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Imagine a beautiful, ancient European city that looks like the 18th century never ended, with cobbled lanes and majestic old Baroque palaces, statues everywhere, fountains, gardens, a brooding castle on the hill, a river crossed by historic foot-bridge, and with no automobiles in the center to shatter the time-warp illusion. This must be Prague!
Capital of the Czech Republic (Czechia), Prague is one of the most picturesque and interesting cities in Europe. It is one of the few major historic places on the Continent that was not damaged by either World Wars, so the well-preserved buildings you see are the real thing, not a reconstruction or some tourist bureau fantasy.
Not much has changed during the past 200 years, resulting in one of the largest collections of well-preserved old buildings in Europe. “Modernization” was thankfully limited to the graceful innovations of art nouveau at the beginning of the 20th century, found in dozens of elegant buildings around the center. Economic stagnation under the Communists following the Second World War was unfortunate for Czech society, but fortuitously it preserved the old buildings by default, since there was no money to knock them down and build anything new. The city is a jewel intact, a time capsule glistening with castles, palaces, medieval old-town neighborhoods, and many fascinating sights that offer a glimpse of the past.
The “city of a hundred spires” will impress you with its soaring churches and lavish baroque palaces. Its lively squares and avenues give the city a festive atmosphere which few can rival, and its concert halls, ballet and opera performances are world-class.
5 окт 2022
