Schmap Prague Old Town & Jewish Quarter

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Prague - Old Town & Jewish Quarter
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The long, gentle sloping Wenceslas Square, the dividing line between the Old and New Towns, is the appropriate place to start a tour of the Old Town. The bustling space, lined with shops, restaurants and hotels, has been the focal point of popular discontent for decades. Long before gathering here during the heady days of 1989's Velvet Revolution to bring down the communist regime, Praguers assembled in front of the National Museum, topping the square, to protest Habsburg rule in 1848 and the Nazi occupation in 1939. Also here, in 1969, Czech student Jan Palach set himself on fire to protest the Communist invasion of the country. A memorial in his name lies some meters down from the Wenceslas Monument, also at the top of the square.

After reaching the bottom of the square, continue one block along Na Mustku street. Off to the right stands the magnificent Stavovske Divadlo (or Estates Theater). Built in the 1780s, originally in a neo-classical style, and reopened in 1991 after a mammoth renovation, the green and cream colored theater is most famous for hosting the premiere of Mozart's Don Giovanni, which the master himself conducted.

After continuing past the theater across the wide courtyard, turn right on Celetna Street to the gothic Powder Tower, one of the city's original 13 gates and a gunpowder storage space, hence the name. Next door, the exquisite Municipal House (Obecni dum) is the city's finest example of art nouveau. Renovated in 1996-1998, it houses two quaint cafes and the Pilsen Restaurant downstairs. Smetana Hall, Prague's largest concert hall, hosts many of the Prague Spring festivities.

Returning to Celetna Street towards the Old Town Square takes visitors on the famous Royal Way, the coronation route of Czech kings ending at the castle across the Vltava River. The Celetna entry to the square is considered the city's most stunning.

The heart of Prague, this one-time marketplace is surrounded by a pastel baroque mantle, dwarfed by the huge gothic towers of the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, looming ominously in the background. The church served as the Hussite main place of worship until their defeat by the Catholics in 1620. Below, the Jan Hus Monument, erected in a secessionist style in 1915 to mark the 500th anniversary of his death, stands in the square's center. Used mostly these days for exhibitions and ceremonies, the Town Hall's northern wing was never rebuilt after the Nazis set it ablaze in 1945. Today, the open, bench-lined space provides refuge for weary tourists and locals to people-watch and take in the sights. The town hall's most striking feature is the amazing Astronomical Clock, dating from 1410. Visitors gather on the hour to watch the display of wooden figurines, highlighted by the procession of the apostles, added in the 19th century.

Pass by the extravagant, baroque St. Nicholas'Church (1735) atop posh Parizska Street on the way to Josefov, the Jewish Quarter. Turn left on Cervena Street to enter what remains of the Jewish ghetto. After Nazi occupation, only 1200 of the pre-war 35,000 Jews returned to live there.

At Cervena No. 2, the Old-New Synagogue is the oldest standing synagogue in Europe. Opposite the synagogue lies the baroque-style Jewish Ceremonial Hall, the headquarters of the Prague Jewish community. Behind the town hall stands the High Synagogue where tickets for all sights of the quarter can be purchased. At the point where Cervena becomes U stareho hrbitova Street lies the horrifically amazing Old Jewish Cemetery - 12,000 graves piled upon each other in 12 layers. Off to the right of the entrance lies Ceremony Hall with drawings from children held at the Terezin concentration camp in North Bohemia. Head back up U stareho hrbitova and turn right on Maislova Street; at Maislova No. 10 lies the Maisel Synagogue, which contains a fine collection of artifacts used during various religious ceremonies.

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Jan Hus Monument

Dedicated to a Czech martyr

Staromestske Namesti
Prague 11000
Czech Republic
+420 2 2171 4444 (Tourist Information Centre)

The monument to Jan Hus stands in the centre of Old Town Square. It was sculpted by Ladislav Saloun and unveiled in July 1915 on the 500th anniversary of Hus' death. Jan Hus (1369-1415) was a Czech theologian and preacher who became Rector of Charles University in 1403. He drew attention to the poor social conditions in the city and criticised the funding of the Papal Wars. He was tried for heresy in 1415 and burnt at the stake, thus becoming a Czech martyr and national hero whose death is celebrated with a national holiday on July 6th each year

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Jan Hus Monument photo by Anton I. Sipos

Photo: Anton I. Sipos

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Photo: Duncan Creamer

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Photo: Jamie Tesinsky

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Photo: Sean Ogden Power

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Photo: Carlos Curbelo

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Photo: Marcus van Lier

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Photo: Elliot Ritzema

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Photo: Maurício Lanza

Jan Hus Monument photo by Aurelius Prochazka

Photo: Aurelius Prochazka

Jan Hus Monument photo by Keith Foster, CA USA

Photo: Keith Foster, CA USA

Photo: John Carthy

Maisel Synagogue

Jewish history U Staré školy 1
Jewish Museum
Prague 11000
Czech Republic
+420 2 2171 1511 (Jewish Museum)
http://www.jewishmuseum.cz/ This restored sixteenth-century temple is part of the multi-site Jewish Museum - Prague's most popular museum. The exhibits were collected during World War II as the occupying Nazis pillaged each and every Czech Jewish community and stockpiled the booty in Prague, where a small Jewish Museum had existed since 1906. The synagogue now houses the first part of an exhibition called 'History of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia' covering the period from the tenth century to the eighteenth century. Displays include silver Torah shields, pointers, fine tapestry, Torah curtains, documents, books and items from the ordinary everyday life of the city's Jews. Many of the finest objects date back to the relatively prosperous sixteenth century, when several of the richest synagogues in the Jewish quarter were built.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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National Museum

Animal, vegetable or mineral? Václavské námestí 68
Prague 11000
Czech Republic
+420 2 2449 7111
http://www.nm.cz/ One of the city's most characteristic sights, this massive Neo-Renaissance construction dating back to the late nineteenth century overlooks the town from the top end of Wenceslas Square. Soviet troops fired on the museum as they occupied Prague in August 1968. The interior is fairly dramatic: a grand staircase sweeps up to the 'Pantheon'—a hall filled with busts of Czech cultural heroes. The exhibits are old-fashioned, focusing on fossils, stuffed animals, minerals and archaeological finds. One or two temporary exhibits are usually on show— these are occasionally of contemporary art. ADmission is free on the first Monday of the month.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock

Convergence point for tourists Staromestské námestí
Prague 11000
Czech Republic
+420 2 2448 2751 This is the vortex of tourist activity in Prague, whether it be to catch a glimpse of the clock's elusive statuettes, check out one of the town hall's exhibitions or climb the tower. It was in 1338, during the reign of King John of Luxembourg (1310-1346), that work began on the building of a town hall. The oldest parts of this complex of buildings are the Gothic sections and the tower. In May 1945, the Nazis set fire to the building as their last act during the occupation, but most of the damage has been repaired. The clock originated from the beginning of the 15th century and, every hour, the Twelve Apostles (added in 1490) move across just above the clock face, bowing to the crowd on the square. Finally, the clock strikes the hour.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Old-New ( Staronova) Synagogue

For Jewish services Cervena 3
Prague 11000
Czech Republic
+420 2 2481 9456 Services are conducted weekdays at 8a, Friday and Saturdays at sundown and also on Saturdays at 9a. From the Old Town Square, walk down Parizska and about halfway on the left-hand side is Cervena street.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Prague Spring International Music Festival

World-renowned festival Hellichova (office) 18
(performances take place at various venues)
Prague 11800
Czech Republic
+420 257 312 547
http://www.festival.cz/rubrika... Founded soon after World War II, Prague Spring quickly established itself as one of the continent's major classical festivals. The offerings have expanded to take in contemporary groups in addition to the high-quality classical orchestras. Advance tickets for Czechs, or those who can speak the language, go on sale in late winter and must be ordered by mid-March. Two weeks before the festival's opening, leftover tickets are sold at the box office and at some local ticket agencies. Tickets ordered through travel agents can be expensive.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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