Prague

We spent a couple of days in Prague, one of our favourite cities.

On our first day we enjoyed wandering the maze of little streets which make up the Old Town, with the large Old Town Square at the centre. There are buildings from many periods - some date back to the 15th century but most are baroque or rococo.

The Astronomical Clock is over 600 years old

The 15th century Powder Tower was one of the original city gates

Many of the buildings have interesting architectural features

The Old Town Square has a number of fine churches including St Nicolas Church. The church interior is described as having a 'picturesque plasticity' which is presumably a good thing.

St Nicolas Church from the Old Town Square

The baroque building dates from the early 18th century but it has been used as a place of worship by the Czechoslovak Hussite Church since 1920 when it separated from Rome

The 14th century Church of Our Lady Before Tyn sits at the head of the square and the spires can be seen from most parts of the Old Town. The huge church dwarfs the more recent building in front of it.

We stayed in a hotel on Bethlehem Square just opposite the medieval Bethlehem Chapel which is very different, although it too has links with Jan Hus.

The interior of Bethlehem Chapel is much more bare

The chapel dates from 1391 and was built as a place where services would be in the Czech language - Jan Hus, founder of the Hussite movement, preached here in the early 15th century

The focal point was the pulpit, not the altar

On our second day we strolled to the New Town area around Wenceslas Square. Different architectural styles sit side-by-side

The buildings are fine but the familiar brands make Prague a little less Czech

The evocative view down Wenceslas Square

Sometimes opposing styles don't work well together!

Returning to the Old Town we skirted the Old Town Square before heading off across Charles Bridge.

From Charles Bridge there is a fine view across the river to the castle

The bridge is lined with statues of saints - this is St John of Nepomuk and is the oldest statue on the bridge

The view back towards the east bank shows the fine riverside buildings including the National Theatre

At night, the Old Town Square is beautifully illuminated and, when we were there, the full moon was also adding a glow to everthing.

 

A thoroughly relaxing couple of days - the only thing missing was cold weather and some snow!