City Guides - Prague
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The Castle District stretches across the top of the hill overlooking the city and incorporates the best churches and museums in Prague set around three courtyards, immaculate gardens, fortifications and state apartments. The dominant feature is St Vitus Cathedral occupying most of the third courtyard. The Castle was founded in the 9th century and is still the official residence of the president. The Old Royal Palace was home to the Kings of Bohemia from the 11th to the 17th centuries. The Royal Apartments and Vladislav Hall, where Bohemian knights once jousted, kings were throned and presidents are sworn into office, can be visited, as well as the little chapel next door. Next to the red façade of the Romanesque Basilica of St George, lies the Benedictine Convent, housing the National Gallery's remarkable collection of old Bohemian art. Behind the gallery is the picturesque cobbled alley known as Golden Lane, a row of 16th-century tradesmen's cottages, brightly coloured and built into the fortifications. Visitors can watch the Changing of the Guard on the hour every hour, with the fanfare and flag ceremony included at noon.
Telephone:
Website: old.hrad.cz/index_uk.html
Transport: Tram 22, 23 or X-A to Prazsky hrad, or metro to Hradèany
Opening times: Interiors daily 9am to 6pm (4pm in winter). Castle grounds daily 5am to midnight (April to October) and 6am to 11pm (November to March). Gardens closed in winter. The changing of the guards ceremony takes place every hour, but the flag ceremony is only at 12pm
St Vitus Cathedral
Situated within the Castle Complex, the spires of St Vitus Cathedral, an elegant but domineering French Gothic structure, soar above the ramparts. It is the county's largest church containing numerous side chapels, frescoes, tombstones and beautiful stained glass windows and it literally sparkles with all the finery inside. The most ornate chapel contains the tomb of St Wenceslas, the 'Good King Wenceslas' of the Christmas carol, which has become something of a pilgrimage site. The Coronation Chamber houses the Bohemian Crown Jewels and the Crypt is where most of the Kings and Queens of Bohemia have their final place of rest. The southern entrance to the cathedral, the Golden Gate, is decorated with a richly gilded coloured mosaic representing the Last Judgement, dated from 1370, and it is one of the artistic treasures found in the Castle District. It is possible to climb the 287 steps of the tower for magnificent views over the city.
Telephone:
Website:
Transport: Tram 22 or 23 to Prazsky Hrad
Opening times: Daily 9am to 5pm (April to October), 9am to 4pm (November to March)
Charles Bridge (Karluv Most)
The pedestrian Charles Bridge serves as the focal point for tourists and is the most photographed feature of the city. Construction began in 1357 replacing the earlier Judith Bridge of which the only remaining part is one of the towers at the Malá Strana gate that can be climbed for a view of the city. Up until 1841 this was the only bridge in the city. Throngs of people pick their way through the happy congestion caused by buskers, artists and musicians lining the bridge, positioned between the saintly sandstone statues that make this the most picturesque and lively of attractions.
Telephone:
Website:
Transport: Metro to Staromestská or tram 17, 18, 51 or 54
Opening times:
Old Town Square (Staromstské NámestÃ)
The heart of the old city and the market place since the 11th century, the Old Town Square is Prague's prettiest and most lively square with historical facades and a cobbled surface. It still hosts a variety of markets, especially the yearly Christmas market which is enchanting. In the centre is the odd Art Nouveau monument to the religious reformer, Jan Hus, a national symbol for the Czech people. The Old Town Hall features an ornate Gothic Astronomical clock showing three different times, in front of which throngs of people gather on the hour to watch the brief mechanical performance of apostles, Christ, a skeleton and a rooster. Tourists can climb the tower for a behind the scenes look at the mechanics as well as a view from the top. On opposite sides of the square are two magnificent churches: Prague's greatest Baroque building, St Nicholas, with its distinctly visible dome, and the more striking Týn Church, a fabulous Gothic structure with its twin spires a noticeable feature on the Prague skyline.
Telephone:
Website:
Transport: Metro to Staromestká
Opening times: Town Hall tower open Monday 11am to 6pm; Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 6pm, closing an hour earlier in winter
The Jewish Museum
The Jewish Museum is the largest and most authentic of its kind in Central Europe with one of the most extensive collections of Judaic art in the world. Situated in the old Jewish Quarter, exhibitions are spread over a variety of buildings and synagogues, including the Maisel, Spanish, Klausen and Pinkas Synagogues, the Ceremonial Hall, the Old Jewish Cemetery, the Robert Guttmann Gallery and the Education and Culture Centre. The origins of the collection are astonishing in their atrociousness. Objects from 153 Jewish communities throughout Bohemia and Moravia were brought to Prague by the Nazis in 1942, to be used in a planned 'museum of an extinct people' after their extermination programme was complete. The Pinkas Synagogue was turned into a Jewish memorial after the Second World War and its walls are covered with the names of the Czech victims, the communities they belonged to and the camps in which they perished. The Old Jewish Cemetery is a significant sight with over 12,000 tombstones visible, but the number of people buried here is much greater due to the earth layering system carried out to create space. The oldest tombstone dates back to 1439. Together with the Old-New Synagogue, the oldest surviving example of the medieval twin nave style, the cemetery is one of the most important historic sites in the Jewish Quarter.
Telephone: 221 711 511
Website: www.jewishmuseum.cz
Transport:
Opening times: Daily except Saturday from 9am to 6pm (April to October), 9am to 4.30pm (November to March). Jewish Cemetery opens Tuesday to Thursday 9am to 1pm
Vyšehrad
Vyaehrad, a hill fort perched on a rock above the river, is an inseparable part of the city skyline. The twin spires of the Neo-Gothic Saints Peter and Paul Church are visible from afar and the façade has beautiful carvings. No other site has as much distinction attached to it. Behind the church is the Slavin Cemetery where many distinguished Czech artists, scientists and academics are buried. From the battlements the view of the Vltava valley is superb.
Telephone: 241 410 247 or 241 410 348
Website: www.praha-vysehrad.cz
Transport: Metro to Vyšehrad on the C line. Trams 7, 8 or 24 to Albertov or 3, 7, 16 or 17 to Výton
Opening times: Daily 9.30am to 6pm (April to October), 9.30am to 5pm (November to March)
The pedestrian Charles Bridge serves as the focal point for tourists and is the most photographed feature of the city. Construction began in 1357 replacing the earlier Judith Bridge of which the only remaining part is one of the towers at the Malá Strana gate that can be climbed for a view of the city. Up until 1841 this was the only bridge in the city. Throngs of people pick their way through the happy congestion caused by buskers, artists and musicians lining the bridge, positioned between the saintly sandstone statues that make this the most picturesque and lively of attractions.
Telephone:
Website:
Transport: Metro to Staromestská or tram 17, 18, 51 or 54
Opening times:
Old Town Square (Staromstské NámestÃ)
The heart of the old city and the market place since the 11th century, the Old Town Square is Prague's prettiest and most lively square with historical facades and a cobbled surface. It still hosts a variety of markets, especially the yearly Christmas market which is enchanting. In the centre is the odd Art Nouveau monument to the religious reformer, Jan Hus, a national symbol for the Czech people. The Old Town Hall features an ornate Gothic Astronomical clock showing three different times, in front of which throngs of people gather on the hour to watch the brief mechanical performance of apostles, Christ, a skeleton and a rooster. Tourists can climb the tower for a behind the scenes look at the mechanics as well as a view from the top. On opposite sides of the square are two magnificent churches: Prague's greatest Baroque building, St Nicholas, with its distinctly visible dome, and the more striking Týn Church, a fabulous Gothic structure with its twin spires a noticeable feature on the Prague skyline.
Telephone:
Website:
Transport: Metro to Staromestká
Opening times: Town Hall tower open Monday 11am to 6pm; Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 6pm, closing an hour earlier in winter
The Jewish Museum
The Jewish Museum is the largest and most authentic of its kind in Central Europe with one of the most extensive collections of Judaic art in the world. Situated in the old Jewish Quarter, exhibitions are spread over a variety of buildings and synagogues, including the Maisel, Spanish, Klausen and Pinkas Synagogues, the Ceremonial Hall, the Old Jewish Cemetery, the Robert Guttmann Gallery and the Education and Culture Centre. The origins of the collection are astonishing in their atrociousness. Objects from 153 Jewish communities throughout Bohemia and Moravia were brought to Prague by the Nazis in 1942, to be used in a planned 'museum of an extinct people' after their extermination programme was complete. The Pinkas Synagogue was turned into a Jewish memorial after the Second World War and its walls are covered with the names of the Czech victims, the communities they belonged to and the camps in which they perished. The Old Jewish Cemetery is a significant sight with over 12,000 tombstones visible, but the number of people buried here is much greater due to the earth layering system carried out to create space. The oldest tombstone dates back to 1439. Together with the Old-New Synagogue, the oldest surviving example of the medieval twin nave style, the cemetery is one of the most important historic sites in the Jewish Quarter.
Telephone: 221 711 511
Website: www.jewishmuseum.cz
Transport:
Opening times: Daily except Saturday from 9am to 6pm (April to October), 9am to 4.30pm (November to March). Jewish Cemetery opens Tuesday to Thursday 9am to 1pm
Vyšehrad
Vyaehrad, a hill fort perched on a rock above the river, is an inseparable part of the city skyline. The twin spires of the Neo-Gothic Saints Peter and Paul Church are visible from afar and the façade has beautiful carvings. No other site has as much distinction attached to it. Behind the church is the Slavin Cemetery where many distinguished Czech artists, scientists and academics are buried. From the battlements the view of the Vltava valley is superb.
Telephone: 241 410 247 or 241 410 348
Website: www.praha-vysehrad.cz
Transport: Metro to Vyšehrad on the C line. Trams 7, 8 or 24 to Albertov or 3, 7, 16 or 17 to Výton
Opening times: Daily 9.30am to 6pm (April to October), 9.30am to 5pm (November to March)
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