Otázka: Prague – Historical sights
Jazyk: Angličtina
Přidal(a): Niki
Prague is capital of Czech Republic. Prague lies in the middle of Bohemia on both banks of the river Vltava. It has been the capital of the country since 1918. It is one of the most beautiful old cities in the world, which has a long history. Prague is a seat of president, government and parliament and also the political, cultural and economic centre of Bohemia. Prague has 1,2 million inhabitants. The city is made up of 10 administrative districts and the centre of Prague consist five historical districts. Prague is sometimes called ,,The town with
a hundred towers“ because of a big amount of towers. Prague is also known as ,,Gold Prague“.
The city was founded by the Slavs. In 14th century there ruled the most famous ruler, King Charles IV. The time when King Charles IV. ruled, is called Gold Age.
Prague historical centre was in 1992 put on UNESCO world cultural heritage list.
Prague is a popular venue of many important international festivals. The centre of the Old Town, it means the Old Square, is surrounded with a lot of houses built in different architecture styles. There is also the Old Town Hall with an astronomical clocks which
are the most famous one.
HISTORICAL SIGHTS
Prague castle
is the official residence and office of the President of the Czech Republic. Located in the Hradčany district of Prague and dating back to the ninth century, the castle has been a seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman emperors, andpresidents of Czechoslovakia. The Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept within a hidden room inside it. The castle is the largest ancient castle in the world. It has over 700 rooms. Prague Castle includes many famous buildings for example St. Vitus Cathedrale which was designed by the famous architect Petr Parler and Matthias of Arras, Romanesque Basilica of St. George ect.
Wenceslas square
Is the heart of Prague. It is an important shopping and cultural centre, which contains a huge number of department stores, shops, hotels, restaurants, bars, cafés, cinemas and theatres.
The top of the square is National Museum, in front of which is St. Wenceslas Monument statue made by Myslbek. The bottom of the square leads into two major streets- Národní Street and Na Příkopě Street.
National Theatre
Was built between 1868-1881 thanks to money collected across the country. In 1883 it was destructed by fire and the theatre was built anew. The decoration inside and outside were made by – M. Aleš, V. Hynais, Myslbek and others. There are shown dramas, operas, and ballets shows.
Vyšehrad
Vyšehrad Castle is situated on a rock overlooking the Vltava River. With this rock is connected a legend of the Czech Princess Libuše who prophesied the glory of Prague from there. In my opinion the most important thing of Vyšehrad is, that it is the Czech national cemetery, where are buried many famous Czech personalities such as Karel Čapek, sculptor J. V. Myslbek, composers A. Dvořák and B. Smetana, poet J. Neruda and artist M. Aleš act.
Petřín Hill
Prague’s skyline is defined by Petřín Hill. There is a 60meter tall viewing tower on the hill, which was built in 1891. It was modelled on the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Apart from the tower, there’s a mirror labyrinth and the Prague Municipal Observatory.
CULTURE
Prague’s cultural events offer something for everyone. The National Gallery houses and collection of modern art, various dance performances can be seen at the National Theatre and classical concerts by Mozart, Dvořák, Smetana and other famous composers can be heard at the Rudolfinum and the Municipal House. Modern dramatic productions include many theatre plays as well as the special black light performances in The Laterna Magica.
INDUSTRY
There are many industries too. The most important kinds of industry are the engineering, food industry (meat-processing, dairies, breweries – Smíchov Staropramen, confectionery – Orion, bakeries and mills), textile, chemical, printing and film (Barrandov) industry.
