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Prague - Central European Metropolis

9K views 33 replies 20 participants last post by  Vecais Sakarnis 
#1 ·
This Little Mother Has Claws

Franz Kafka

Where shall we go this time, we thought? Why not Prague? Well why not indeed! It was a pleasant surprise. Before I thought of Prague as a run-of-the-mill tired, but pretty Central European town, however it is anything but...it is a modern, lively, exciting and cosmopolitan metropolis of nearly 2 million souls...very pretty of course too. Wandering the winding streets, exploring sleepy courtyards and nipping in in one of citys many great cafes for quick drink was a great pleasure and one which we would like to repeat again.

1. We begin with the views of the Church of Our Lady before Týn, built in 14th century. Trying to figure out where the entrance is was quite a puzzle - we walked and walked around but found nothing...



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5. The Prague Astronomical Clock, first installed in 1410, which makes it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still working. Every hour huge crowds gather to watch the figures come out and beat the time. We did the same.



6. Yikes!



7. Back on the ground on the Old Town Square. The place is full of the usual touristy crap, so we didn't linger for too long.



8. The buildings are very beautiful though.



9. Stunning architecture. My favourite type of residential building, I would love to live in the top floor apartment with that balcony!



10. Same here.



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13. Trams! We wanted to ride them but just didn't have time! Oh well reason to come back!



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15. A bakery. These guys were making a roaring trade, but its not my thing.



16. Absinthe bar. Now this is what I find a bit puzzling - nearly every bar and shop was advertising absinthe, is it the real stuff or something else entirely? I was tempted to give it a go but...



17. St Vitus Cathedral.



18. A little square right next to it.



19. Inside the Prague Castle complex. Sadly it was getting dark and I didn't have my big tripod with me so didn't take many photos after dark and the ones I did take a bit blurry...



20. I wonder if anyone actually wants to do this...

 
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#2 ·
21. The Charles Bridge, probably the most well known of Prague's landmarks is an atmospheric concoction of Gothic and Baroque.
Reminds me of Ponte Sant'Angelo in Rome. Indeed Prague reminded me a lot of Rome...and Munich.



22. At night Prague takes a whole new form...



23. Yes, yes that is the moon.



24. Same place the next day. I will need to return with proper tripod someday.



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#6 ·
26. The Mala Strana and Prague Castle.



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28. Random shots from around the Old Town...



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31. Powder Tower which dates back to the 11th century! The gate was used to store gunpowder in the 17th century, hence the name!



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34. Those houses! Yeah man! Thats how you do urbanity.



35. Klausen Synagogue rebuilt in 1604, and then reconstructed in the 1880s. Just like most of Central/Eastern Europe Prague before the Second World War
had a vibrant Jewish community which was sadly wiped out. What is the situation now? Is Jewish community increasing in number?



36. The Old Jewish Town Hall.



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38. Beautiful.



39. Cafe culture is well established in Prague and the city boasts many great caffes.



40. Some forgotten alley...this reminded me of Vilnius for some reason.



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42. Totally Rome!



43. Beautiful.



44. The view from the Grand Cafe Orient which is located in the House Of The Black Madonna - an example of Cubist architecture built in 1912.



45. And now some views from the tower of the Town Hall!



46. Prague is no sleepy town...it is huge!



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48. Anyone know what's that on the hill?



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53. Parížská Street where all the fancy shops are located.



54. Houses in the Old Square.



55. Views from the other side of the river, from Gardens Below Prague Castle.



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57. A couple of night views taken with the help of my Gorilla pod.



58. The last shot.

 
#31 ·
35. Klausen Synagogue rebuilt in 1604, and then reconstructed in the 1880s. Just like most of Central/Eastern Europe Prague before the Second World War
had a vibrant Jewish community which was sadly wiped out. What is the situation now? Is Jewish community increasing in number?

http://i59.tinypic.com/15i711e.jpg
In Prague, the number, since the revolution in 1989, is slightly increasing and today, there should be around 4-4,5 thousand of Jews living in Prague. On the other hand, in the whole country, the number is decreasing as in the rest of Europe, mainly due to migration to Israel. The Czech Republic is very pro-Israeli/Jewish country though, both by goverment and people.

48. Anyone know what's that on the hill?

http://i57.tinypic.com/2lbnqk1.jpg
National Monument in Vitkov with statue of Jan Žižka
 
#10 ·
I'm a total fan of rooftop shots. Great photographs! I've been in Prague twice now and fell in love with its rich architectural streetscapes. Sometimes it gets a bit too crowded on the main tourist routes, but as soon as you wander off into a sidestreet now and then you notice Prague is really a charming city.
 
#12 ·
It's a Gorillapod, tiny thing that twists and turns in all directions so you can attach it to railings or trees or wherever else. Comes in handy in urban settings but you have to get creative where you put it. Google it and maybe you'll decide to get one too! Thanks for the comment! :)



Agreed. The main areas were very crowded but the rest of the city wasn't so we were able to explore it at our leisure. Nipping in to a caffe or relax time in a park. Thanks for the kind words!
 
#23 ·
Wow! Stunning photos of a beautiful and elegant city!! Yes, the Absinthe is real, but I don't think it is as strong as the stuff they used to sell 100 years ago. Apparently here in Canada it was not sold for a very long time as it was assumed it was illegal to sell. I guess at some point someone searched through the books and as there was no law, absinthe came back on the market. I think it is all made in The Czech Republic. There was a flurry of excitement over absinthe about a decade ago, but I never see it around any more. To me, it tastes nasty.
 
#26 ·
Prague is fenomenal city, beautiful architecture squares, castles and palaces, nightlife is very good better than most european cities which I visited,was extremely cheap and affordable when compared with the others, the metro is excellent and trams .. only slightly spoiled by tourists image because it is too much .. but it certainly is because the divan. To my taste the most beautiful in the summer when everything blooms. breat pic btw!!
 
#28 · (Edited)
48. Anyone know what's that on the hill?

Beautiful photos!

If I am not mistaken, it's The National Monument on top of the Vítkov hill.

From Wikipedia - It includes the equestrian statue of Jan Žižka, the third largest bronze equestrian statue in the world.

It honors Jan Žižka and his victory on this hill in 1420 over the army of the Holy Roman Empire and Hungary. Zizka might be an interesting historical figure.
 
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