These Tourists Sights Are FAKE - Not Originals 

Trdelník is originally a Transylvanian-Hungarian Szekely dessert (Kürtőskalács) influenced by German settlers who popularised using leavened sweetened pastry dough. Popularised across the Austro-Hungarian empire in the 19th Century by the spread of regional cookbooks via the nobility, but was already present in the Slovak-Czech border region, where the name Trdelník comes from. Hope this helps 👍

Copies? Not a big deal because things wear out, erode, and fall into disrepair. I’m glad that people value their heritage enough to repair and replace them as needed.

In Belgium we have our famous Manneke Pis statue which is also a fake one. Fun story, the statue was so often stolen that they didn’t know if the so called original statue they have in a museum in Brussels was even the real one. After a research of 5 years, they finally came to the conclusion in 2020 that the one in the museum was the real one. The statue was stolen often during war by soldiers, as student pranks and even to collect money for a good cause.

I love this because it proves people can still make beautiful things, even if they are copies sometimes

We are just back from Prague having spent a week there. We found your channel a few weeks before and it helped us immensely. Thank you so much from Scotland :)

Yes, yes, yes!!! Make this stream! In December, when I will be visiting Prague for the fifth time, I will follow every step in your guides!!! Waiting for this.

Trdelník is popular in Transylvania too, where it's called "kürtos", short from its Hungarian name "kürtoskalacs", the 2nd part of the name being "koláč" 😀. So I would say it's traditional as long as it's plain. Perfect on cold weather with hot wine - svařák. However the versions filled with ice creams, fruit and Nutella are not traditional. And if you eat one after a full Czech meal of goulash or pork with sauerkraut and dumplings... God help your stomach.

I’m visiting for two weeks (16th visit) early November. I love Prague but there are so many beautiful places to visit outside the capital. Olomouc is my hidden gem of a city, keep it quiet.

just home from Prague, what a beautiful city. We found your videos to be so, informative, useful with advice and ideas, while also witty and entertaining. Thanks to you we searched for and found a paternoster lift (great fun!) ate at a workers canteen (not so much fun, the food was a bit grim but we enjoyed the experience!) and avoided using ATMs. We kept an eye out for you hoping to see you in person to say thanks but no luck - so I`ll say it now, many thanks from an Irish family, we had a wonderful time in your city and felt better informed and prepared by watching your channel, keep up the great work!

for Trdelnik you have to go to Transylvania (to Szekely land as its even called Szekely Cake in Romanian aka Colac secuiesc) as it got to Skalica city from there and then from Skalica to Czechia....in Skalica they started to roll it into walnuts etc. what was not common before it got there....

Going to be there in a week and I have learned so much about Prague from this channel. Thank you for all the helpful videos, maybe I'll bump into you on the Charles Bridge and thank you in person.

I went to Budapest and hardly found a Kürtőskalács stand there! I think the Czechs have stolen it and the Hungarians did not care!!

I love the historical livestreams! Bring it on! I remember the waterfront walk one, it was great!

I went to Prague earlier this year and posted a story in Instagram saying "traditional food" for the Trdelnik as a joke and a Romanian friend was very quick to correct me and tell the story about how it is something for tourists. It was very good and I was touristing around 🤷

Trdelnik is really good but I just tried it once. After I saw your video I stopped buying it and drank more pivo instead 🍻

I don’t think it matters if something is a replica/ copy, most older sites do need updating, or maintenance; we expect sites to be kept well maintained. I spent a wonderful time in Praha earlier this year. For me soaking in the feeling of a beautiful place that comes with the history of the place, (particularly when the place s so different from my own home in regional Australia) was the most important thing.

Your channel is one of the biggest reasons for my future visit to Prague. So excited to visit Prague soon, hopefully early of January.

I'm in Prague now, and it's really funny and useful to learn all this! Love this channel😊

So love these videos :) I can't travel so I live vicariously through other people's existence. Praha is so beautiful and you and Honza make it better for everyone :) Please stay safe when exposing exchange fraudsters and keep on showing amazing things about Praha that your average guide book would gloss over. Much love from a fellow slavic country of Slovenia. :) Stay awesome, both of you, and I hope you are well!

I'm afraid to go to Prague. Just to get scammed by FAKE sightseeings 😅

Thanks for the great information Janek and Honza! Well done!

i love your love for prague and czech republic, makes me want to go there, thanks for these kinds of videos!!!

Hi Janek and Honza, I visited Prague last week and want to thank you for the info I learned from you. It was very helpful. Even met other fans in Wine bar "Na skleničku". Was disappointed that your book is sold out, visited many book stores. Please let us know when it is available again. For the next time.

The part about Charles Bridge is outstanding. Very interesting subject!

in são paulo there's a local chain that sells trdelník under the name trudel, claiming to be romanian… i suspect it’s one of those dishes that appeared somewhere in time immemorial and spread across a wide area over time

I enjoy your humor. Thank you for making me smile!

Look for the copy of the earlier St Wenceslas equestrian statue (Baroque era) in Vyšehrad. The original is in the Lapidarium.

I lived in Prague in 2003 to study and it’s interesting to me the things like the chimney cake and cars which were not even very present. Not to say that it’s not a traditional Czech dish but it definitely wasn’t a common or popular thing at that time. Great vids, really makes me want to go back. I looked on google and apparently the pub we used to eat most of our meals at is even still there.

Such a beautiful city! Experience enhanced by an honest guide.

Hi guys, I’m currently in Prague for the first time with my Fiancee. I was supposed to be proposing to her in January but because of covid uncertainty I ended up cancelling and proposing in Cornwall, UK. Currently here to give her a ‘proper’ proposal, possibly on Charles Bridge (if we can ever find a quiet space). In any case, thank you so much for your vids. They really helped introduce us to the city and we have tried a number of your recomendations 😉

I was very fortunate to visit Prague in 2011. I saw the Astronomical Clock Tower up close. Had no idea that the calendar was no longer the original though. You learn something new everyday. :)

Love this channel! Thank you!!

Fun fact (not only) for tourists - a COPY in EN has two meanings (and thus different translations); 1 - Kopie = as what Janek said, when you copy something (you know, copypasta :D) 2 - Výtisk = printout. This creates a massive headache with anyone learning with Windows on PC, because it is asking you "how many copies you want to print out" and usually is shortened to a one word "Copy/copies". In CZ the right word would be "Výtisků" as in "Kolik výtisků/kolikrát chcete vytisknout", but in 99,9% your print window will show word like "kopií" with numbers behind it, which implies a question of "how many copies do you want to make AFTER printing out originals" and nonability to set this number to zero can usually feels strange, same as when you are printing sets of things and you need to have 5 pieces, so 1 original and 4 copies for other people (like with paperworks etc.) Bonus quote for SW fans - in SW Republic Commando, when one of your squadmates gets frequently incapacitated, some other Clone commando will say "maybe 07 is a copy .. of copy, of a copy of a copy ...?" :D

Love the video I have wondered the streets of Prague and wondered if things were original or copies. Now I know, next time I visit hope to meet you.

Fun fact. St. Václav Statue is not the original one from the square. The original is at Vyšehrad and he is pointed directly to the square as a rememberance

We are on our way to Prague next week. Can't wait. Just trying to distil down all the great things you have shown us for our visit. Cheers!

We just got back from Prague, it was our first visit and this channel really helped us, especially the airport to Mustek video. A bargain on public transport 🙂

czech friends say trdelnik's not traditional as they never saw it as they grew up (and this is for people in their 30's)...

You Sir, are truly an originál ! :-) Love your show !

Czech food historiographer Marie Úlehlová-Tilschová wrote about trdelník in her book Česká strava lidová (Czech folk food) from 1945. According to her, it was traditional pastry from Slovácko, area in eastern part of Moravia, next to the Slovak borders. This seems more traditional than Mc Donalds to me :)

You ever think of being a tour guide? I could listen to you all day

As always great informations, 😊thank you!!

When I traveled to Prague with my high school class our teachers took us to watch the astronomical watch, I think it might have been the year before the replaced it (so 2017 I believe). I will admit that me and a few friends ate Trdelník and original or not it was quite good. Believe we walked on the Charles Bridge but it was during the late evening so, while still beautiful, I wish we had seen it properly during the day too. Only saw the lookout tower from a distance. Hopefully I can visit Prague again in the future and explore more than I did 5 years ago, any chance I can hire you guys as guides? Not only do you know the city well but you seem like amazing people. Great video!

Love your videos!

I'm going to Prague next week. See you there!

My attitude towards whether something is original or a replica created later is: it's not that important. When in Prague, I went to the Franz Kafka museum, and in that museum there is not a single exhibit that is original: it's all copies. But it's still a great museum and I learned a lot about Kafka and his life. Would it have been a better experience to see the actual diary pages on display? Maybe, but not by much. When I look at the astronomical clock, is it important that it's the exact same one that people have looked at for many years? If it looks the same, and it's in the same place, then that's same enough, isn't it?

Hey dude, love your content. You've made me want to visit your great city.

I'll be in Prague again next week. Can't wait.

8:37 Starting 2006, DPP built some Tatra T3 replicas called T3R.PLF, which are a bit longer, so they can have a low-floor section in the middle. Of course, they were built to be compatible with the modernised Tatras (same electronic drive, computer and motors).

i love this channel, also going back to prague because of them! i wonder, can anyone recommend a youtube channel like this (or instagram) but about Budapest?

Yous are legends in Prague. Helping the tourist from these forginers street gangsters bringing bad name to Prague.

Great insight! Thanks!

Thankyou for this great information !! 🍻 nazdravi 😊

Nikdy nepochopím proč nemůžou na Karlův most poslat třeba tři měšťáky aby to tam hlídali a nikdo tam po ničem nešplhal a nesprejoval.

In German we say also to copy "Kopie"

Nostalgia for me... Walked through the same roads.... You should have shown the dancing building too😊

I love your perspective.

hi finally new ep

what an amazing episode !! ( pls, as a texan, do one about Kolaches !... or should I say, kolac , koblasnik ? )

just a little clarification, the horn cake comes from Transylvania, more precisely Székelyföld. Anyway, the videos are very good!

Great video, really enjoyed the part about the Charles Bridge, would love to see a live stream of it!! Can't wait to get back to Prague in less than 3 weeks, feel free to gimme a shout if anyone wants to meet up for a pint, always up for meeting new people from different countries!

Welcome to Warsaw. Our city during WWII was destroyed in ~90% so actually around 90% is copy.

Had the Tredelnik while in Prague and thanks for note on its origins

Nice video again, i was there weekend first time. My favorit city in Europe☺️

Never seen so few people on the Charles Bridge! When I visited in 2016 I literally couldn't see the stones I was stepping on, it was so crowded.

Yes, please to a live stream on the bridge! Whether via Patreon or YT direct. 😁👍🏼👍🏼

Thanks as always 🤟

Thanks for the tips. Was in Prague from sunday till today. Watch some other vids too, also helpful. What do you think of the ghost/legends tours they do in Prague?

We call Trdelnik "kürtőskalács" in Hungary and we know the original Szekler Kürtőskalács as well. By the way I find it almost impossible to pronounce your word for it. :)

Hey! The Pillar became much more interesting now, it is art and it is made by an artist that do amazing work, and the first idea with the art was to have something nice and not to be the original, so if I go there I will visit all the fake art to look at the craftsmanship, and I wish the city had been written who the current artist are.

You did 'forget' to include the national theater on narodni. Although the original has never been used because it burned down before opening, it can still be regarded as a copy, or rather a remake. Unless i understood it incorrectly from my Czech friends who live in Prague.

You only mention the statues on the Charles Bridge. What about the ones up on Vyšehrad? Are they copies too? If so, where are the originals. (Miniatures are on display in the sculpture gallery of the Národní galerie Praha, Veletržní Palác.)

@honestguide, Guys, im in prague until september 10th. How can i find you?

I'd argue that the original astronomical clock of 1865 was itself a pseudo-medieval artefact.

Felt like a mini tour watching this very cool

Copies on display is common. In the U.S. many people visit the "Constitution" display, which is heavily protected. But come to find out it is a COPY, the real Constitution is hidden away in a vault.

Please do a live stream about the Charles bridge and their statues, I’m very interested

Two weeks ago I was in Prague for the first time, I was looking forward to have some fun with the money hustlers but I couldn't find them 😂 Are they all gone now after you exposed them?

as you are the expert on the real Prague, can you tell me where the original cubist lamppost s stored as the one on Jungmannova is a replica. I asked the tourist info in the old town hall. all they did was a Google search, which I had done already. so, do you know where the original is?

I would love to see the livestream!

Great video sir

I'm happy about all the tourists going to Prague - and will enjoy the more quieter and also nice city Bratislava next year. ;)

Prague seems to have become the tourist horror that it was in 2019, once again. A real turn-off !

Jesus, I freakin love your videos!

As a traveller, thank you, for your knowledge and understanding. Also for standing up to the scammers

I’m literally visiting prague just because of this dude while I’m watching his videos on the train

Trdelnik, prdelnik... So i heard in Prague. Trdlo is a wood block and in my opinion its from slovakia/transsylvania. In slovakia it is geographically protected by EU i think. If you go into an original romanian/transsylvanian supermarket here nearby in Nürnberg/ Nuremberg you will find so called "Baumstrietzel" which have the same origin. Sometimes i eat trdelnik and i like them with cinamom and sugar and i do not care, if they come from Prague or Slovakia in that moment. But i prefer livance (small pancakes) with blue berries and a kind of a sour cream. They are more typical and i love them. Janek/ Honza please take over: best livance of Prague/ Prag.

The clock and the bridge are good examples of the Ship of Theseus thought experiment.

I have been there twice, and you have a great city. I was always at touristic spots. Could hyou please make one film about back street of Prague, where toursits doesnt go.

When i visited Prague a few years ago i ate so many Trdelnik but i just always felt that they're just for tourist.

The replicas of old cars reminds me of the classic cars in Cuba. Not so much of the original cars left. A tour guide said one such car was powered by a boat motor.

I've just visited the city. beautiful

I have been somewhat surprised at your accent free English - you sound like a native speaker. But then you said "snowmobile" today... 😁 Love your videos - I tend to stay away from cities when I travel and stick to backroads and smaller villages. I feel that I get a better experience and flavor of a country that way. I appreciate cities, I just don't want to spend time in them.

Také střecha Prašné brány je z konce 19. století, stejně tak jako střechy Karlštejna, Jindřišské věže... Vlastně skoro všech gotických věží v Praze. Josef Mocker si prostě řekl, že na stavbách střechy vypadají málo goticky, tak je předělal.

Ahhhhh the clock! ❤️

How about the fountains in Olomouc. Or the clock there? When I was there in 2005 they were pretty neat as was the organ in the Church of St. Maurice.

I have read somewhere that we (the Swedes) destroyed parts of the Charles bridge during the Thirty Years' War. obviously it has been rebuilt but is it possible to see traces from the old battle ?

Looking forward to seeing that eventual video on trdelník! If there's one question that should absolutely be answered, it's "when did it become a tourist food?" because I feel like at this point folks are growing increasingly unanimous on its origins (a Transylvanian-Hungarian Szekely cake that then spread across the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, reaching Prague through Slovakia and across Moravia; even finding them in Serbia, whether in Vojvodina and down in Belgrade), but something you see way more vaguely discussed is this transition, with only simple statements of it becoming popular in this century. What was the first trdelník place in Prague, was it the one to popularize trdelník as a tourist sweet and if not who was, how did it spread in the city than then beyond to all touristy cities in the country, and so on. I've even seen trdelník stands pop up in non-touristy places now with how steadily normalized they've gotten in the country! Not that I have an issue with that, I personally love the stuff on occasion, even if it isn't traditionally Bohemian, but having the true hidden history of trdelník and its relationship to tourism would be amazing to have, documenting one part of modern Czech tourist/popular culture.

Stream, yes! That would be pretty cool :)

3:13 People now adays with they flipping selfies! Don't FREEKING climb landmarks like that... As someone from Copenhagen I see turist do that WAY to often and each time I tell them to get the Bleep down or I will call the cops.