Arriving early in Vienna, we struggled a bit to get a mid sized car and finally ended up with a Škoda Yeti - "elegant and stylish for the town, yet an adventurous off-road" machine. Perfect for us! We drove straight out from the airport towards the Czech Republic assuming what would become our roles for the next two weeks of travel, with G as the driver and I as the "navigatrix" / audio entertainment coordinator. Prague was only 206 miles away, but driving through the Central Bohemian region we decided to make a midway stop. Abandoning the main highway, we made our first venture down the winding side roads that traverse the rolling hills of the Czech Republic in search of the small village of Sázava, where we found an old monestary with ruins from 1032. There was the newer church building currently under renovation and an interesting memorial devoted to a German Knight's wife as well. Unfortunately a walk around was all we could do not having picked up any Czech crowns to purchase anything yet. So we gave a wistful look at the gelatoria next to which we had parked and continued our trek to Prague.
Continuing on we made our way into Prague mid afternoon. After parking the car and checking in at our hotel (which was also playing host to the Junior International Powerlifting Championships - good luck with that free breakfast) we ventured into the Castle District, then across the statue filled Charles Bridge and on to the Old Town District.
We enjoyed our first night in Prague very much, eating Czech cuisine and drinking Czech beer right along the riverside. Wandering the streets of Old Town, we watched the full moon rise and fueled our souls with the magic of the city. An absolutely perfect evening!
The castle complex, one of the largest in the world, was founded in the 9th century. It is the seat of Czech rulers and presidents and houses historical palaces, churches, fortifications, and gardens. The gate below is the Mathius Gate built in the early 17th century.
This one, The Gate of Giants, is from the 18th century showing the war of the gods.
Walking through the gates leads to the courtyard where St. Vitus Cathedral stands since 1344.
The courtyard is also the best place to do some gargoyle-spotting; among those lining the roof of the Cathedral, look out for dragons, scorpions, and musicians.
Also in the courtyard is a statue of St. George slaying the dragon. This was cast in 1373 and is the oldest free-standing statue in Bohemia to be found outdoors.
I really enjoy seeing these familiar legends and heros displayed in different countries. It gives me a unifying feel of shared humanity.
We had a 10:45 walking tour in Old Town's Main Square next. Our guide, a German born English transplant led us through the fascinating history of Prague. He called it "the heart of Europe" and a most beautiful heart it is.
The history of the city goes back to the foundation of Prague Castle by Bořivoj in 870 AD. After 894 it became the main seat of the oldest ruling dynasty of the state Bohemia, the Premyslid princes (Premyslovci). During the first half of the 11th century, on the opposite bank of the Vltava, another castle was founded, called Vysehrad. The first stone bridge (Judith's) was built in 1172 and named after the queen Judith. Prague became a town during 13th century and the Old Town and the Little Quarter were founded by colonization. The beginning of the 14th century saw a series of dynastic disputes - beginning with the death of Vaclav II from consumption and excess in 1305. The following year, the murder of his son, the heir, Vaclav III, marked the end of the Premyslid dynasty and Bohemia was left without a male heir.
In 1310 Czech nobles offered the throne to John of Luxembourg but it was his son Charles IV (1346-1378), king of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, who ushered in Prague's golden age and made it his residential capital. King Charles IV founded the oldest university in Central Europe in Prague (1348), Charles University; founded and built the New Town of Prague (1348); and adorned his residential town with numerous structures and public buildings like Charles Bridge(1357). With its 50 000 inhabitants and covering an area of 8.1 km2 Prague became the largest town in Europe at that time.
Prague did not become the seat of the throne when Ferdinand, the Roman Catholic Hapsburg was elected King of Bohemia (1526) and the Kingdom of Bohemia became part of the Hapsburg monarchy. After the defeat of the first anti-Hapsburg uprising of the Bohemian Estates (1547) the Prague towns people lost a large part of their property and political privileges. But it was a period when culture flourished thanks to the personality and court of the art-loving Emperor Rudolph II. (1576-1612) who moved his seat to Prague in 1583 and endowed Prague's galleries with the best Mannerist art in Europe and invited the respected astrologist Tycho de Brahe and Johannes Kepler and other famous scientists to his court.
The defenestration (GMan really liked this word :) at the Prague Castle in 1618, when the governors of the king were thrown out of the window after a dispute, marks the date the 30 year war started in Europe with the catholics and the reformed fighting each other. After the "Battle of the White Mountain" where the catholic Hapsburgs won, 27 of the leaders of the loosing side were decapitated on June 21, 1621 on Old Town square. This day marks the coming of the dark ages for the Czechs, when the Hapsburgs take over until 1918. During this time, the German language is introduced as the second, if not the more important language in the country.
During the reign of the Hapsburg queen Maria Teresia, education was made mandatory for all children, boys and girls. Commercial life developed favorably and many factories started working in the city. In 1784 Emperor Joseph II. merged the four historical Prague Towns (the Old Town, New Town, Little Quarter and Hradčany) into one unified Capital City of Prague, which became the core of industrialization of Bohemia and the center of Bohemian national revival.
After WWI, in 1918, Czechoslovakia became a republic with Tomáš Garrique Masaryk becoming its first president.
At the end of 1930's, on 15th March 1939 Hitler's armies occupied Prague. The anti-fascist resistance of the people of Prague lasted more than six years, and, after the closure of the Czech universities on 17 November 1939 (International Student's Day) and the assassination of the "Reichsprotektor" R. Heydrich (27 May 1942), reached its culmination in the Prague Uprising (5-9 May 1945). With the Cold War in full swing the Stalinization of Czechoslovakian society was quick to follow.
In the year 1968 movement demanding "socialism with a human face" reached its climax. The events of the so-called "PragueSpring", lead to the invasion of Czechoslovakia. On 21st August 1968 five countries of the Warsaw Pact occupied Prague.
1989 brought democracy to the country with Václav Havel becoming the president.
On January 1st 1993, after the split of Czechoslovakia, Prague became the capital of the Czech Republic.
On May 1,2004 the Czech Republic become a member of the European Union.
One of the important historical sights in Prague is Ungelt, a block of buildings built in the 11th century, originally a fortified merchant yard, where customs duties were collected (Ungelt). The Granosky Palace with its arcaded loggia is one of the best preserved Renaissance buildings.
After the tour we went for lunch and walked some more. In the daylight the city is very colorful!
We could have easily found more to see and do if our wandering hearts weren't already heading towards Italy. With a long day of driving ahead we opted to forgo the main highway route and returned to the small winding rural roads, so that we could make a few sightseeing stops along our way back south, stopping in Kutna Hora and Cesky Krumluv.
Kutna Hora - THE OSSUARY
A cistercian monastery was founded near here in the year 1142. One of the principal tasks of the monks was the cultivation of the grounds and lands around the monastery. In 1278 King Otakar II of Bohemia sent Henry, the abbot of Sedlec, on a diplomatic mission to the Holy Land. When leaving Jerusalem Henry took with him a handful of earth from Golgotha which he sprinkled over the cemetery of Sedlec monastery, consequently the cemetery became famous, not only in Bohemia but also throughout Central Europe and many wealthy people desired to be buried here.The burial ground was enlarged during the epidemics of plague in the 14th century and also during the Hussite wars in first quarter of the 15th century.
Interestingly, the Hussites (followers of the christian reformer Jan Huss) are celebrated in Prague for their courageous stance against the Holy Roman Empire over social issues that ultimately gave birth to Czech national awareness. In the Ossuary of Kutna Hora (one hour from Prague), the Hussites are identified simply as the ones who slaughtered thousands of their inhabitants. History is sometimes relative to who is doing the telling.
Interestingly, the Hussites (followers of the christian reformer Jan Huss) are celebrated in Prague for their courageous stance against the Holy Roman Empire over social issues that ultimately gave birth to Czech national awareness. In the Ossuary of Kutna Hora (one hour from Prague), the Hussites are identified simply as the ones who slaughtered thousands of their inhabitants. History is sometimes relative to who is doing the telling.
After 1400 one of the abbots had a church of All -Saints erected in Gothic style in the middle of the cemetery and under it a chapel destined for the deposition of bones from abolished graves, a task which was begun by a half blind Cistercian monk after the year 1511. The present arrangement of the bones dates from 1870 and is the work of a Czech wood-carver, František RINT (you can see his name put together from bones). The ossuary contains the remains of about 40 000 people. The largest collections of bones are arranged in the form of bells in the four corners of the chapel.
The most interesting creations by Master Rint are the chandelier in the center of the nave, containing all the bones of the human body, two monstrances beside the main altar and the coat-of arms of the Schwarzenberg noble family on the left-hand side of the chapel.
Upon first exposure, the use of human remains in this manner may appear macabre. But the overall message in their placement is that, although we may have feelings of self importance born from varying levels social standing while alive, in the end we are all equal in our humanity and before our maker.
Upon first exposure, the use of human remains in this manner may appear macabre. But the overall message in their placement is that, although we may have feelings of self importance born from varying levels social standing while alive, in the end we are all equal in our humanity and before our maker.
ST. BARBARA’S CATHEDRAL - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Construction of the cathedral was begun in 1388 just behind the town walls on a rocky cliff with a magnificent view over the valley of the Vrchlice River, outcrops of the richest silver mines and an old chapel dedicated to St. Barbara, the patron saint of miners. The first architect was a member of the Parler family – Peter Parler was the main architect of St. Vitus’ Cathedral in Prague Castle and his son Jan got married in Kutná Hora in 1389. Since the very beginning, the Kutná Hora sandstone from local quarries became the main construction material.
Most of interior decorations of St. Barbara’s Cathedral date from the late Gothic period. Choir benches were made by carver Jakub Nymburský between 1480 and 1490, the intricate carvings at each choir members position being unique. The most exquisite example of late Gothic paintings are the decorations of the Smíšek’s Chapel. Michal Smíšek of Vrchoviště, a typical representative of local nobility, was in charge of construction management at that time and his life story would be a concentrated history of all people, elevated to noble status due to their wealth. His opulent struggle for dignity led to his buying of the chapel in 1485 and having it decorated according to his will. The main motif of the fresco is a votive scene, depicting probably Michal Smíšek himself with his family by the altar. Other motifs include Queen of Thebes Coming to Solomon, Traian’s Trial and Sibyl of Tiburt. The chapel vault is decorated by a band of angels. The chapel was designed and decorated to serve as a burial chapel and Michal Smíšek was entombed there in 1511. The adjacent chapel was purchased by the winchers’ guild in 1493. The artistic quality of the decorations is somewhat lower, but its enormous value lies in the depiction of labour scenes. That is also the case of the Minter’s Chapel with motifs inspired by the minting of coins.
choir benches  |
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| Hmmm... Open confessionals without doors or curtains. Good thing I've got my compostela! :-) |
Another stage of the cathedral’s history began along with the coming of the Jesuits in 1626. At that time the famous sanctuary was in quite a miserable shape with many backlogs and traces of past wars. Baroque reconstructions carried out by the Jesuits involved mainly the chancel and the Chapel of St. Franz Xaverius. The interior is dominated by the main altar dating from 1901 – 1905 that was made according to Gothic plans described in the historic memoirs “Paměti Jana Kořínka”. The neo-Gothic appearance is further enhanced by stained-glass windows made by František Urban, depicting scenes from the history of Kutná Hora and the Czech kingdom and reminding of those who contributed to the restoration; one of the windows is for example a remembrance of the visit of Emperor Franz Joseph I to Kutná Hora in 1906 and of his donation.
A couple hours on the road, (We drove through Budweis, or České Budejovice. Our well known Budweiser beer was originally brewed as an imitation of this large brewery.), we came to another UNESCO World Heritage Site, Český Krumlov. It is famous for its Old Town, with 300 protected medieval buildings, and its castle complex, the second largest in the Czech Republic.
Time to Czech off and out. Back to the highway and on towards Italy!!
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