Prague – Aktuálně.cz

Prague, which is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, is visited annually by several million foreign and Czech tourists. In the final ranking, Prague holds around the twentieth place in the ranking of the most visited metropolises, and is in the top ten in Europe.

History:

The oldest Slavic settlement in the territory of today’s Prague dates back to the 6th century. In the 10th century, the foundations of Prague Castle were laid, and Prague thus became the seat of the nascent Czech state, from where the Přemyslid princes administered their territories. From the twelfth century it was a thriving city. It reached its peak two centuries later during the reign of Charles IV, who made Prague the capital of the Holy Roman Empire.

Prague has long been the scene of the most important moments in the history of the Czech lands. From the Hussite period, the first Prague defenestration is known, which took place in 1419. In the 16th century, the Habsburg dynasty ascended the Czech throne. Emperor Rudolf II. made Prague his hometown.

After Rudolf’s death, however, extensive freedoms and religious rights began to be taken away, leading to further defenestration in Prague, which started the Czech uprising, which ended with the execution of 27 Czech lords in the Old Town Square after the Battle of White Mountain. After the Thirty Years’ War, a large part of the Czech intelligentsia emigrated, which is associated with the beginnings of Germanization.

A significant event was the unification of four hitherto independent Prague cities, which took place in 1784. From the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, Prague became the center of the Czech national revival. The symbolic moment was the laying of the foundation stone of the National Theater in 1868.

In the 19th century, Prague underwent extensive reconstructions, the Old Town and the Jewish Quarter were rehabilitated, which destroyed a historically valuable part of the city.

In 1918, Prague became the capital of Czechoslovakia. By 1938, the population had reached one million. During the Second World War, Prague was the center of the Protectorate, where in 1942 an assassination attempt was made on the deputy imperial protector Reinhard Heydrich. On May 5, 1945, the Prague Uprising broke out and four days later the Red Army arrived in the city.

In 1948, the communists took over Wenceslas Square. In the 1950s, the construction of large housing estates on the outskirts of Prague began.

After 1989, Prague opened up to the world and became a great attraction for foreign tourists. Gradually, we are also reconstructing monuments in the historic city center.

Tourist attractions and cultural events:

Prague attracts tourists with a number of important monuments and mostly cultural events. The most visited places include Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square with the Astronomical Clock, Petrin Lookout Tower, Vysehrad and the Dancing House. Since 1992, the historical core of Prague with an area of ​​866 hectares has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List.

The most beautiful view of the city from a bird’s eye view is offered by the Prague towers – the tower of the Old Town Hall, the Powder Gate, the Old Town Bridge Tower, the Lesser Town Bridge Tower or the Žižkov Transmitter.

The capital hosts a number of music and film festivals, such as the Prague Spring, United Islands, Febiofest or the Jazz Festival Prague. The cultural offer also includes theaters that play plays, operas, operettas, ballets and musicals. The most famous theaters include the National Theater, the Vinohrady Theater, the Dejvice Theater, the ABC Theater, the Kalich Theater, the Hybernia Theater and many others.

Visitors to the Czech capital also love dozens of museums and galleries. The best works of Czech art are presented by the National Gallery and the Capital City Gallery. of the City of Prague in the ancient services of the St. Agnes and St. George’s Monastery, in the modern Trade Fair Palace and in the impressive Troja Castle, Prague Castle and the Strahov Monastery have a rare picture gallery. In the baroque Kaunický Palace in the historical center of Prague, there is the Mucha Museum in Prague, which exhibits approximately 100 works by the world-famous Art Nouveau artist Alfons Mucha.

Prague also offers activities for families with children, who can visit the zoo or botanical garden or Matějská pout.

Those who are among nature lovers can visit the Divoká Šárka nature reserve in Prague, which stretches on the rocky slopes of the Šárecký brook, or the Prokopské and Dalejské údolí nature park, which is a protected area in the southwest of Prague.

Institutions in Prague:

Office of the President of the Republic provide the exercise of powers, protocol duties and other functions associated with the person of the President of the Czech Republic. The head of state is based at Prague Castle.

Government of the Czech Republic is the supreme body of executive power in the Czech Republic. The Office of the Government of the Czech Republic is located in the building of the Straka Academy in Prague’s Lesser Town.