I think it’s safe to say our group was blown away by Prague, the first of many great cities we were to visit during our study tour. Although cold and slightly rainy, we began our tour of the historic town exploring Wenceslas Square and worked our way through the Old Town. Like most medieval cities, Prague was established on a river; in this case, the Vltava. This only added to the already lovely atmosphere of the Czech Republic’s capital city.
In the Square our guide, Lucie Pechacova, filled us in on all the impressive buildings and monuments towering over us. Some of the most prominent structures were the National Museum (the original gateway into Prague), the Powder Tower (a 15th century gun-powder storage), and the Theatre of Estates where Mozart finished one of his famous operas. It was also the filming sight of the movie “Amadeus.”
Another important landmark in the middle of Old Town is the Astronomical Clock. Built in 1490, this enormous clock has many different figures and symbols that represent different things in Prague’s culture, including the twelve apostles that appear at the top of every hour. Also of historical significance to Prague is the Charles Bridge. This popular tourist attraction was constructed in 1357 by Peter Parler at the decree of King Charles IV. Being one of the more permanent and solid structures over the Vltava River, the Charles Bridge made Prague an important trade route connecting Eastern and Western Europe. Today, the bridge lends itself as a prime spot for dozens of vendors and artists to sell their work to the oodles of tourists that cross the bridge everyday. People also choose to walk the 1720-foot-long bridge just for a chance to rub the lucky plaque at the base of the John of Nepomuk statue. I, for one, chose to rub the plaque on the right side in hopes my secret wish would come true (versus the left side which supposedly will bring you back to Prague someday).
As our tour continued, we saw so many of the incredible things that make Prague such a popular travel destination. Some of these sites included the biggest church in the Czech Republic, the St. Vitus Cathedral; the Prague State Opera where we watched a lovely performance of La Boheme; and, after quite the hike up Petrin Hill (and 299 steps), we made it to the top of Prague’s Eiffel Tower. Upon beholding the phenomenal view it became perfectly clear to us why Prague is nicknamed “the mother of cities,” or as the Czechs like to say, “Praha matka měst.”
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