City Overview
Prague is quite simply one of the most stunning cities in Europe, a UNESCO World Heritage listed gem much eulogised as the ‘City of a Thousand Spires’ and countless other clichs. The Czech capital has become the archetypal post-communist city success story with seemingly not a month going by without a travel pundit or writer conjuring up another city as the ‘New Prague’. Not that there is anything wrong with the old Prague, a city that more than justifies the lavish praise heaped on it. Even the most hardened cynic cannot fail to be impressed strolling across Charles Bridge or unfurling into the Old Town Square for the first time. This is a city where just ambling around the impressively well-preserved historic core (stopping off for a fortifying glass of one of the excellent local beers, popping into boutique shops or one of the myriad museums, whilst admiring the smorgasbord of architectural styles that crowd all around on the way) is the real pleasure.
Prague’s story goes back to the distant days of the Celtic tribes, as early as 400BC. The city’s real golden age commenced when Charles IV of Bohemia was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1346. The ambitious Gothic building programme, including St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge, the University, and the New Town (Nov Mĕsto), centred on Wenceslas Square and transformed the city into one of the greatest and most powerful in Europe.
The 20th century brought massive trauma for Czechoslovakia and Prague as the country was occupied by the Germans during World War II and then spent the best part of five decades subjugated under Soviet communist rule, with attempts to win greater democracy in the 1968’s ‘Prague Spring’ brutally crushed under the weight of Russian tanks. The Czech spirit remained undaunted and in 1989, as the Berlin Wall tumbled, the Czechs finally broke free of communism during the ‘Velvet Revolution’, which was quickly followed by the ‘Velvet Divorce’ as the Slovak portion of the old Czechoslovakia chose to go its own way.
With poet/president Vaclav Havel at the helm, Prague, one of the few eastern block capitals to escape physically unscathed from World War II, became the hub of the post-communist eastern European revival with ex-pats flocking to the city in the 1990s, quickly developing a buzz that brought comparisons with Paris in the 1920s. This post Velvet Revolution buzz has faded to some extent and these days there are as many foreign as Czech voices on the streets with the city massively popular as a tourist destination (particularly for weekend breaks) and as a business hub. In May 2004, the Czech Republic joined the European Union, further cementing the city’s importance and popularity.
Part of Prague’s charm is that it is a rewarding place to visit at any time of year. Winters can be long, harsh and dark, but spring and autumn are often idyllic with summer bringing some very warm central European temperatures. Whether easing under Charles Bridge on a rowing boat on a balmy summer evening, or trudging across the crisp snow of Old Town Square and enjoying a glass of mulled wine at the Christmas Market, the slick, but still deeply characterful Czech capital seldom disappoints.
|
City Overview