Just as a note, we have visited Prague at the time of big floods in the Europe, and we have witnessed the Vltava river increasing its level up to the critical point, threatening to flood all surrounding buildings. On several pictures, you’ll notice a white fence separating the river and the bottom building floors, erected by the city to prevent Vltava water flood catastrophe. Many pictures are darker then others, but they are a real mirror of weather conditions.
Per Wikipedia, Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, is bisected by the Vltava River. Nicknamed ”the City of a Hundred Spires,” it’s known for its Old Town Square, the heart of its historic core, with colorful baroque buildings, Gothic churches and the medieval Astronomical Clock, which gives an animated hourly show. Completed in 1402, pedestrian Charles Bridge is lined with statues of Catholic saints.
The Charles Bridge
...is an historic 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 the 15th century.
The Charles Bridge is the oldest bridge in Prague and has a few tales to tell from its long history. It is described as ”the epicenter of Czech spirit.”
The numerical palindrome 135797531 carved on to the Old Town Bridge Tower is the sequence, which reads the same backward and forward, referring to the exact time and date of the placement of the bridge’s foundation stone, determined by royal astrologers as an auspicious time.
The Charles Bridge was preceded by a wooden bridge which collapsed in 1157, and the 21-arch stone Judith Bridge which was erected in 1158 but collapsed in 1342 after a fierce flood.
Once a year on the day of the summer solstice − between June 20 and 22 − the sun sets directly over St Vitus Cathedral.
Most of the statues that line the Charles Bridge are replicas. Due to the Vlitava’s history of flooding, keeping the originals on the bridge was considered very unsafe for such work of art. Read more...
Prague’s old town square
Over 700 years old, Old Town Square in Prague is rich in history and culture, home to many famous sites such as Old Town Hall Tower & Astronomical Clock, the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn, and St. Nicholas Church.
Old Town Hall Tower is famous for its astronomical clock. Built in 1410, it is the oldest clock of its kind in all of Europe, and displays a short show featuring miniature figures every hour.
The astronomical clock's main function was to depict the movement of celestial bodies (including the Sun and the Moon); showing the time was merely a secondary element.
Despite a number of foreign invaders, Prague's Old Town Square has remained virtually untouched since the 10th century.
An ever-changing cast of musicians, protesters, dance troupes, punks and vendors make the square as colorful as the buildings that surround it.
At the end of World War II, on May 8, 1945, Prague's Astronomical Clock was seriously damaged. The astronomical dial was shot, the bent zodiac dial hung by what was left of its axis, the canopy over the astronomical clock had fallen and the left side of the ornamentation, including the figures of Vanity and Miser, were completely destroyed.
Astronomical clocks were created at a time when it was not necessary to show the minutes on the clock. A moment of time did not matter much. The tower clockmakers created separate dials to show the minutes.
Prague’s Castle
Prague Castle is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic, dating from the 9th century. It is the official residence of the President of the Czech Republic.
Walking across the Charles bridge towards the Castle, the whole area is so historical and so beautiful.....
It was most likely founded in around 880 by Prince Borivoj of the Premyslid Dynasty (Premyslovci). According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world, with an area of almost 70,000 m2.
The history of the castle began in 870 when its first walled building, the Church of the Virgin Mary, was built. The Basilica of Saint George and the Basilica of St. Vitus were founded under the reign of Vratislaus I, Duke of Bohemia and his son St. Wenceslas in the first half of the 10th century.
King Ottokar II of Bohemia improved fortifications and rebuilt the royal palace for the purposes of representation and housing. In the 14th century, under the reign of Charles IV the royal palace was rebuilt in Gothic style and the castle fortifications were strengthened. In place of rotunda and basilica of St. Vitus began building of a vast Gothic church, that were completed almost six centuries later.
For the end....
Prague is well known touristic destination and it really doesn’t need an advertisement. The whole city is just amazing! Does walking through cobblestone streets surrounded by medieval buildings sound inspiring? I believe you're halfway there!
