Our Bohemian adventure : Prague : Part 4 - Castle area

From the Lesser Quarter we continued our walk up to the Castle and its views over the Vltava

On our way to the Castle we came across this - it reminded me of one of Dr Who's Cybermen - but I think it was a parking meter!

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, and presidents of Czechoslovakia. The Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept within a hidden room inside it

The Guinness Book of Records lists Prague Castle as the largest ancient castle in the world. Its three courtyards and a number of magnificent buildings cover over 7 hectares (18 acres)

Off to the changing of the Guards

St Vitus Cathedral

Views from the Castle

Our Bohemian adventure : Prague : Part 3 - Lesser Quarter and Petrin

Continuing our walk over Charles Bridge we entered The Lesser Quarter - Mala Strana

After his murder on 8 December 1980 John Lennon became a pacifist hero for many young Czechs. An image of Lennon was painted on a wall in a secluded square opposite the French Embassy, along with political graffiti and Beatles lyrics

Despite repeated coats of whitewash, the secret police never managed to keep it clean for long, and the Lennon Wall became a political focus for Prague youth (most Western pop music was banned by the communists, and some Czech musicians were even jailed for playing it).

Post-1989 weathering and lightweight graffiti ate away at the political messages and images, until little remained of Lennon but his eyes, but visiting tourists began making their own contributions

The wall is the property of the Knights of Malta, and they have repainted it several times, but it soon gets covered with more Lennon images, peace messages and inconsequential tourist graffiti. In recent years the Knights have bowed to the inevitable and now don’t bother to whitewash it any more

It is a growing trend in European cities for couples to secure a padlock onto a bridge as a token of love. Some locks feature handwritten or engraved initials or messages on them

The local legend is that two star-crossed lovers - just like Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” - came from two prominent Czech families caught in a feud. They planned to meet at the bridge for a kiss and when the families discovered their secret, the unfortunate pair were killed

The legend inspired many locals and tourists to visit the bridge and add their own love lock to the collection to represent their eternal adoration. There are also locks on Charles Bridge

With a height of 318m the Petřín Hill is a network of eight parks offering magnificent panoramas of Prague.

We reached the top by the funicular railway

Most of the vineyards from the 12th century were transformed into gardens and orchards by the 18th century and today it is a great place for quiet walks

With views over the Vltava  

Our Bohemian adventure : Prague : Part 2 - The Jewish Quarter

Continuing our exploration of Prague. We went on a guided walking tour which took us to the Jewish Quarter

The Jewish Quarter, known as Josefov, is located between Old Town Square and the Vltava River. Its torrid history dates from the 13th century, when Jewish people were ordered to vacate their disparate homes and settle in this one area

Over the centuries, with Jews banned from living anywhere else in Prague, and with new arrivals expelled from Moravia, Germany, Austria and Spain joining them, more and more people were crowded in

To add to this, inhabitants of the Jewish Quarter, or the Prague Jewish Ghetto as it also became known, were forced to endure structural changes. The latest took place between 1893-1913, when most houses were flattened and the layout of many of the streets remodelled

Fortunately, most of the significant historical buildings were saved from destruction, and today they remain a testimony to the history of the Jews in Prague

The Franz Kafka Monument is in the area where the Dušní Street and the Vězeňská Street connect, between the Spanish Synagogue and the church of St. Spirit. It is a symbolic place because the Kafka family lived at Dušní Street No. 27. The statue is within the spiritual zone of three Churches – Jewish, Catholic and Protestant. Franz Kafka practically lived his entire short life in this part of the old Prague. 

The monument was inspired by an important short story written by Kafka called "Popis Jednoho Zápasu" (Description of a Match). The "split" design of the statue refers back to the spiritual split of the writer mentioned in the novel. The novel describes a situation in which a character defeats his opponent who is supposedly dominant

Built in 1586, the town hall is no longer in use and is closed to the public, and its architecture is quaint and well-preserved. But its clocks are by far its most striking characteristic. It has a traditional clock tower, with ordinary clocks on four sides, each bearing Roman numerals. On one side of the roof, however, there's a clock with Hebrew letters, and the clock's hands move counterclockwise because Hebrew is written from right to left

Our Bohemian adventure : Prague : Part 1 - Old Town

In early December we ventured to Prague, capital of Czech Republic - and former capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia. We spent five days exploring this wonderful city.

The Old Town Square dates from the 12th century and started life as the central marketplace for Prague. Over the centuries buildings of Romanesque, Baroque and Gothic styles were erected around the market

The Old Town Hall Tower was built in 1338. In 1364 the Old Town Hall Tower was joined to a private house adjoining it, which in turn was knocked into other houses beside that. This amalgamation of buildings became known as the 'Old Town Hall'. Extensive renovation in 1470 further integrated the various houses of the Old Town Hall. And all the buildings were remodelled in the Gothic style

The Astronomical Clock, built in to one side of the Old Town Hall Tower, dates from the 15th century

On the hour, every hour, a small trap door opens and Christ marches out ahead of his disciples in the procession of the Twelve Apostles

We then headed towards the famous Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge (Karlův most) is a 14th century stone bridge linking the two sides of Prague. This is the main pedestrian route connecting the Old Town with the Lesser Town and Prague Castle

King Charles IV commissioned the bridge. The foundation stone was laid in 1357. Charles IV's favourite architect and builder, Peter Parler, oversaw the majority of the work. The initial idea was to build a functional construction for knight tournaments, and for many years the only decoration on the bridge was a simple crucifix. Later, the Catholic desire for ornamentation resulted in 30 statues being erected between 1600 and 1800

There are now 75 statues on Charles Bridge, but most are copies, as floods and catastrophes over the centuries damaged the originals. Perhaps the most interesting, as well as the oldest, is that of John of Nepomuk (8th from the right as you cross towards Prague Castle).

The first statue to be erected on the Charles Bridge is made of bronze. This is the statue of St. John of Nepomuk, the patron saint of Bohemia. According to legend John of Nepomuk refused to reveal the confessions of the wife of King Wenceslas IV, and was thrown off the side of the bridge to his death. On that same night, five stars appeared in the sky above the place of his death, which is why there is always a five-starred halo above any statue of St. John of Nepomuk.

There are a number of superstitions about some of the statues on the bridge. Our tour guide told us about the rubbing of the brass as a way to a make wish come true or to ensure a return to Prague. Even though the statues were replaced with replicas in the 1960s, the traditions continue

Some super views of the River Vltava from Charles Bridge