Charles Bridge (Karluv Most) and other Prague, Czech Republic Things to Do Tips

Now pedestrianised and connecting the Old Town to the Little Quarter, the visually stunning Charles Bridge was commissioned by Charles IV in 1357 to replace the Judith Bridge, whose only remains is the Judith Tower on the Little Quarter side after it was destroyed by a flood in 1342.

Designed by Peter Parler, the bridge's 30 famous statues began to be added to the butress plinths over a century later with the first one being St John Nepomuk in 1683, a rival of Jan Hus he came to a very sticky end with his tortured body being thrown from this very bridge...

After that the bridge's plinths filled up very quickly with representations of some of the countries most famous Saints. Indeed so many statues have been created that half a dozen spares reside in the Casemates under the Vysehrad Fortress (see my off the beaten track tip!).

The Bridge is 'bookended' by two impressive towers which can both be visited and afford excellent elevated views of the bridge and the river below...

Leave a Comment

Address: Karluv most
Directions: Connecting Old Town and Lesser Town

Easily the most distinctive landmark in the city, St Vitus's soars above the walls of Prague Castle around it...

Built in 1344 by Charles IV on the site of the original Rotunda of St Vitus, erected by St Wenceslas in 925, the cathedral was finally completed in the early 20th century.

It is a huge Neo-Gothic masterpiece spanning a thousand years of history and absolutely crammed with religious artifacts, works of art and items of historical significance.

Probably the main sight within the cathedral is the sumptuously decorated Chapel of St Wenceslas, containing his bejewelled tomb.

Other major sights include:

The remarkable chancel built by Peter Parler (he of Charles Bridge fame).

A carved wooden panel showing the city of Prague in intricate detail, called 'Flight of Frederick of the Palatine' - my favourite because I love staring at maps for hours on end.

Tomb of St John Nepomuk (pictured below), made from solid silver and honouring the man who ended up murdered and thrown into the Vltava River for his troubles!

The Crypt where Charles IV and his wives are buried.

Also there are many brilliant stained glass windows including one by Alfons Mucha, the King of Art Nouveau - somewhat unaccountably I missed this because I didn't realise it was there...!

No matter - I shall see it next time I'm in Prague! ;-)

Leave a Comment

Address: Katedrala sv. Vita, Vaclava a Vojtecha
Directions: Prague Castle

The sheer majestic presence of Prague Castle overshadows the whole of the centre of Prague like some monolithic sentinel with the baroque spire of St Vitus' Cathedral spectacularly thrusting above its walls...

This huge building is the size of a small town encompassing many churches, chapels, halls and towers from every period of its history since the foundation of the castle in the 9th century.

The best way to visit the castle in my mind is to walk up the steps through the Little Quarter from the Charles Bridge below, this gives you a tremendous idea of the scale of the place and a sense of achievement once you have reached the top!

The best sights within the walls are St Vitus' Cathedral, the Royal Palace, St George's Convent and the heavily touristed Golden Lane.

Remember that all the castle sights are part of the Prague Card deal outlined in my General Tips section... :-)

Check out my Travelogue for more pics!

Leave a Comment

Address: Prazsky hrad
Directions: If you can't find it, you're blind! ;-)
Website: http://old.hrad.cz/

This fabulous clock is a great little diversion when you're in the Old Town Square.

Reputedly built by a master clock maker called Hanus, whose skills were so valued by the city's leaders that they blinded him so that he could not build another clock anywhere else...

Apparently instead it was built by a Mr Mikulas of Kardan and Professor Sindel of the University of Prague, who calculated the astronomical movements way back in 1410.

The main reason for coming here occurs every hour during daylight as on the hour you are treated to a procession of moving figures.

Added since the 17th century, these include four animated figurines placed to the sides of the astrological dial depicting Death, a Turkman, a Vain Man and a Miser.

In 1865 the uppermost gallery containing the twelve apostles was added and these pass by the two small windows. These displays culminate with the crowing of a rooster.

There is also a calendar dial added in 1870 by the famous Czech artist Joseph Manes, consisting of twelve medallions representing the months of the year and the signs of the zodiac.

Leave a Comment

Address: Starometska radnice, Starometske namesti.
Directions: Old-Town Square under the Town Hall tower

Rising abruptly over the western border of the Little Quarter is the wooded flanks of Petrin Hill, literally translating as 'Rocky Hill'.

Paths wind up and around the hill from all directions (though beware during winter when they can get icy!), and you can enjoy many panoramic views from so many points. Another popular way to reach the top is by Funicular Railway, which was built for the 1891 Jubilee Exhibition.

Petrin Hill is laced with a number of excellent attractions including the Observation Tower, the Mirror Maze and the Hunger Wall, as well as the stunning location of the Little Auger restaurant halfway up the funicular railway.

Romantics amongst you may want to lay flowers at the foot of the monument to Karel Hynek Macha, the Czech Republic's most famous Romantic poet.

This was a fabulous place to walk and appreciate the fresh winter air and catch glimpses through the trees of Prague spread out like a canvas below...

Leave a Comment

Directions: Petrin Hill

Built for the 1891 Prague Jubilee Exhibition, the Observation Tower (Rozhledna) on the 318m Petrin Hill affords magnificent views of the city sprawled like an open canvas below. Or, on a clear day Snĕžka, Bohemia's highest peak 150km to the NE.

Although at around 60m and only a quarter of the height of the Eiffel Tower after which it was modelled, when you take the height of hill into account it makes a spectacular viewing platform - though there are no lifts to help you climb the 299 steps to the top... ;-)

There is a charming cafe on the ground floor and a wonderfully hilariously quirky museum charting the life of the tower's architect - who for the longest time I couldn't remember his name! Now thanks to http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/f7d58/ (Cheers Kev!) I know his name is Jára Cimrman - someone who deserves greater recognition outside of his own country!

This is a great place to come for breathtaking picture opportunities and also the terrific sense of achievement of having reached the top under your own steam!

Leave a Comment

Address: Petrinska rozhledna
Directions: Petrin Hill, visible from anywhere.

Dominating the Eastern portion of the Old Town Square is quite possibly the most beautiful church I have ever seen!

Its magnificent fairytale gothic steeples are perhaps its most striking feature, complimenting the architecture of the Old Square so beautifully - a great landmark if you ever get lost, I should think!

Started in 1365, it is not really open to the general public as such, but only open for services at set times. If you do decide to come for the services, then by all means attend but make sure you attend for the duration and show appropriate respect.

To actually get to the church from the square, you can through a collonaded passageway by the House at the Stone Bell, the entrance is not immediately apparent but a bit of common sense will get you there!

For me, the most impressive thing fact about this church is the fact that the famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) is buried here - a colourful character indeed! ;-)

Leave a Comment

Phone: +420 222318186
Address: Tynsky chram.
Directions: Near Old-Town Square.
Website: http://tynska.farnost.cz/index_en.html