Prague General Tips by yooperprof

Favorite Thing: This church was one of the centers of the Hussite movement, but was taken over by the Jesuits in the 17th century. (The building in front of the Church is the Tyn School.) The royal astronomer Tycho Brahe is buried here - he who died of a burst bladder at the court of Rudolf II. Another interesting thing here: the way in which one of the church's towers is slightly, but noticeably larger and taller than the other. In medieval times, it was widely believed to be necessary to have a larger "male" tower protecting a smaller and less dominant "female" tower.


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Favorite Thing: A baroque facade on a medieval church - and thus an encapsulation of much of this city's history. The parish was originally created to serve the neighborhood's Germany community; the 18th century architect who designed the exterior was an Italian, Giovanni Santini.

Fondest Memory: On Havelska Ul, close to the Estates Theatre

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Favorite Thing: A glorious Baroque masterpiece. The Jesuits were given the responsibility of pulling down an older church that had originally been on this site - one which was irredeemably associated with Hussites and Protestants. In its place came this immpressive structure which utilizes all manner of architectural tricks in order to capture the hearts and souls of those who visit it. The dome of St. Nicholas is especially impressive - gloriously painted and accompanied by enormous statues of the Chuch Fathers. The local residents of the parish were not satisfied with the dome, however; they insisted that the Jesuits also build them a tower to serve as a look-out in case of fire or flood. Hence the peculiarity that St. Nicholas has BOTH a dome and a tower.


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Favorite Thing: The interior of St. Nicholas Church is a spectacular example of eighteenth century roccoco design. It presents a frenzied mix of diverse architectural and structural elements, blended together as if in a cuisinart.


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Favorite Thing: This picture was taken from the tower of St. Vitus Cathedral. 287 steps to the top, and the view is worth every single one. (Interestingly, it's one of the oldest parts of the Cathedral.)


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Favorite Thing: Prague's "other" St. Nicholas Church would be a stand-out in most cities, but here it is almost overlooked. This beautiful Baroque facade faces Old Town Square, but it is somewhat overshadowed by the Tyn Church nearby. But St. Nicholas has excellent acoustics and is the site of frequent concerts. Incidentally, it was closed during the reign of Emperor Joseph II - he used it as a warehouse, believing that, as things stood, Prague had too many churches, thank you very much. It was re-opened in the 20th century and has been used by the official Protestant church - the Hussites - since 1920.


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Favorite Thing: Home of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, on the banks of the Vltava


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Favorite Thing: Why leave something simple if you can make it fancy? Why have a plain steetlamp when you have an elegant one? Why settle for mediocrity when you deserve extravagance?


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Favorite Thing: Interesting example of early 20th century architecture. This complex was built shorly after World War I to a design by Otakar Novotny, who obviously had a keen appreciation for the interplay for shapes and colors. On Elisky Krasnohorsky, close to the river.


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Favorite Thing: For a brief time in the 1950s this was the site of the world's large statue of dear Uncle Joe Stalin. The enormous sculpture was blown up in 1962; the metronome was put in Stalin's place in the 1990s. A humorous touch, no?


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