Europe 2019 - Day 30 (Part 3)

5 June 2019, Wednesday

Then we followed the signs to Prague Castle. We had to walk uphill and go through a security check, but then we found that to go into the Castle complex we need to buy tickets, but it was free after 5 p.m. So we decided to come back later. All that walk uphill for nothing!

As we were tired from our uphill walk, we took the Metro to the Jewish Quarter, stopping to have a local beer, Starosta. The first thing we saw at the Jewish Quarter was the Spanish Synagogue which was completed in 1868 and was apparently built on the site of the oldest Synagogue in Prague Altshule or Old School, followed by the Pinkas Synagogue, which was completed in 1535. Originally it was a small prayer hall owned by Israel Pinkas in 1492; hence the name. Then past the Jewish cemetery although we did not go in.

Then we saw a Franz Kafka monument (Prague’s most famous international author) who wrote the fantastic story The Metamorphosis (the only book I read by him). The monument was topsy-turvey, I guess to represent his style of writing. We then went to another place which had another monument of Franz Kafka, this time a mammoth kinetic sculpture of Kafka’s head which revolves at intervals. Again to symbolise his style of writing, I guess. Fantastic.

Then we headed towards Vyšehrad. This is a fortress built probably in the 10th century containing a complex of buildings within it. The zenith of Vyšehrad was during the second half of the 11th century, when Vratislav transferred his seat from Prague Castle to Vyšehrad, and the original fort was remodelled as a complex comprising the sovereign's palatial residence, a church, and the seat of the chapter. The period of growth ended around 1140 when Prince Sobeslav moved his seat back to Prague Castle, and began to deteriorate further when the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV made Prague the capital of the Empire. It was somewhat renovated and used as a training centre by the Austrian Army under the rule of the Habsburgs. Now it is a tourist attraction which also makes for a good jogging park. 

Here we walked through the Vyšehrad Cemetery which contained the remains of many famous people from Czech history. Emerging from the cemetery a beautiful sight awaited us - the Basilica of St Peter and St Paul, a neo-Gothic Church. The last thing we saw in the complex was the Rotunda of St. Martin, dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, a soldier turned monk in the 4th century. It was probably built around 1061-1092, and is the only preserved building from the early Middle Ages at Vyšehrad.

Then we went to New Town Hall as it was included in our Old Town Hall tickets. The construction of the New Town Hall began shortly after the founding of Prague’s New Town in 1348, when Charles IV was pursuing a grand scale programme of town planning in accordance with his conceptions of the future of the Holy Roman Empire, which was to expand eastwards with Prague as the capital. In 1419 it became the stage for the first armed clash between the Catholics and the Utraquists (something to do with the Holy Communion - bread alone for the Catholics, bread and wine for the Utraquists - something like that, but seriously. Bread and wine and then a revolution???), marking the beginning of the Hussite Revolution. The New Town Hall served as an administrative centre for the New Town until it was dissolved in 1784 and turned into a Provincial High Court. Today it is used to hold exhibitions, social and cultural events.

We climbed the Tower of the New Town Hall which consisted of 221 steps (no lifts!), the last 100 or so wooden and a bit rickety. The Tower is 42 metres high, and was partially destroyed after a fire in 1559, but has since been restored. At the top we had an aerial view of the city. Originally, from the top of the Tower you could see the City Walls - this was the purpose of the Tower - for security reasons, as a watchtower.