Prague Vacation Travel Video Guide • Great Destinations

[Music] n [Music] [Music] a [Music] n [Music] [Applause] the capital of the Czech Republic is often called the Golden City and the mother of cities but its most fitting nickname is the city of 100 spires it's enough to stand in the middle of the main square and take a look around to see that Prague deserves this nickname moreover the tops of the spot firers are incredibly alike on the Old Town Square which in cck is called stet namit stands the Old Town Hall the teen church and one can see the towers of the magazine and the towers of the charlesbridge all built in the same fashion the square itself is approximately 9,000 square m its shape and size had been decided on around 12:30 ad by King Venus the first the 800 years passed since then made their Mark executions SC orations and assemblies took place here making the square the center of the city's social life under the protection of the two fortresses ofen and visad Artisans Craftsmen and businessmen settled down here soon the marketplace of the Roman Prague was established as well as the city later to be surrounded by a wall and a moat the famous clock of the Town Hall the Prague oroy was designed by Nicholas of Copenhagen and was later Modified by clock master ERS hanos and taborski the clock itself is made of three parts and is surrounded by a Gothic Stone frame the figures of the puppet play appear every hour the first figure is a skeleton holding an hourglass which symbolizes mortality and the Rope of a death bell after the skeleton come the 12 apostles and a figure wearing a turban which represents the Turkish Menace the figures have been renovated several times some of the original puppets are now at the national museum the dial shows the movement of the Sun and the Moon and of course the passing of time around the dial there are the signs of the zodiac the pictures of the calendar were painted by Yosef Manus in 1866 the new entrance of the town hall and the gothic windows were designed by the same mate Ric who designed the magazine one can see the Monument of yan zisi on the outer wall of the tower a friend of yan H who was executed in the yard of the Town Hall the word teen means market so the teen Church means a church standing in the Market Square the gothic building with the archway on the Eastern side of the square is partly hiding the church there was a school here where the famous architect mate RK taught the raved gothic church was a church for the foreign traders who sold and kept their goods in the nearby unal yard the teen served the hites from the 15th century its most famous sculpture is the temp penum showing The Passion of Christ to the right of the main altar stands the Tomb of the Danish astronomer tiob brah who stayed at the court of Rudolph II and was the master of [Music] Kepler the copper l running along the square surface is the physical labeling of the meridian running here Yan H was a dean of the Prague University a famous Professor and a brilliant orator he spoke against the hypocrisy and lifestyle of the noblemen and high-ranking clerical leaders scoring blind fate and dogmas his preaching unleashed the 1419 Revolution Yan hus was burnt at the stake his Monument made by vladislav Salon was given to the public 500 years later the other Church of star namesti is a snow white Baroque building the St Nicholas church standing on a street corner was designed by Killian ignut Deen Hofer in Baroque style the Fresco in the dome is the work of the famous Bavarian artist Peter aam while the sculptures were created by Czech Baroque Masters antonine and mate Brown the buildings of the square were named according to Medieval tradition after the residence their purpose or their sculptures this music school is called SMA and was established by the composer himself next to it there's a house with stone sheep in the building near the town hall is a pharmacy called the White Lion the name of the house with the stone Bells speaks for itself the Roman buildings at the Old Town were 2 to 3 m below sea level so every spring when the vava flooded they were in danger the area was artificially banked up at the end of the 13th century so the first floor of the Roman buildings became the basement for the gothic houses along the city wall there was a deep moat which was filled up at the same time it became the inner Boulevard similar to Vienna's ring and the grain the Old Town Square is still the heart of Prague according to Yokai the buildings which were renovated and kept in their original style emit such a historical atmosphere that one feels that the city is one giant Museum but as we walk on the streets we soon realize that Prague is not only a giant Museum but a constantly renewing capital A Spiritual and artistic Center as well the magazine is the only remaining entrance from the old town city wall it was designed by mate RC in a late Gothic style upon the request of vladislas II its name was given in the 17th century when it was used for storing gunpowder there's a stunning sight from the Tower of the 213 ft tall building the art Novo style building attached to the side of the magazine Tower is the Prague representation house today it was built on the place of the former Royal Palace their conference rooms concert Halls exhibitions restaurants and cafes in it the fa house got its name from the strange fact that its residents all dealt with chemical experiments or Alchemy the neighbors were always curious about the mystical naturalists gold makers and other adventurers The Alchemist looked for the philosopher stone which transformed everything into gold and for this they were willing to sell their soul to the devil the legend of fa the most famous version of which is by Johan wulong fur was also known in Prague soon gos started to refer to the building standing on Charles Square as the fa house the two-story Renaissance house received some new Baroque ornaments in the 18th century today in a sense the house is still a place for Natural Sciences it operates as a hospital and [Music] Pharmacy anonin vorac lived at 10 yna Street in one of the bigger Flats of a tenement house there's no plaque on the house and the Museum of the life of the composer is situated two streets away in the so-called American house the one-story pretty Baroque house was designed by Deen hover for count blatov mishna the frescos were painted by Yan ferin and Shore while the statues are the works of the Brown family after the family line of the count was cut the house became a restaurant under the name America Antony dwarak died in 1904 after his death the city council decided that a museum would be dedicated to him in this building the original furniture from his study was moved here as well as his personal items musical instruments scores and manuscripts the city of Prague philarmonic started their career in 1896 with vac's New World [Music] Symphony [Music] the pub ukala which means the Goblet was made well known by the world famous novel of hassk schik this is the place where the brave Soldier waits for his friends at 6 after the war everything here reminds the visitor of the novel there are portraits of Fran yv the small sketches drawings on the wall the bar has not changed since World War I if we look under the glass Shri is smiling at us everywhere from the beer mat the place is not cheap but the beer is very good as well as the authentic check dishes they offer for starters sausage marinated in a spicy vinegar sauce is recommended and we can have dumplings with the main course whether our choice is beef pork or poultry since the Czech Republic has no sea freshwater fish is very popular how else could they prepare carp if not with a beer sauce the mountain Rivers offer highquality trout game is also prepared especially pheasant and Partridge among the poultry duck and goose is more common than turkey if someone wants to go with cold dishes there are many kinds of cheese Pates and cold meats to choose from beer will go well with all of [Music] these in medieval times this area was outside the city and belong to a village called [Music] boist FES square is quite familiar to everyone who's visited Prague of course you won't find it on the maps under this name since the locals call it platski namesti it's not even a square rather a Street 2,460 Ft long and 197 ft wide based on its Form and Function it's similar to the Spanish ramblas Central points of local economical and cultural life in the time of Charles IV people held horse markets sold wheat hay and other agricultural products here these markets existed until 1877 when the merchants started to move into stores there are no real monuments on venes Square many Baroque palaces have become hotels such as the Ambassador the tatra the Golden Goose and the most famous of them all hotel Europe not so long ago there was a tram stop on this Square now only one car of it remained here which has become a lovely little restaurant the majority of the buildings of venes square have passages little covered rows of shops of course the selection of the stores is different from earlier times they're many clothing stores here but one could also find toy and bookshops as well as paper and and electronic stores the statue of St vlus can be found at the top the square the work of ysf vatslav melbeck was given to the public in 1913 at the foot of the statue there are the four patron saints Ludmilla proo Agnes and adelbert this statue closes the square in Majestic style behind the statue there's the huge building of the national museum the idea of the museum originates from a certain historian named frantisek patski but it was only Built later with the help of enthusiastic aristocrats the construction of the Neo Renaissance Palace began in 1885 supervised by ysep Schulz there are historical figures standing on the stairs of the hall while the Fresco depict Czech fortresses stairs lead to the main entrance from both sides of the building the main ornament of the facade which is 100 m long is the large Dome representing the pantheon of Rome Charles square is the center of the new town cattle markets were held there from 1348 but later butchers slaughtermen and fishermen also moved here so all kinds of meat were available at this Market it remained like this until 1860 when the square was rebuilt and the market was moved near musk that's when the park at the S side of the new town city hall was established with all its Wells and statues here stands the statue of the poet vaslav hollik whose poem served as the inspiration for djak's requium the city hall stands in the northern corner of the square the four inner cities of Prague were directed from here until they were unified in 1784 from the original Gothic building only the basement and the large Hall of the first floor have remained this serves as an assembly hall Banquets and concerts are held here fleco is easily recognizable from its giant clock in the Narrow crova Street this famous pub can be mentioned right alongside schik where it is recommended to book a table in advance in the summer months beer has been brewed here since the the middle of the 15th century the old Brewery operated in the yard which is today a garden belonging to the restaurant this Garden full of statues ornamented glass and geraniums is the work of the architect sander and the painter Novak there's only one beer here the specialty of the house which is a strong dark beer with a taste similar to Porter or Guinness the most leggy narodne used to be be called May 1st Bridge not so long ago it starts from the national museum and leads to petrin Hill the theater standing on the bank of the vava is a masterpiece of 19th century Czech architecture it was designed by ysep zitek the Theater built from public donations burnt to the ground before the opening ceremony therefore the Reconstruction started all over under the guidance of ysph Schulz thanks to donations of the locals the rebuilt narodi divadlo could hold its opening performance within 2 years starting with the performance of the Opera lius from [Applause] SMA the bridge was designed by bosonic and built at the turn of the 20th century it replaced prague's second bridge and was necessary due to increased traffic in addition to cars a tram also runs on it the simple bridge is decorated by an ornamented railing and lanterns it offers a good view of the Charles bridge and the Aquatic Life of the area regulated by dams larger ships are not allowed here sometimes rowing competitions are held here and because of the boats and the paddle boats the whole area looks like a lake the area under the new town on the bank of the vava is called visad it is not to be mistaken for the Hungarian vagad although the meaning of the two words is the same Citadel according to Legend princess lius predicted the founding of Prague here the princess was a daughter of cro from the pisal dynasty whether she was real or just a legend is still unclear but visad became a rival to Prague castle in the 10th Century The Fortress was built in a strategically good place therefore radislav the made it his castle it was first demolished by the hites and the destruction was repeated after the 30 Years War while the castle is visited by millions the ruins of visad are almost unknown the old Cemetery between St Martin's rotunda and the pendal church became a Pantheon where the greats of the nation were buried for example Carl kopic Yan naruda smna and vorac [Music] from 1868 to 1869 bedrick smeta who's mostly famous for his work the moldow lived in the lazanski palace Looking Through the Windows he enjoyed the view of the river and the towers of the castle he also composed his Opera doore here the former Garden of the lazanski palace is now a park the statue of Francis Joseph I formerly standing on the bank was placed back into its original location in [Music] 2003 a gallery named after holler was opened on the riverbank this famous copper Smith captured pictures of London before the great fire before that he also made pictures of Prague which can be viewed at the national museum the little Peninsula near the water tower is called novotney Bridge although it isn't a bridge but a restaurant the St salvator Church joins the facade of the clementino the late renaissance building was transformed into a Baro one in 1659 at the foot of the Charles bridge on the kns of the Cross Square stands the St Francis of AI Church there's a friary connected to the Baroque Church from the right the square wasn't named after the Crusaders but after the order of the Knights of the Red Cross which built the temple the role of the one and only Czech Knight order was similar to those those of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem they built hospitals and tended to the ill this square is considered one of the nicest in Europe there are two statues there the first one is the statue of Charles IV the other of St vesos he was the grandson of bordoy the first Christian Czech Lord he was murdered by his own brother boleslav opposite the bridge Tower in the old town stand the buildings of the clementinum which is the second largest after the Prague Castle it faces four narrow streets previously there were 32 houses several Gardens and parks in its place the clementinum now surrounds four rectangular Courtyards there are three churches attached to it the St savior the St Clement and the Italian Chapel it was originally built to be a Jesuit Monastery and boarding school the building was named after St Clement and this name stuck to it however it's had no clerical function since 1773 when the Jesuit order was disbanded by Empress Maria [Music] Teresa for a long time one of the pride and joys of the Czech Republic was the Scot Factory of M boleslav it was a great idea to use the luxury model of the 1960s the Felicia Coupe as a tourist attraction one can ride in open scas in the old town and the territory of the Prague Castle nowadays some veteran models can be seen on the streets of Prague as [Music] well in the yov district at the foot of the monus bridge stands the building of the rudolfinum named after the Crown Prince the Neo Renaissance Palace was built to be a gallery and a place for the applied Arts collection between 1918 and 1939 the Czech Parliament resided here after World War II it was called the house of artists today it operates as an opera and serves as the home of the Prague philarmonic there was a place in Prague even as early as 1091 where Jews lived separately due to economic and religious reasons they had their own self-government but their separateness did not mean the loss of their cultural and scientific life there were many scientists rabis philosophers poets astronomers and even Travelers and writers among them the ghetto remained closed by Gates until 1848 when Jews were given citizenship During the Revolution at the end of the century most of the buildings were torn down with only a few synagogues the Assembly Hall and the cemetery remaining however the yoseph of district is still one of a kind it's a fully protected monument and there's no tourists coming to Prague who would miss it there are several explanations for the name of the old new synagogue some say the gothic church was built on a Roman Foundation hence the name others say it's a simple mistake because the Hebrew expression alai means temporary was understood as alt noi which means old new translated from German this building has an unusually high roof accessible only by a ladder from the outside there's a strict order prohib anyone to take a peek into the attic where according to Legend the remains of golum can be found the synagogue was built in 1270 its two bodies are connected by a five-part arch which is unique in [Music] Prague most of the visitors are not interested in the colorful and valuable artifacts since they came here for the legend of golum the legend says that Rabbi L master of kabala and Magic created golum from clay he brought it to Life by by Magic and the giant performed the most difficult tasks once however he forgot about him and the enraged homon kulos started to wreak havoc the rabbi took the paper with a spell on it out of its mouth and had Golem taken to the attic of the synagogue aegon erig Kish the famous reporter climbed up to the attic in the 20th century but found nothing what remained are the legend the novel of Gustav meink and several movies the story of golum already inspired silent film directors Po vager and Julian [Music] duvier the Jewish quarter has not been excluded from the commercial attitude of the 21st century either there are many people selling Goods on the small Street leading from starda NOA to the cemetery most of the goods are related to Jewish religion but one can also buy Golem figures in several sizes just be careful with bringing it to life the Jew Jewish cemetery was established in 1439 when the Jews were forced to bury their dead within the walls of their own quarter the first grave was the grave of aararo the well-known poet the cemetery is very crowded and confusing this is no surprise since there was not enough space so 12 layers were used to bury the dead there are four or five stones on one grave that were brought here from the former dissolved cemeteries the epitaphs are often po and the depiction of humans is also unique here lies Marcus morai misel the protector of the Jewish community at that time historian David Gans and astronomer Yosef Del madigo but most of the people are looking for the grave of Rabbi l yehudi l Ben bazala knew the talmud well and was not only dealing with mystical studies but he had admittance to the Royal Court where he could interact with the best scientists of his age the klous synagogue was built beside the old cemetery on the place where Rabbi L was teaching today it serves as a museum familiarizing visitors with Jewish Traditions the rich material tells the visitor a lot about life in the ghetto the customs and traditions there also a library and an archive in the building in the Jewish ghetto the clock runs backwards and you also go backwards through a slow life climbing the cren listen in at nightfall to Bohemian songs in the singing taverns this wrote a poire Prague also inspired Hungarian poet marget kofka to write a poem when she visited the city in 1910 beneath me there are streets and towers and the Citadel heavy Stone Bridges and on the Platinum colored water the glamour of this old Royal City sends a message prepare for the many sites with fresh nures today Prague just like Rome was built on Seven Hills there are Hills on both sides of the volaba therefore Prague is full of points from where the whole town can be viewed one of the best sites can be seen from the lookout tower of petran Hill but it's closely followed by the one from vitkov Hill and that of visad the restaurant called bar and do Terrace located in front of the film Factory is very famous but of course the towers of the city also function as Lookouts one can enjoy different parts of the city from the magaz St V Cathedral the Tower of the Charles bridge or from the top of the national museum it's surprising how interesting the city can be from a small vote on the vava or from one of the small Islands after the monis Bridge letna Park follows the river for a while this wild area has been a park since 1858 above it there's a Grove for running roller skating or simply for walking there's also a planetarium an open air Cinema an exhibition Hall an open air theater and a restaurant here the locals visit the place quite often because of the beautiful site the volaba is the second largest river of the country joining the Elba just 50 km from Prague which is why it was regularly used for shipping purposes in the city it divides into two small rivers the BK and the rutka it's only 1,000 ft wide at its widest point and only 10 ft deep in Prague 13 Bridges cross the river in Old Prague there was only a wooden bridge spanning it which was later changed to a stone one named after the wife of vladislas I udit This was later destroyed by a flood the new bridge had to fit the increasing use and at the same time had to express the Kingdom's richness and love for the Arts the construction of the bridge started upon the order of Charles ivth in 1357 however the name Charles has only been used since 1870 before that it was simply called The Stone Bridge or Prague bridge in foreign [Music] countries the work of architect Peter parlor made its mark on prague's medieval look he was only 27 years old when he won the Royal Assignment to build a bridge he had to create a bridge between the old town and the Prague castle and at the same time he had to protect the bridge in case an attack should occur this latter condition explains the two towers at both ends of the bridge the bridge which is 1,693 Ft long is held by 16 white lime stone blocks the construction is 33 ft wide which was enough space for merchants to set up their Pavilions there was never such a permanent Marketplace here as for example on the Rialto in Venice but it's always been Lively even jousts were held but the place saw more serious fights as well when Frederick V escaped to here after the battle of White Mountain the situation got even worse when the swedes attacked the castle from here at the end of the 30-year War some statues were destroyed during these battles among the 30 statues of the bridge many come from the Brown family known for their other works for Prague as well as from Yan broof and his two sons the statues were ordered by private people religious orders or institutions mostly by pledge or out of gratitude on a tragic night in September 1890 the river washed away a part of the bridge except for the fire in the National Theater there was no such Horror Story in the history of Prague as the destru destruction of the Charles bridge said one article in the newspapers of the following day luckily there are no visible memories of the destruction and the bridge looks like it always did the ability of Prague to create Legends is still alive nowadays many people assign luck bringing powers to the statue of John of nepomuk therefore everyone touches it be it a local or a foreigner the statue is almost completely shiny and it's possible that it will be totally smooth in no time allegedly the saint was drowned here on the order of venceslas IV because he didn't want to divulge the confessions of the queen to the king centuries later he became the patron saint of bridges and [Music] Roads there are two towers in the Lesser quarter the smaller one a Roman tower has a pointed Arch and is a part of the fort of the former Judith Bridge it seems the city planners had no heart to demolish it the other one was built by order of George of pady in Renaissance style The Two Towers are connected by a Gothic gate the strange thing is that the taller Tower is unfinished its facade should have been the same as the one on the side of the old town from the top of the gothic gate one can see the Street and the masses on the bridge in the other direction there are legends myths or Tales connected to almost every statue in Prague these were collected in the 60s by Carl KY in his volume entitled The Legends of Prague it's a handy book for lovers of the [Music] city it's worth it to climb up the creaking stairs leading up the tower since the view is magnificent from The Terraces if one goes up to the attic one can see Stone cannonballs and some clay is it possible that Golem was not lying in the Attic of the synagogue after [Music] all beneath us there is the Judith Tower and people Milling on the Charles bridge one can see the gothic gate and the Musta Street behind it the three ostriches house is famous as the location of the first Cafe in Prague opened by an Armenian deodatus Damian who prepared Turkish coffee the building which was built in 1585 still functions as a restaurant as can be seen from the [Music] tower looking to the West one can see the towers of the St Vitus Cathedral with the buildings of the castle District at its feet not very far under it there's the Dome of the St Nicholas church when the weather is clear one can see the green Vineyards in the distance that contrast with the red [Music] rooftops at one's feet there is the whole lesser District the malast strana there are many Bourgeois houses in the streets of this quarter these are homes of Craftsmen merchants and inke Keepers which were built at the same time as the nearby Aristocrats palaces the poet Yan naruda lived here who wrote an article in a well-known Daily newspaper about the Charles bridge and John of nepomuk every 16th of May wandering here one is followed by other check writers Carl chaik yaroslav hassk Yi Marik and [Music] bohal ysep Manis was the most important Czech painter of the 19th century after whom a statue and a bridge are named here Puppet Theater has a great tradition in the Czech Republic the most popular of the so-called marionet which are moved from above with the help of strings those who like them can take them home since they're sold as souvenirs in many stores of the Lesser District this district is very romantic and uniform from the architectural point of view most of its buildings are done in Baroque style but there are Renaissance and Gothic elements in the foundations of the houses in the inner yards and gateways one can often see Gothic arches and window frames they're golden painted rot or carved signs on almost every building the locals probably find their way better relying on the white doves golden Bells lions or blue foxes than on the street numbers this part was already inhabited in the 8th Century but only became a city during the reign of pisal AAR II according to this the Lesser district is the second oldest part of Prague behind the old [Music] town what's really unique is that the locals did not allow the remaining Stone Coes of the Judith bridge to deteriorate they build a house on the top of the Kaa Island the Roman style remains serve as a foundation for this building the Kaa is a Long Island on the vava which is separated from the bank by The Devil's Ditch there were houses here in the medieval times already mostly water Mills therefore it was called Mill's ditch until 1892 the reason the name was changed to Devil's Ditch chovka in check is not known the origin of the name Kaa is known however it refers to tikon gonb from comp who had a garden here the ditch is called the Venice of Prague which is understandable to a certain extent the colorful houses mirroring on the surface of the water are very picturesque but the gondolas are missing while the Mills rather resemble the landscape of the Netherlands or Belgium there's a gunpowder Workshop here the house of the scientist Yosef de brosi and two Mills Miller sofas and one of the prair tourist boats leave from the vicinity of the ladder there's small boats for four to six persons and large ones for more than 30 persons passengers are offered coffee tea or ice cream while they wait for the boat to leave the boats pass by the Kafka Museum a few restaurants and Lana Park before turning back near the check [Music] bridge the dams on the river were supposed to protect the city from the floods but they failed to do so several times those who saw the reports will not forget the huge flood a few years back which took several lives the marks of the water level in the Lesser District are mostly above the doors the boats slide into the closed Bay behind the nne bridge there's an inn under the bridge where if the passengers want the boat [Music] [Applause] [Music] stops [Music] they proceed among other boats paddle boats and other sorts of water Vehicles until the dams then advancing near the Kaa and beneath the arches of the Charles bridge to return to the [Music] Bay [Music] [Applause] [Music] Valenstein Palace lies at the foot of the castle Austrian Duke Al o so of Valenstein was an outstanding General in the 30-year War he was an aggressive adventurous intriguing Soldier an unpleasant but very talented person who was not only the best strategic mind of his age but also a very good businessman he collected a large Fortune from The Spoils of War confiscated lands and conducted dubious business the emperor made him the Duke of fredland in the northern part of the Czech Republic his name was written as valstein in Czech he was out of favor several times but when the Swedish King Gustav II Adolf entered the war he was called back and was made Supreme Commander in Valenstein Palace one can see the horse of the general which died at the Battle of Lutsen binstein had such a huge fortune that he was able to keep a private Army but that did not protect him from intrigues the emperor was made to believe that binstein wanted the Czech throne for himself so he was killed he was murdered by a group of officers from the Imperial Guard in the city of K in the palace one can also see the rug his body was rolled into his Palace was confiscated by the emperor but was later returned to his heirs who owned it until the nationalization in 1945 the first Baroque Palace of Prague was designed by Italian Architects Andreas SPO and Nicolo seoni the palace has five Courtyards and a huge Park the Assembly Hall is two stories high which is enlarged even more by the help of mirrors the Fresco on the ceiling is the work of the same bacho biano who decorated the Sala this is the most beautiful building of the garden a large three arched Assembly Hall stos ornament the interior the first performance of friedr Schiller's drama Trilogy about Valenstein took place here there are statues of antique Gods on the paths of the garden which are the works of Dutch sculptor Anton def who settled down in Bohemia although the original statues were taken by the sweds as Spoils of War the copies are also very good beside the Loa is an artificial cave the building serves as a birdhouse [Music] today [Music] there are Majestic peacocks walking up and down on the lawn of the park obviously they like it here considering they've already established their family there's a large artificial lake at the Eastern end of the [Music] park behind the lake a gallery has been set up in a former stable the palace is so huge that it gives room to the kensky pedagogical Museum and some offices of the cultural Ministry in addition to the [Music] gallery there's a flag welcoming visitors at the Lesser District district end of the monis bridge which was erected at the time of the change of the political system from here one can take the latesa street leading to the center of the district the malr namesti there are many breweries along the way France kofka was born in 1883 he studied law at the German University of Prague even though he wrote his famous novels the trial and the castle in German he's at least as connected to Prague as James Joyce is to Dublin the complexity of his Works usually starting from a realistic situation but then becoming absurd and transcendental made it possible for several sometimes controversial schools to claim him as their own he died in Vienna but later a plaque was placed on the building standing in the place of his birthplace but the locals also keep showing the house in Gold Street where he used to live for a while after the turn of the century a Kafka Museum was opened on the bank of the vava which attracts many visitors from the end of the Charles bridge the Musta Street leads to the Church of St Nicholas the building of the former episcopate of Prague stood in this street it was demolished but the street still has many beautiful palaces which were recently renovated on one of them is a commemorative plaque to ladislav zelenka the famous violinist the steinet house is more than 600 years old the countet palace is famous for its Rook AO facade the Tower of the Chapel of the former episcopate stands in the yard of the House of three golden Bells the Church of St Nicholas is one of prague's most Monumental buildings with a huge green dome which attracts the eye two Deen hoers a father and his son designed it while the interior is the work of anom lurago the Fresco on the cea depicts the life of St Nicholas the approximately 600 square yard painting is the work of Johan Lucas cracker the golden statue of St Nicholas on the main altar is by [Music] platzer the mistr namti is the main square of the Lesser District it's larger than the square of the old town but the Cathedral on it takes up so much space that it's hard to believe the free market of the glass factories used to be held here it vanished after World War II and now there are only a few glass shops under the archways the two most famous restaurants on the Square are the galit's house and the Lesser District cafe the plague pillar erected in 1715 stands before the lonstein palace there's a plaque on the wall of the sterber palace stating that this was the place from where the great 1541 fire started [Music] the Knights of Malta Square forms a great Unity with the streets surrounding it there was a spa in the lensa Street in medieval times hence its name the Vela pror square is so close to the maleta nest that it's hard to decide where one ends and the other Begins the home of the order and the halls of the prior stand here the building houses the musical collection of the national [Music] museum [Music] the next house was earlier a hotel called the Golden unicorn Beethoven stayed here for a while in 1796 there are two palaces of bucoy general of the emperor standing on the prior Square which now housed the French [Music] Embassy the Prague Castle district is called crani in Czech the Royal Gardens although situated outside the walls belong to the castle in earlier times the castle was connected to the gardens by the powder Tower standing on pillars the two ditches that were once here have been filled the bridge demolished the bru Nicha Creek diverted to a covered canal and the area surrounded deer moat until it was filled up was a natural defense for the castle with deer grazing on its lawn Ferdinand the first asked some Italian gardeners who had already proven their talent in Florence to renew the garden there were statues fountains placed here and some deer were also moved here there was a widely known Lion's Garden here during the reign of Rudolph II the ball Hall was built to be a covered Royal Sports Court but it was later used as a stable and a storage room the facade is ornamented by false architectural elements like Renaissance grafito the Baroque statues are from the brown Workshop the Summer Palace the badier was built by Ferdinand the for his wife Queen Anna in Renaissance style the building was designed by paa De Estella while the garden and musical fountains are also work of Italian artists kodc G was built by the Royal Governor according to his own taste the nie of count kotek Sophia was the wife of France Ferdinand killed in [Music] Saro Carl Maha wrote The Castle was napping in the Twilight fog hundreds of colors of light were were playing on the water beneath it the pink skies were smiling above and behind was Prague in the lap of the Blue [Music] Hills the main entrance leads from the Kat Kensa netti to the gardens its gate with a huge iron bar is protected by guards of Honor the Roco palaces surrounding the yard are the youngest buildings of the castle District dating from the middle of the 18th century the Gate of the middle wing is called the Matias gate after its Builder King matius II the offices of the president of the Republic are on the left wing while the right wing houses rooms for the guests of the president beneath the presidential suite there are two flag poles bearing the national flag the second Courtyard is twice as big as the first one and some 200 years older the north Wing originally gave room to The Stables of Ferdinand II and later Rudolph now there are large Halls here which are presidential parlors in the Southeastern corner of the yard stands the St cross Chapel designed by anago upon the order of Maria Teresa of Austria there's the treasure room of St vus Cathedral with such items as the chain mail of St bisas and the sword of Steven the of Hungary the latter one is most likely here because Prince Gaza and Steven the were back baptized by the bishop of Prague the Baroque well of the yard is the work of heronimus Cole while the smaller one with a rot iron top is the work of Franchesco dor from the chambers Baroque Saints gaze down upon the visitors above the gate looking towards the Royal Gardens there's a gallery which once protected the famous collection of Rudolph II there were pictures here from Leonardo rubben rafaelo Tinto hind dur and many others a part of the treasure was taken by the Swedish army what was left behind was taken to Vienna after the death of Rudolph II these pictures can be seen today in the korous museum in the third Courtyard the visitor feels a Gothic ear instead of a baroque one it was built after the great 1541 fire the building complex of the medieval Royal Palace is here high above the buildings of the square there's the Tower of the St vus Cathedral the three naved cathedral which has 21 chapels is about 400 ft long the width is 200 ft while the height of the central tower is almost 310 ft there's a white marble tomb in front of the main altar which is the final resting place of Ferdinand the and his wife in the St cross Chapel there's the bronze sarcophagus of Charles IV but many other premiss family members also lie here since 1909 the Bishops of the town are buried in The Bishop's Chapel in the Maria Magdalena Chapel there's the Tomb of the two Builders of the Dome matius of Aris and Peter parlor which were found accidentally in 1928 the tomb of St John of nepomuk was designed by the famous Master Fisher vlock maybe the most beautiful of all is St venas Chapel the gothic Masterpiece of perer parlor the entrance to the Vault locked by Seven Locks is also here the crown the orb and the scepter are exhibited only on special occasion the prepend library and archives open from the TB Chapel the facade of the gigantic building squeezed into the small courtyard is difficult to see in its entirety similar to the teen church and the Church of St Nicholas the cathedral which has three larger and several smaller towers butresses and stone carvings is the largest church in Prague a Roman Catholic one it's one of the three most well-known buildings of the city its Towers can be seen from almost everywhere in Prague it's not only a grandiose site but also a highly valuable historical building Charles IV asked Matias of ARS to build it in a place where previously only two small smaller shrines had stood in 1344 his work was continued by Peter parlor and later his sons the Renaissance top of the main tower was only finished in 1564 the new Baroque Dome was designed by Nicholas bakassi almost 200 years later finally the building was finished on the 1,000th anniversary of the birth of St vusus in 1929 but soon in 1945 they already started to renovate it the clock became a part of the tower during the reign of Rudolph II its lower dial shows the quarter while its upper dial shows the full hours the chorus of the cathedral is well known in all Europe in addition to masses many concerts are held here because of the good Acoustics of the church France list conducted his estron Mass here in September 1856 he met smatana who saw him as his ideal for the first time at the banquet held in his arm honor over the following 1 and A2 decades they met several times in Prague viar and Budapest the sober moderateness of the building surrounding the third Courtyard is owing to Nicholas the facade which was reconstructed and simplified in the 18th century hides three former palaces a Renaissance and two Baroque residences the Southeastern Corner even houses a Roman Tower which was previously a prison this medley of styles was tamed by who ornamented the main facade with the statues of platzer the 60t high Obelisk standing in the third Courtyard was erected in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Republic the famous bronze statue of St George is the work of the kvari brothers from 1373 the statue was given as a present by Lewis I of Hungary to his father-in-law Charles IV there are two existing copies one stands beneath the fisherman's Bastion in Budapest while the other one is in front of the Reformed Church in kesar even the one standing in the castle is also a copy since the original is kept in the gallery of St George Square the gate ornamented by copper relief standing in the Eastern corner of the square leads to the St George Square in the alley one can see a part of the filled up [Music] moat [Music] near the mode there's a copy of the medieval lifting machine made of wood there are pictures showing how people could lift heavy loads like stones and other building materials to a height of 33 [Music] ft [Music] St George square is the continuation of the third Courtyard if one stands in front of the Basilica of St George to the left there's the proval palace the former library and the monastery of the nuns of the Benedictine order which since the dissolution of the order gives room to a collection of Czech medieval Arts behind one among the pillars of the vladislas hall are Renaissance windows to the right there's the former Assembly Hall and the archives the two towered Roman style Basilica of St George is the oldest surviving Monument of the Prague castle inside the Basilica are the tombs of radislav the founder of the church Prince bolav II and the Martyr St Lilla Ludmilla was the grandmother of St venceslas who became one of the patron saints of bohemia the Basilica has served as a a concert hall for several decades especially for ancient Sacred Music to the left of the All Saints church chapel is the round-shaped Hall of the Aristocrat Institute Maria Teresa of Austria ordered her servants to demolish some buildings and established a foundation home for ruined aristocratic families the building is the work of Nicholas bassi and emble lurago going towards gold Maker's Lane one can see the Lovitz Palace and the Supreme bur Graves house which were the house and the office of the castellons gold maker lane or zlata ulitka is one of prague's most famous sites there are picturesque little houses here which are stuck to the city wall like swallows nests even though we know that medieval man was shorter it's still hard to imagine how people could live here there are small ornamented windows in the houses small doors and some even have a first floor with a tiny Skylight the rooms are full of old furniture and one's head grazes the ceiling even France kfka lived here for a while however he didn't mention it in his novels servants Maids archers and a few gold makers lived here they to blame for the legend that there were Alchemist experiments going on in these houses with the aim of creating gold [Music] the truth is that those Alchemists who could fool the king or some rich Aristocrat mostly lived in a huge Palace at least one like the F house The Alchemist labs in the houses are not original they were put here only for the sake of the tourists in the other houses one can buy Craftsman's work and souvenirs these things are sometimes made in front of one's eyes like in the wax Chandler's shop one can also buy a poster or calendar showing these houses the Dorca Tower is at the end of the golden Lane it was not only a guard Tower but also a prison there's some romantic Legends associated with it but the person who gave his name to the Tower elore of Ked would hardly think so he was imprisoned here for 2 years before he was executed his crime was that he helped the revolting surfs his story was evoked in sm's Opera but it also became a part of prague's Rich collection of [Music] Legends [Applause] from the daliborka tower the vikara street leads to the castle gate there is the Palace of the pendal office and the third Bastion of the castle in this street but what is even more famous is bicara restaurant it's a very renowned place there's no high ranking guest of the city who hasn't been brought here from above one can see the structure of the city Prague has 10 districts the old cities stara novaa mastana cren and visad United with the surrounding cities in 1922 when the city wall was demolished in 1875 at the same time as in Vienna Kos zov Carlin hich banich and the other parts of the town all used to be independent cities at the foot of the Royal Palace upon the filled up moat a walkway has been established sometimes it widens to a park from where there's a great side of the city mainly at the nearby Church of St Nicholas and its [Music] surroundings the Garden on the ramparts was made on the occasion of a visit by franos of the there's the old Royal Palace from the hsur times above it which is now only used as an office and storage space the Halls were always places for the most ceremonial State events today they're used for representational purposes the continuation of the Garden on the ramparts was once the Paradise Garden with the Royal Bath in it where the clarans were sounding while the King was [Music] bathing the bath is burnt down the only remains are a Green Grove and a 40 ton nicely carved Stone pool [Applause] [Music] from beneath the castle walls there are wide stairs leading back to the csen square the most famous building around here is the martinich palace the sign of the defenestrated governor can still be seen above the gate there's a Virgin Mary statue in the middle of the square it was erected out of gratitude after the plague evaded this part of the city schwarzenberg Palace is the most peculiar building of the square one part of it is in empire style while the other one is in Renaissance style the graffitos of the gigantic t-shaped facade were made on a Venetian pattern the palace operates as a military history museum there are many beautiful private palaces in kichka and casarin streets the latter leads to laurena Street in front of the castle District Town Hall the two-winged renaissance building was the administration center of the Royal City during the early 1600s this part lying east of the Kaden Square grips the visitor with its various Styles beside the huge palaces of the aristocracy there are many small houses in the Narrow Street reads demonstrating the calm lovely life of bygone centuries there's a restaurant in the golden pear house Kepler the famous astronomer lived in the new world Street for a while Peter parlor lived at laurena 9ine during the time he was working on the St vus Cathedral nothing remained of the gothic building there's the pendal office in its place which is used for State events [Music] once the building beside the temple was parochial building today it serves as a hospitable Guest [Music] House the Church of Virgin Mary of Loretto is one of prague's most beautiful Baroque works it was built as a copy of the Italian Loretto Shrine in the 18th century according to the Italian Legend the house in Nazareth where the Archangel appeared to Mary to tell her about the birth of Jesus was taken by angels from Palestine to Loretto after this several copies of the place were built throughout Europe there are at least 50 copies only in the Czech Republic the most well-known and most beautiful is the one in the castle it was designed with the help of Italian Architects from donations by Princess benia Lovitz the facade was finished by Deen Hofer 100 years later there's a silver altar pictures depicting the life of Mary and a statue of her carved from cedar tree the treasury was filled thanks to the aristocrats the clock of the tower was made in Amsterdam of course there's a legend Associated to the Bell structure made of 27 Bells a poor woman lived nearby who had as many children as the temple had Bells when the plague struck Prague she started to lose her children one by one her only treasure was a necklace made of silver coins from the price of this necklace she made the bells told for her children on her final hour she had no more money left but the church bells started to toll on their [Music] own the building of the foreign Ministry is one of prague's largest palaces it was designed by Italian Architects for the chin family the multi-story building is 490 ft long and has a strict Baroque architecture while keeping some of the padial like Renaissance [Music] elements and so we bid farewell to Prague the mother of all cities which GRE to called the jewel in the crown of the [Music] world [Music] [Music] a [Music] find [Music] n

Channel: Expoza Travel

Views: 165,570

Keywords: Saint Vitus Cathedral, documentary, essentials, Vyšehrad, tour, trip, city, guide, U Fleku, Klementinum, The Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, vacation, Wallenstein park, expoza travel, channel, Loreto Chapel, National Theatre, Mala Strana, travel guide, world, adventure, discovery, Dvorak Museum, Wenceslas Square, U Kalycha, holiday, tips, Saint Nicholas Church, travel, Faust house, Jewish Quarter, videos, براغ التشيك, السياحة في براغ, السفر الى التشيك, العمل في التشيك, براغ, التشيك

Id: SRzUjFOVx8c

Length: 70min 13sec (4213 seconds)

Published: Fri May 01 2015