Prague, May 9, 10

We left Vienna today. We all really enjoyed Vienna and we definitely want to return.
  Michael and Nancy helped us to take our stuff to the car park and they left for the airport shortly after we left. They flew to Oslo and then to Copenhagen where they will stay the night and fly home in the morning.
  We drove from Vienna to Prague and hit a LOT of construction, so it was slow going. Instead of 3 hours, it was over 4. We did stop en route, but just for a coffee and a McToast.

   We are staying at a lovely hotel on one of the main streets of Prague, Na Porici. It is the Hotel Century Old Town Prague, MGallery by Sofitel. (long title) After parking in the underground lot, we checked in and did a little resting before seeking a place to eat. The hotel clerk sent us to the Celnice Restaurant nearby. It was okay - we only had Greek salad and a sandwich though.

   We could not get money from the ATM which was a bother and we had to call Nantucket. Turns out that they had not put the Czech Republic on our list AND they had not put Mark's ATM (same account!) on the list for ANY countries. So, it was good to straighten that out - after we changed 100 Euros to Koronas. (The Czech Republic, while part of the EU, did not go to the Euro.)

    A little later we took a nice walk. We visited Powder Tower, a Gothic tower which separates New and Old Prague. It is one of the 13 original gates to the city. Construction began in 1475 and was intended as a grand entrance rather than for defense. It was used to store gunpower in the 17th century - hence its name.
    From there it was a short walk to Old Town Square, staromestske namesti. It is a beautiful square and it was filled with people enjoying the warm weather. (75). One of the churches is the Gothic Church of Our Lady before Tyn which was built in the 14th century.

    The famous medieval astronomical clock is located in the square, too. It is the third oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still in operation. We did not stay to see it operate on the hour, but will tomorrow.
   There is a large statue to the Protestant reformer, Jan Hus who was burned at the stake. There is also a memorial to martyrs beheaded in the square by the Hapsburgs after the Battle of White Mountain in 1630 during the Thirty Years War. Twenty-seven crosses mark the pavement in their honor.
NEXT DAY

  We are in a posh hotel, part of the MHotels of Sofitel. So, we started with a sumptuous and bountiful breakfast. Another beautiful, sunny day,.
   We were out and about before 9. We made our way to the Charles Bridge first. Construction on the bridge began in 1347 under the auspices of Charles IV.  It was the only means of crossing the Vltava River until 1841 and connected the Prague Castle and old Prague. It is 621 meters long and nearly 10 meters wide. Towers are on both ends. The bridge was/is decorated by 30 statues put there in the 1700s. The originals are now in a museum.

   From there we walked into the Jewish Quarter, the Josefov. The Jews are believed to have settled in Prague as early as the 10th century. During the Crusades, they were forced to live in a Ghetto which was maintained for about 600 years! It became a labyrinth of streets and buildings as more people were crowded into the space. It was not until the mid-18th century that Joseph II, the Habsburg king signed a treaty of tolerance allowing the Jews to buy land, acquire property and become more a part of the larger community. By the early 20th century, the Josephov was one of the most elegant parts of the city, similar to the Jewish community in Vienna.

   But, of course, World War II changed everything. Two-thirds of Prague's Jews died in the Holocaust with over 250,000 Czech Jews murdered. 60 synagogues were destroyed in the country. Only 15,000 Czech Jews were alive by the end of the war.
    Then, when communism took over after the war, property became communal and the Jews left alive were not able to reclaim their properties. Only in recent years has there been any attempt to return property, but because so many were killed and displaced, only 12% of Jewish property has been returned to the Jewish community.
   However, the Jewish Quarter is now much visited with six synagogues and an ancient Jewish cemetery. We got tickets to a concert at the Spanish Synagogue. It was a 5 piece ensemble with a horn player who popped in occasionally as well as a soprano. It was pretty good and the synagogue is stunningly beautiful.

 

  

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