When I visited in 1993, Czechoslovakia had only recent split into two countries: Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Prague is the historical capitol of Bohemia. It is capitol of the Czech Republic and its largest city. Situated on the Vltava River, it is home to about 1.4 million people; a couple hundred thousand more than when I visited over 30 years ago.
Couple of places I/we stayed in Prague
The Golden City
Down the street
Cobblestone street
On one of our visits, 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 reforms. The US did nothing.
Tribute to "Prague Spring"
There is an old Jewish cemetery in Prague. It 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 were 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
One of the things I remember most about Prague is the marionettes. There were so many of them. Shops selling them. Street entertainment. 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. I bought marionettes for my niece and nephew and one for myself. Years later, I bought big sheep and goat marionettes. Sometimes I used them for teaching. Everyone loves them. I love puppetry. My favorite scene in the Sound of Music is the "Lonely Goat Herd."
Musical marionettes
A Czech tradition
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Post created 07 Nov 2024
Post created 07 Nov 2024
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