Our final stop on the Danube River Cruise was Prague in the Czech Republic. Prague is not on the Danube, it’s about three hours east by bus. Following our last day on the water, we disembarked at Passau, Germany and transferred to Prague for the last three days of our holiday. Interestingly, we arrived on May 17, the day of the final game of this year’s World Hockey Championship, to be played in Prague that same evening. Although we did not attend the game in person, we enjoyed it in the bar of our hotel in the company of our friendly host, the bartender. It was a good game, with Canada emerging victorious with a 6-1 win over Russia. The bartender was cheering along with us although we can’t be sure why exactly. Either he was being a gracious host or he just doesn’t like the Russians!
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. It is the fifteenth-largest city in the European Union. It is also the historical capital of Bohemia. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava River, the city is home to about 1.24 million people, while its larger urban zone is estimated to have a population of nearly 2 million. The city has a temperate climate, with warm summers and chilly winters. The origin of the name Praha is associated with the word prah (that means a ‘threshold’), which is a rapid on the river. Prague is home to a number of famous cultural attractions, many of which survived the violence and destruction of 20th-century Europe. Main attractions include the Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square with the Prague Astronomical clock, the Jewish Quarter, Petrin hill and Vysehrad. Since 1992, the extensive historic centre of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
Today’s pictures are a mix of shots I took over a couple of days. They include pictures from a few of the better tourist sites, some street scenes and of course, the architecture. Many were taken early in the morning of our second day in the city. I was able to get much better views, absent the crush of tourists we experienced the previous day. I begin with a river scene taken from the west bank of the Vltava River, with the Manes Bridge in the background. To the right of the bridge is the Rudolfinum, a 19th-century cultural venue with concert halls, an art gallery and exhibition spaces.
In the “Old Town” area of the city I captured this shot of the Municipal House, a civic building that houses Smetana Hall, a celebrated concert venue. It’s adjacent to the site of my next shot, the Powder Gate.
Right on cue, here’s a photo of the Powder Tower, looking in the direction of the Municipal House, to its left. The passage beneath the tower is the Powder Gate, one of the original city gates, dating back to the 11th century. The gate was used to store gunpowder in the 17th century, hence the name Powder Tower.
This next picture shows the inside of the arch above the passageway beneath the Powder Tower.
Enough of the Tower already!
Nearby I came across a small square, noticeably quiet at this early hour of the morning.
Following are a series of pictures I took around Rytirska Street, a trendy shopping area, early in the morning. Better light, no crowds.
I’ve included this one because I like the light, the colours and the elaborate surroundings of a simple window box.
I conclude today’s post with a photograph of the vineyard at Prague Castle, situated high above the west bank of the Vltava River.
I have over three hundred pictures of Prague, most of which I really like. It has obviously been difficult to select these chosen few. I regret this is all I can share with you in a short post about his wonderful city. Perhaps I’ll come back to it later.