Wanderlust of a Flâneur: Praha, Czechia

City: Prague

Country: Czechia

Interesting Facts
- Prague was the main residence of several Holy Roman Emperors, most notably of Charles IV

- The only president of Czechoslovakia whose name does not appear on his gravestone is that of Antonín Novotný, the hardline communist who led the country from 1957 until shortly before the Prague Spring, in March 1968.

- When you are roaming around The Old Town, try to make your way to the main entrance of the New City Hall placed on Mariánské square number 2. Step in front of this beautiful building which ranks among the most important pieces of Art Nouveau architecture in Prague, and look down. There is a QR code made of classic Prague cobble stones. And it actually works! It will let you download a practical city application.

- The legendary origins of Prague attribute its foundation to the 8th century Czech duchess and prophetess Libuše and her husband, Přemysl, founder of the Přemyslid dynasty. Legend says that Libuše came out on a rocky cliff high above the Vltava and prophesied: “I see a great city whose glory will touch the stars.” She ordered a castle and a town called Praha to be built on the site.

- The city played major roles in the Bohemian and Protestant Reformation, the Thirty Years’ War and in 20th-century history as the capital of Czechoslovakia, during both World Wars and the post-war Communist era.

- According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Prague Castle is the largest castle in the world with the incredible area of 18 acres.

- The Jewish Quarter of Prague was not demolished in World War II. The legend goes that the reason was that Hitler planned to retire in Prague. He wanted to turn the Josehof Quarter in a museum, dedicated to an extinct race.

My Commentary: Prague is a very interesting city and it surprised me. At the same time there is the old and historical part of the town with churches, a castle and traditional buildings, there is, in other hand, also the modern part of the town with a subway system, trams, nice restaurants and many aspects of an urban place, this dichotomy is clearly seen in the pictures below.

My Photos in Prague (October 2009)

My commentary: I was living in England in 2009 in a community of people from many countries around the world so it was easy to make trips throughout Europe. The original plan was to go to Germany, but a Czech friend suggested to go to Czechia first and then by car we would go to Dresden in Germany and that's what we did. During the way to Germany, I saw snow for the first time in my life.