square is the central square of the historic part of Prague.
The absolute highlight of Old Town Square is the famous Prague Astronomical Clock. It is a medieval astronomical clock mounted on the Old Town Hall and shows the current position of selected celestial objects. The lower part of the clock is a calendar dial and shows the current day on a beautiful dial.
The Old Town Hall itself is a little different from most town halls, in that it is not a single structure but rather a complex of connected medieval buildings. The tower of the Old Town Hall was completed in 1364, and at that time it was the tallest structure in the city. The tower is open to the public and its observation deck offers amazing views of Old Town Square.
The Prague Meridian is a line in the cobblestone surface of Old Town Square corresponding to the meridian. Nowadays, it has no practical significance, but between 1652 and 1918, it was used to tell the time. More specifically, noon was defined as the moment when the shadow cast by a nearby column fell directly upon this line.
Figure 3 - The Old Town Square
Petrin hill
Petrin hill is a hill in the centre of Prague, Czech Republic. It rises 327 metres above sea level and some 130 metres above the left bank of the Vltava River. The hill, almost entirely covered with parks, is a favourite recreational area for the inhabitants of Prague
Figure 4 - The Petrin hill
Vysehrad
Vysehrad is a historic fort in Prague, Czech Republic, just over 3 km southeast of Prague Castle, on the east bank of the Vltava River. It was built in the 10th century. Inside the fort are the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul and the Vydehrad Cemetery, containing the remains of many famous Czechs. It also contains Prague's oldest rotunda of St. Martin, from the 11th century.
No comments:
Post a Comment