PRAGUE

On hearing our next destination Gorgias commented that it would be an interesting competition which was the more beautiful city – St Petersburg or Prague. While such a competition would be both invidious and subjective (and thus meaningless) it recognizes that these two cities were the cultural, and especially architectural, highlights of our journey.

Prague's history stretches back to at least the 9th century when the Premyslid dynasty (Vaclav I – or Good King Wenceslas) adopted one of the two already fortified high points straddling the Moldau, to create what was then the biggest fortress in Bohemia and is today Prague Castle. We were able to visit St Vitus' cathedral, a massive gothic structure started by Charles IV in the 14 th C and only completed in the 20th century. The castle also contains more modern palaces, houses and churches. We even went to a lunchtime concert (flute, viola and piano) in the Lobkowicz palace.

Charles IV, who came to the throne in 1346 when his father, Blind King John of Bohemia and Luxemburg, was killed at the Battle of Crecy, was Bohemia's most significant ruler. He devoted much of his considerable energy to developing the city, among other things founding a university and building a new bridge, which stands to this day.

Jan Hus started the Reformation in Prague, and a local political tradition was created when three Catholic councilors were thrown out of the windows of the city hall, famed especially for its astronomical clock which plays a tune on the hour while the figures of the 12 apostles peep out of two doors. Hus was martyred in 1415, but the result of the so-called Hussite Wars was that Prague remained a protestant city until the forces of catholic conservatism (the Empire) defeated Bohemian resistance at the beginning of the Thirty Years War in 1620. The war had been triggered two years earlier by the Second Defenestration of Prague when the governors imposed by the emperor were thrown out of the palace windows in the Castle.

A famous general of the imperial army, Count Wallenstein, was able to buy an extensive site beneath the castle walls and built himself a magnificent early baroque palace in the 1620s.

With the capital of the Empire definitively established in Vienna, Prague became something of a political backwater, allowing architecture, music and other arts to flourish in peace. Musical visitors included Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven and Liszt, while home-grown composers reached their high point in the 19th century with Smettaner and Dvorak. Mozart's Don Giovanni was premiered here and we went to a 'reconstruction' of the first production in the same theatre, built three or four years earlier...

Many mediaeval and renaissance churches and other buildings grace the centres of the four boroughs which compose the old city, but above all Prague is the city of the Baroque.

Another period of architecture produced Prague's Art nouveau buildings, One of the best known is the Grand Hotel Europa (no photo!), where we took coffee and stickies on our last afternoon for a flavour of the early 20th C city...

Also a figure of the 20th C, Franz Kafka was born in Prague. The house still stands and the square before it bears his name.

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Al saber nuestro proximo destino, Gorgias comento que seria una competencia interesante cual ciudad era la mas hermosa – San Petersburgo o Praga. Si bien tal competencia seria demasiado subjectivo, reconoce que estas dos ciudades eran los principales hitos culturales, y especialmente arquitectonicos, de nuestro viaje.

La historia de Praga empieza en el siglo 9 cuando el dinastia Premyslido (Vaclav I) adopto uno de dos cerros fortificados que controlaban el rio Moldau, para crear lo que era entonces la mayor fuerte de Bohemia y es hoy el castillo de Praga. Pudimos conocer la catedral de San Vito, una masiva estructura gotica empezada en el siglo 14 por Carlos IV, y terminada recien en el siglo 20. El castillo tambien contiene palacios mas modernas, ademas de casas e iglesias. Hasta fuimos a un concierto de mediodia en el palacio Lobkowicz.

Carlos IV, quien ascendio al trono en 1346, era el rey mas significante de Bohemia. Dedico mucho de su considerable energia al desarrollo de la ciudad. Entre otros, fundo una universidad y construyo un nuevo puente, el cual todavia existe.

Jan Hus inicio la Reformacion en Praga, y se establecio una tradicion politica local cuando tres consejeros Catolicos fueron echados por las ventanas de la municipalidad. Esta esta especialmente conocida por su reloj astronomico, que toca una melodia cada hora mientras aparecen los 12 apostolos en dos puertas. Hus morio como martir en 1415, pero el resultado de las 'Guerras Husitas' era que Praga quedo como ciudad protestante hasta que las fuerzas del conservatismo catolico (el Imperio) derroto la resistencia Bohemia a principios de la Guerra de 30 anos en 1620. La guerra se gatillo dos ano anteriormente con la Segunda Defenestracion de Praga, cuando los gobernadores impuestos por el imperator fueron tirados por la ventanas del palacio antiguo en el castillo.

El celebre general del ejercito imperial, el Conde Wallenstein, pudo comprar un sitio extenso debajo de las murallas del castillo y construyo un magnifico palacio en el estilo baroco temprano en los anos 1620.

Una vez que el capital del imperio se habia instalado en forma definitiva en Viena, Praga perdio su importanci politica, lo que permtio un florecimiento de la arquitectura y otras artes. Las visitas musicaes incluyeron Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven y Liszt, mientras los compositores autoctonos se destacaron al final del siglo 19 en las figuras de Smettaner y Dvorak. La oper 'Don Giovanni', de Mozart, fue estrenado aqui, y asistimos a una 'reconstruccion' del estreno en el mismo teatro, construido unos 3-4 anos anteriormente...

Muchas iglesias y otros edificios de los epocas medieval y renacimiento ornan las 4 municipalidades que componen la ciudad antigua, pero Praga es sobre todo una ciudad baroca.

Otro periodo arquitectonico produjo en Praga los edificios del estilo Art Nouveau. Uno de los mas conocidos es el Grand Hotel Europa, donde fuimos a tomar cafe y kuchen en nuestra ultima tarde en Praga para un gusto de la ciudad a principios del siglo 20...

Otra figura destacada del siglo 20, Franz Kafka, nacio en Praga. La casa existe todavia y la plaza donde esta lleva su nombre.