Foreword

Prague, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest are cities with a long common history. Prague offers a great insight into the history of the Czech Republic from the Přemyslids, the Habsburgs, the Nazi dictatorship and the communist dictatorship to the present day.

Treat yourself to a long weekend in Prague!

Journey

You can get to Prague by train, plane, bus or car.

I recommend you to arrive by train or by plane, as public transport is very well developed.

By train

From Vienna Central Station, the RegioJet runs directly to Prague Central Station in 4 hours and 30 minutes. In between, you can get on in Břeclav, Brno and other Czech cities.

The journey from Vienna to Prague and back again costs only 30 euros in the family compartment! On board there are also stewards and stewardesses who provide you with drinks and food. Depending on the tariff choice, free of charge or chargeable.

By plane

Flight between Vienna and Prague is possible, but unprofitable, as you have to pay 159 euros per flight and also have to be early at the airport. You also have to pay attention to the customs regulations when flying.

By bus

With the Flixbus you can also reach Prague from Vienna. Here the cost of the round trip is 46 euros.

By car

By car you have to take the A23 to the A5 and take the main road up to Brno and continue on the Czech motorway to Prague. The journey time corresponds approximately to the train journey.

Currency

The Czech Republic has not joined the EU's monetary union. The legal tender is the Czech koruna (Kč). The exchange rate in June 2022 was 1 euro to 24.30 Kč.

Public transport

Public transport (bus, tram, train and metro) is very well developed. A 72 hour ticket costs 330 Kč (13,60 €) and a 24 hour ticket 120 Kč (4,94 €).

Entry

To enter the Czech Republic, EU citizens only need a valid travel document (passport or identity card). Citizens from third countries contact the Czech embassy or check the information travel page of their own country to find out which destination is current.

If you come by car, you should inform yourself about the motorists club pages (ADAC, ÖAMTC, ARBÖ, etc.) which things are carried.

Introduction

Czech history is strongly linked to Austrian history until the First World War. Bohemia and Moravia were part of the Habsburg Monarchy until the end of World War I in 1918. After that, the Czechs and Slovaks formed Czechoslovakia. In this state were the territories of Bohemia and Moravia, today's Slovakia and the Carpathian Ukraine (today's Zakarptska Oblast).

Shortly after Austria was annexed by Hitler to Germany, Czechoslovakia was dissolved. The Sudetenland was annexed, Bohemia and Moravia became a protectorate, Slovakia became its own (vassal) state and Carpathian Ukraine became part of Hungary until 1944. Then it went back to the newly formed Czechoslovakia.

Czechoslovakia remained in existence until 31 December 1992 and was peacefully divided into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

Prague remained the capital of the Czech Republic and Bratislava became the Slovak capital. On 1 May 2004, both states joined the EU and the border between Austria and the Czech Republic and Slovakia fell.

Wenzel Square (Václavské náměstí)

The unique designed square was created in connection with the founding of the New Town by Charles IV in 1348. The course is 750 m long and 63 m wide in its upper half and 48 m in the lower part. Within several years, houses and craft workshops, malt factories and breweries were built. At that time the square was called the Horse Market (Koňský trh), because here was the horse trade and in addition, various agricultural products were sold here. Later, bays were built in the lower part for the sale of saddle and belt goods, fabrics and spices. The organization of markets ended here in 1877.

The market square also became the scene of executions, with gallows in both the lower and upper parts of the square. In the lower part of the square called Na Můstku (On the Bridge) there was a pond with a mill, in the middle of a public fountain and later three fountains were built in the axis of the square.

At the end of the 14th century, the Horse Gate or the St. Procopius Gate was built as part of the fortifications. It was located where today's National Museum stands.

In 1680, the Baroque statue of St. Wenceslas was erected at the confluence with Jindřišská Street. It was created by Jan Jiří Bendl and today it is located in Vyšehrad. Later, opposite today's Opletalova Street, a group of statues (John of Nepomuk with angels by an unknown sculptor) was built. The work dates from 1727. Both sculptures were removed in 1879. The place with the statue of the patron saint of the Czech lands became a place where the citizens of Prague gathered in extraordinary moments. After such a memorable popular assembly in 1848, Karel Havlíček Borovský proposed that the horse market be renamed St. Wenceslas Market.

In 1786, the Czech patriots opened the first Czech theatre called Bouda. The theatre was located near the middle fountain. It was the first theatre to be performed in Czech. The theatre building was demolished in 1789 because it stood in the way of traffic. Soon after, the whole square was paved with round stones made of gravel, the so-called "ox eggs". In 1865, gas lighting was installed here. Gas lamps stood in rows on the pavements and from 1868 massive cast iron candelabras with lamps were installed in the middle of the axis of the place. Electric lighting was permanently introduced on Wenceslas Square in 1895.

In 1890, the spacious building of the National Museum was erected in the upper part of the square, which dominates Wenceslas Square to this day. At first there were no green areas or trees on the place. In 1876, the lower part of the square was greened. Four rows of trees were created in the lower part and six rows of trees in the upper part. Many of the trees soon perished and therefore the director of the Prague parks František Thomayer decided in the mid-1890s to replace them with green lime trees. The green lime trees were planted on the sidewalks. Today, on Wenceslas Square you can find silver lime trees or felt-leaved lime trees, which are more durable.

In 1884, the first tram was put into operation here, which at that time was still pulled by horses. The tram line ran from the Můstek stop via Wenceslas Square to Vinohrady and then to the Nuselské schody stop. The first electric tram was installed in 1900. The tram service was operated at Wenceslas Square until 13. December 1980. The last tram to pass Wenceslas Square was the night tram Number 22.

After the tracks had been dismantled, numerous ornamental shrubs, herbs and flowers were planted here. In the 1980s, a spacious pedestrian zone was built in the lower part of Wenceslas Square. A promenade was built in the vicinity of the St. Wenceslas Monument.

In 1912/1913 the monument to St. Wenceslas by Josef Václav Myslbek was erected in the upper part of the square. Wenceslas Square has also been a natural center for the inhabitants of Prague's New Town and the citizens of Prague in general since time immemorial.

After the First World War, there was a lot of construction traffic here and especially after the founding of Great Prague in 1922, imposing luxurious houses, banks, shops, hotels and restaurants were built on Wenceslas Square. The same happened in the largest streets that cross Wenceslas Square. Therefore, the local social and business center was called the Golden Cross (Zlatý kříž).

After the Second World War, the city was rebuilt after being bombed in 1945. Wenceslas Square received three underpasses with the construction of the metro. Shortly before its opening, Prague was taken by the Warsaw Pact states in 1968.

In August 1978, the underpass was connected to the Můstek metro station by an escalator. The underpass in front of the National Museum and the underpass at the Na Můstku metro station were opened at the same time as the opening of traffic on metro line A in 1978. The underpass at the Na Můstku metro station has a total of seven exits, making it the largest underpass in Prague. In addition to its own underpass, which is intended for pedestrians, this also includes a spacious foyer to the underground stations A and B. At that time, three buildings had to make way for the construction.

The most significant historical events on Wenceslas Square:

1848 – At the monument of St. Wenceslas a mass was held for the Czech deputies. The deputies travelled to Vienna to the Kaiser to present their demands.

A few days after a new mass on the occasion of the Slavic Assembly, there were riots-In the Pentecost riots, the citizens barricaded themselves against the imperial army.

1905 – Large-scale demonstration for the right to vote

1914 – Czech regiments are dismissed on the occasion of dispatch to the front in World War I.

1918 – On October 28, Alois Jirasek read the independence of the Czechoslovak Republic from a document.

1939 – The declaration on the establishment of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia by the German National Socialists

1942 - The assembled citizen swear loyalty to the German Reich.

1945 - Announcement of the end of World War II and the nationalization of heavy industry and banks.

1948 – On February 25, a large popular assembly declares its support for the communist government.

1969 - In January, in protest against the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Agreement troops, student Jan Palach and later student Jan Zajíc set themselves on fire; The demonstration, convened to commemorate the first anniversary of the Soviet invasion, was dispersed in August of the same year.

1989 – In November, a large popular assembly initiated the end of the communist regime. Due to the bloodless transition, it was also called the Velvet Revolution.

 

Prague Castle (Pražský hrad)

Prague Castle has been an important symbol of the Czech state for over a thousand years. Founded in the 9th century, it became the permanent seat of Czech rulers and, most recently, presidents. One of the largest castle complexes in the world consists of palaces, official, church and fortification buildings, gardens and picturesque corners. The castle covers an area of 45 hectares. The sole view of Prague Castle is one of the most impressive panoramic views in the world.

Prague Castle is the most important monument of folk culture and history, it is the symbol of more than a thousand years of development of the Czech and Czech state. It is a monumental symbol of palace, church, fortification, official and residential buildings, which are very valuable monuments, included in all stylistic periods. It covers an area of 45 hectares, was the seat of Czech princes, kings and emperors, and

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 09.11.2022
ISBN: 978-3-7554-2508-3

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