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Prague - New Town (Nove Mesto)

Charles IV's most important decisions – the founding of New Town of Prague, the founding of Prague University and the building of Karlstejn Castle – were made at the very beginning of the sovereign's reign, in 1348. The New Town was planned to have three central open spaces – the Cattle Market (now Charles Square), the Horse Market (now Wenceslas Square), and the Hay Market (now Senovazny Square). The expensive and noble New Town, with Wenceslas Square as its centre, is characterized by elegance and style. Many significant companies have their offices there and many political and cultural revolutions took place there, especially in the 20th century.

Prague National Theatre

The National Theatre

This National Cultural Monument is of special significance for the Czech nation. In the middle of the 18th century Prague had no theatre that performed only in Czech. The Czech language could be heard occasionally in some theatres, but mostly plays were in German. In the rousing atmosphere of realization of a blooming national identity, collections were made all over the country, with the slogan “The nation to itself”, to build a Czech national theatre.

The National Theatre is a Neo-Renaissance building of 1868-1881, built after plans by the architect J. Zitek and completed after a fire by the architect J. Schulz in 1883. The theatre was officially opened on 15th of June 1881, with the opera “Libuse” by Bedrich Smetana.

The building burned entirely two months later. However, two years following, you could hear “Libuse” once again, in a theatre built with collected money.

The New Stage of the National theatre, built in the 1970s from Cuban marble and glass block is, even today, very controversial from an architectural point of view. The building currently houses the famous “Laterna Magica”.

Prague Dancing House

Prague Tour

The Dancing House

It is called the dancing House, because its two towers bring the dancers Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire to mind. It was build after the Velvet Revolution in 1989. The design of Vlado Mulunic was co-authored by American architect Frank O. Gehry. The Dancing House was the subject of numerous disputes between experts and laymen alike. Finally, however, Prague accepted the avant-garde design of the building, which gained the high (American) Time Magazine award in the World Design category in 1996.

Touring Prague

The Church of St. Cyrill and Methodius

A Baroque church built by K. I. Dientzenhofen in 1730 – 1736, the church is tragically inscribed in the history of the Czechoslovak Resistance movement of the Second World War. Czechoslovak parachutists, who assassinated Reinhard Heydrich, the Deputy Reich Protector of Bohemia, used the crypt of the church as a hiding place in May, 1942. After long and furious fighting, on the 18th of June, 1942, the resistance fighters were all killed. There is a table bearing their names, commemorating those brave parachutists.

Prague Downtown Tour

Charles Square

Originally called the Cattle Market, Charles Square is the largest square in the Czech Republic. The Town Hall of the New Town is situated on the square. The New Town was built in a Gothic style. On 30th July, 1419, the first Prague defenestration took place there. The Jesuits Baroque church, St. Ignatius, dating from the 17th century, borders the square.

Wenceslas Square Prague

Wenceslas Square

Wenseslas Square consists of the main and largest boulevard, a shopping centre and the centre of modern Prague, surrounded by cinemas, office blocks, renowned hotels, restaurants and cafés.

The square is 750 metres long and 60 metres wide. It was called the House Market until 1848. It is presently named after the equestrian memorial to Prince Wenceslas, surrounded by statues of the Czech patron saints: St. Ludmila, St. prokop, St.Agnes and St. Adalbert, all of them by J. V. Myslbek.

Wenceslas Square played an important role in the history of Prague in 1945, 1968, 1989 and, especially, on 28th October, 1918, when the Czechoslovak Republic was proclaimed there. The German writer, Detlef of Liliencron, called Wenceslas Square “the proudest boulevard of the world”.

Across the top of the square is the imposing building of the National Museum, designed by architect J.Schulz and built in 1885-1890 in a Neo-Renaissance style. Until 1875, the so-called Horse Gate occupied this site. The National Museum is richly decorated with sculptures and paintings by leading Czech 19th century artists.

Prague Train Station

The Main Train Station (Wilson Train Station)

The station is an Art Nouveau building erected from 1901-1909 by V. Gregor, after a plan by the architect J. Fanta. You can see there, the well-known Fanta´s café. The Main Train Station is situated on Wilson Street, renamed after US president Woodrow Wilson.

Prague Opera

The State Opera

The State Opera is a Neo-Renaissance building. It was designed by the architects F. Fellner and H. Helmer from Vienna. Already in 1859, there was a wooden building on this site, which was used only during the summer as a New Town Theatre. Originally, the State Opera was a German theatre. The famous Czech composer, Bedrich Smetana, was the director of the opera house until 1882.

 
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