Child of Prague:
At the end of September 2009 I visited two great and very different European cities, Prague and Berlin. Travelling to these cities is not a major challenge. I have done it a number of times, and I have never been disappointed. The company I have used, with great satisfaction, is called ‘The Travel Department’. Prague which is referred to locally as Praha, though changing, is one of Europe’s treasures. Prague straddles the banks of the Vltava River and is a UNESCO heritage city. It is located at the centre of Europe and while we like to talk and dwell on our history we are one dimensional and really on the fringe of European history. Prague had history and influence impinging from all points of the compass. It is a history of which we know little. It formed the border of the Medieval Turkish expansion in Europe. Perhaps you might indulge me retracing my investigation of this lovely city in the company of up to forty other Irish visitors and our local guide Sharka. We began our tour of the city at the imposing Prague Castle, with its ‘changing of the guard’ ceremony. Like many castles it overlooks the majestic city bathed in warm autumn sunshine. The complex includes the beautiful cathedral of St. Vitus which was closed in preparation for the Pope’s visit the following day. It was downhill over a quarter of a mile of steps to the Child of Prague church. I didn’t know that this icon was of Spanish origin and the church was also visited by Pope Benedict on his visit to Prague. We crossed the Vltava River over the crowded but famous pedestrian Charles Bridge. On the bridge the strains of quality classical music fills the air. Nearby, people hand out flyers advertising classical concerts with the music of the great composers. Many take place in former churches. This bridge with its 30 varied statues was a montage of artistic endeavour like those of Venice. Past it, after a maze of streets was the famous astronomical clock, the stunning St. Nicholas Church and large square. Apparently these act as a beacon for visitors and wedding parties. Not far away is the other great Wenceslas square fronted by its fine statue of the ‘Good King Wenceslas’. This boulevard square has been the location for many critical moments of Czech history. In the distance overlooking the city is a scaled replica of the Eiffel Tower. It needs initiative to access this and a failed attempt to scale the underlying hill on foot led me to resort to the curiously named ‘funicular’ tram. The following day a couple of us returned to Prague Castle only to accidentally encounter the visit of Pope Benedict to the Cathedral of St. Vitus. This was certainly a much lower key visit than it would be in many other places but it was a happy accident for us.
Prague and the Czech Republic have had the traumas of communist domination from World War Two until the ‘Velvet Revolution’ of 1989 and Vaclav Havel. There had been a slight glimmer of hope in 1968 with the Alexander Dubchek ‘Prague Spring’ but this was crushed by the communists with Russian aid. Today it is in transition being in the E.U. since ’04 but not yet in the Euro zone. This presents logistical difficulties for visitors in coping with the local Koruna or Crown. The debate about joining the euro continues. There are two views on the E.U. also. One fears the submergence of the recent democracy in another totalitarian super-state different to communism of course. The other view is the security which the membership and alliances of E.U. brings.
Prague is a fascinating city a bit like the heirloom china that one fears to use in case it gets damaged. Perhaps the overrun of tourists might diminish its charm. On Sunday, after just a few days, we were on our way again taking the train from Prague on a five hour journey, through Dresden, to a very different city, Berlin
At the end of September 2009 I visited two great and very different European cities, Prague and Berlin. Travelling to these cities is not a major challenge. I have done it a number of times, and I have never been disappointed. The company I have used, with great satisfaction, is called ‘The Travel Department’. Prague which is referred to locally as Praha, though changing, is one of Europe’s treasures. Prague straddles the banks of the Vltava River and is a UNESCO heritage city. It is located at the centre of Europe and while we like to talk and dwell on our history we are one dimensional and really on the fringe of European history. Prague had history and influence impinging from all points of the compass. It is a history of which we know little. It formed the border of the Medieval Turkish expansion in Europe. Perhaps you might indulge me retracing my investigation of this lovely city in the company of up to forty other Irish visitors and our local guide Sharka. We began our tour of the city at the imposing Prague Castle, with its ‘changing of the guard’ ceremony. Like many castles it overlooks the majestic city bathed in warm autumn sunshine. The complex includes the beautiful cathedral of St. Vitus which was closed in preparation for the Pope’s visit the following day. It was downhill over a quarter of a mile of steps to the Child of Prague church. I didn’t know that this icon was of Spanish origin and the church was also visited by Pope Benedict on his visit to Prague. We crossed the Vltava River over the crowded but famous pedestrian Charles Bridge. On the bridge the strains of quality classical music fills the air. Nearby, people hand out flyers advertising classical concerts with the music of the great composers. Many take place in former churches. This bridge with its 30 varied statues was a montage of artistic endeavour like those of Venice. Past it, after a maze of streets was the famous astronomical clock, the stunning St. Nicholas Church and large square. Apparently these act as a beacon for visitors and wedding parties. Not far away is the other great Wenceslas square fronted by its fine statue of the ‘Good King Wenceslas’. This boulevard square has been the location for many critical moments of Czech history. In the distance overlooking the city is a scaled replica of the Eiffel Tower. It needs initiative to access this and a failed attempt to scale the underlying hill on foot led me to resort to the curiously named ‘funicular’ tram. The following day a couple of us returned to Prague Castle only to accidentally encounter the visit of Pope Benedict to the Cathedral of St. Vitus. This was certainly a much lower key visit than it would be in many other places but it was a happy accident for us.
Prague and the Czech Republic have had the traumas of communist domination from World War Two until the ‘Velvet Revolution’ of 1989 and Vaclav Havel. There had been a slight glimmer of hope in 1968 with the Alexander Dubchek ‘Prague Spring’ but this was crushed by the communists with Russian aid. Today it is in transition being in the E.U. since ’04 but not yet in the Euro zone. This presents logistical difficulties for visitors in coping with the local Koruna or Crown. The debate about joining the euro continues. There are two views on the E.U. also. One fears the submergence of the recent democracy in another totalitarian super-state different to communism of course. The other view is the security which the membership and alliances of E.U. brings.
Prague is a fascinating city a bit like the heirloom china that one fears to use in case it gets damaged. Perhaps the overrun of tourists might diminish its charm. On Sunday, after just a few days, we were on our way again taking the train from Prague on a five hour journey, through Dresden, to a very different city, Berlin
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