Prague, Czech Republic

[LeTaureau]

Prague is truly an amazing city, an archituctural gem hidden in the heart of Bohemia. Walking through the ancient cobblestone streets is like stepping into a time warp, the inner city is perfectly preserved, and looks much as it did 200 years ago. Prague was lucky enough to have been spared during world war II unlike other Baroque capitals like Dresden. Czechoslovakia was one of the first "Germanic" countries to be annexed by Hitler, so the area was never invaded, or bombed by the allies.

There are fine examples of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and art nouveau architecture all throughout the old city. The colorful and highly ornamental facades blend harmoniously into a definative style that gives Prague its character. The city is surpisingly dense as well, most of the buildings are in the 6 to 8 story range, and sometimes taller.

Here are some quick stats:

Population of Czech Republic: 10.28 million

Population of Prague: 1.21 million

Area of Prague: 496 square km

As far as the eye can see....

In Winter

Tyn Cathedral

Prague Castle

Charles Bridge, with St Nicholas Cathedral in background

Awesome Square

"The City of Golden Spires"

[PghUSA]

Awesome Pics! Do you know much about Prague? I was wondering who the statue on the bridge was made to honor, looks like the pope. Should be an interesting story behind that.

[LeTaureau]

Awesome Pics!  Do you know much about Prague?  I was wondering who the statue on the bridge was made to honor, looks like the pope.  Should be an interesting story behind that.

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Good question. It sounds like most of the statues are Saints or former Popes. Here is a breif history of the bridge that I found on the web...

Charles Bridge (Karlův most)

Charles Bridge and Prague Castle

Charles Bridge is a stone Gothic bridge that connects the Old Town and Mal

[Urban_Legend]

How beautiful! I'll admit, the only impression of Prague I had was in the movie "Chasing Liberty" lol. I love old European cities!

[danteque]

what a GORGEOUS city. Like taken from a fairy tale. I want to go there.

[BrandonTO416]

I keep hearing about Prague, so hopefully someday I can visit. Its so great to know it was spared throughout the wars.

[Wicky]

Prague is hilly as well as flatty. The old preserved architecture is on the both (hilly and flatty part), the joining point is Vltava river, particulary Charles Bridge.

Nice pictures. Thanks for sharing.

[Spartan]

Prague is a beautiful city! Thanks for sharing them

[Allan]

Thanks for sharing these! My cousin was just in Prague for three months. After seeing all the beautiful architecture I'm ready to go myself! If only I had money for a vacation....

[Nyuszi]

Awesome Pics!  Do you know much about Prague?  I was wondering who the statue on the bridge was made to honor, looks like the pope.  Should be an interesting story behind that.

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I don't think this was who it was meant to honor per se, but I just saw a great show on the Travel Channel on Prague that said one of the big things on Charles Bridge is the statue of Saint John of Nepomuk who was killed there and thrown in the river. If you rub it with your left hand, it brings good luck!

[Nyuszi]

Forgot to add: Wow, great pics!

[Lady Celeste]

I absolutely love those pictures. Prague has always beeon one of my favorite European cities. It is so historic. I look very forward to visiting there one day.

[davidb]

That bridge is amazing!

Prague is beautiful - what is the weather like? Any favorite places?

[rusthebuss]

You've got to love old European cities. In my opinion European cities are some of the best in the world.

[davidb]

You've got to love old European cities. In my opinion European cities are some of the best in the world.

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Agreed. The walkability, boutiques, architechture, and overall ambiance is noticeably different from a US city.

[sax184]

I've traveled a good deal in Europe and been to Prague twice, most recently in March 2004. In my opinion (and I've not seen Paris), central Prague and Venice are about as close to perfect as urban form gets. I've noly been in Prague during the colder months, but adding some of the park attributes of London is about the only thing I would change.

The quality of the architecture is outstanding, and the continuous amount of urban fabric is amazing. Unfortunately, there is a good deal of modernist Le Corbusier garbage on the outskirts, but still, Prague at night is unreal. You couldn't imagine more dramatic, inspiring cityscapes.

One of my friends and I walked alone into the Castle after hours while the snow was falling- the guards just let us through without questioning us. It was meserizing and haunting.

Seriously, if you can, get to Prague. We went on a cheapy trip using go-today.com.

Worked out very well, nice accomodations, and the US dollar still goes far.

[Rural King]

Great pics. Prague is another awesome city in Europe I'm very fond of. Its very unique in that so much of the city is still intact and survived the Second World War so well. It is a great city to walk around in for hours on end exploring.