Prague, Czech Republic |
Prague, Czech Republic
Located on the banks of the Vltava River, Prague has one of the greatest concentrations of historical monuments in Europe.
It was capital of Czechoslovakia from 1918. On 1 January 1993 it became the capital of the new Czech Republic.
The legendary origin of the city is attributed to the princess Libuse, leader of a Slavic tribe established in Vysehrad, to the south of today's Prague, in the 8th century. The princess predicated the city's greatness and ordered the building of the castle.
Prague Castle
The largest Medieval fortress in Europe, it was built in the 9th century, enlarged in Gothic style and restored between in 1920 and 1934. It has a surface area of 78,000 m2, an area equivalent to one hundred standard football fields, with a length of 570 m and average width of 130 m. Inside the castle is the St Vitus Cathedral, the largest example of Gothic art in the city, St George's Basilica and the Royal Palace.
Clock Tower
At the foot of the tower of the Old Prague Town Hall we find the Famous Medieval astronomical clock which, in addition to showing the time, indicates the position of the Sun and the Moon in the sky.
National Theater
Home to companies of opera, ballet and theater, the National Theater was built in neo-Renaissance style between 1868 and 1877. Only two months after its inauguration, a fire destroyed much of the building. It was rebuilt and re-inaugurated in 1883.