Prague or "Praha" (PRAH-hah) as the Locals Would Say

 The Czech Republic

The nation of Czechoslovakia-formed after WWI, and dominated by the USSR after WWII-split on January 1, 1993, into two separate nations:  the Czech Republic and Slovakia.  The country has 10.3 million people, is similar in size to the state of Maine, and about 90% are ethnic Czechs, who speak Czech.  Some major money makers for the country are machine parts, car and trucks, and beer.  More than one third of trade is with next-door-neighbor Germany.  The currency is called the Czech crown, and 17=$1.  

The view off our balcony, St. Vitus Cathedral is the focal point.

Prague

No other place in Europe has become so popular so quickly.  Prague - the only Central European capital to escape the bombs of the last century’s wars - is one of Europe’s best-preserved cities.  The Vltava River divides the west side (Castle Quarter and Little Quarter) from the east side (New Town, Old Town & Jewish Quarter), with many bridges to walk across.

St. Vitus in the background, with three lovely ladies enjoying the scenery.

 Our first stop was St. Vitus Cathedral (Katedrála Sv. Víta), a Roman Catholic cathedral containing the tombs and relics of the most important local saints and kings, including the first three Habsburg kings.  Started in 1344, construction was stalled by wars and plagues.  It was finished in 1929 for the 1,000^th anniversary of the death of St. Wenceslas.  It is both Gothic and Neo-Gothic, with two distinct halves:  the original 14^th century Gothic around the high altar, and the modern Neo-Gothic nave.  Beautiful and meaningful stained glass windows were center stage.  An entire blog could be dedicated to the symbolism behind every window, but we will not be covering that ;-)

Next we entered the Old Royal Palace (Starý Královský Palác), which was the seat of the Bohemian princes starting in the 12^th century.  In 1618, angry Czech Protestant nobles poured into the governing rooms of the castle and threw the two Catholic governors out of the window.  An old law actually permits defenestration – throwing people (usually bad politicians) out of windows when necessary.  The two governors landed – fittingly – in a pile of horse manure.  Even though they suffered only broken arms and bruised egos, this event kicked off the huge Thirty Years’ War that John mentioned in our Rothenburg post.

Golden Lane, which is a street of old buildings near the castle, was a favorite for William as it had a rather large exhibit of weaponry and armor.  It also boasts the distinction of a former residence of Franz Kafka, a favorite existentialist author of John’s.  He lived in #22.

A beautiful view of Prague.