Paris of Eastern Europe

January-July 1993 -- One of my favorite cities is Prague in the Czech Republic. When I lived in Poland, it was only a three hour drive from Jelenia Gora. I made the trip at least a half dozen times. My mom flew into Prague to visit me. I never tired of the city: the Paris of Eastern Europe. The Golden City.

The Golden City

Prague is the capitol of the Czech Republic and its largest city. It is situated on the Vltava River. The Charles Bridge is one of the city's most iconic landmarks. It is a medieval stone bridge first constructed in 1158. There was usually a lot of activity on the bridge. Sadly, when Mom visited, the bridge was quiet.

Charles Bridge

Czech marionettes have been a part of Czech tradition since the middle of the 18th century, when Czech puppeteers roamed Central Europe to entertain crowds and tell stories. There were many shops that sold marionettes. 

Marionettes

Prague Castle (complex) was built in the 9th century. It has long served as the seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman emperors, and presidents of Czechoslovakia. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world. We were fortunate to see the Changing of the Guard at the castle.

Prague Castle

Changing of the Guard

Goose-stepping soldiers

Golden Lane is a street situated in Prague Castle. Originally built in the 16th century to house Rudolf II's castle guards, it takes its name from the goldsmiths that lived there in the 17th century. Golden Lane consists of small houses, painted in bright colors.  Most of the houses were souvenir shops.

Golden Lane

The Prague astronomical clock  is a medieval astronomical clock attached to the Old Town Hall. The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest clock still in operation. The Astronomical clock show runs every hour sharp from 9 am until 11 pm. I have seen the show several times. 

Prague astronomical clock

We saw a tribute to Prague Spring. Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia that lasted for about 7 months in 1968. The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact member invaded Czechoslovakia to end the forms. The US did nothing.

Tribute to "Prague Spring"

The old Jewish cemetery was founded in the first half of the 15th century. It is among the oldest surviving Jewish burial grounds in the world. What's noteworthy about the cemetery is that bodies are buried on top of each other, with graves layered up to 10 deep.  While the cemetery was expanded several times, it was never big enough to meet the needs of the Jewish town. There are about 12,000 tombstones in the cemetery. It was unlike any cemetery I had ever seen.

 

Old Jewish Cemetery