Day Three in Prague

For our last full day in Prague we decided to do the Little Quarter and the Castle areas.

The Charles Bridge and Old Town to the right.

I dream of getting a good picture of these two.... one day.....

 

Traversing the Charles Bridge with the hordes of people.

 St. Nicolas Church

 

Can you spot St. Nicolas?  Grace had to show me..... "Look above the blue cape, Mommy."

Up high above the city at a Monastery.

Walking down to the Cathedral and Palace.

 The Palace, although no King or Queen anymore.
 

 
The Cathedral front.

Spot the architects?

My Princesses.  Audrey had this doll blanket tied around her, and both girls were curtsying throughout the Castle area.  They made quite a few people smile.

Day Two in Terezin

On our second day, we visited Terezin.  Terezin is an hour from Prague via bus.

A little history:  It was originally a fortified town named after a Habsburg Princess.  It was built in 1780s with state of the art star shaped walls designed to keep the Prussians out.  In 1941. the Nazis removed the towns 7000 inhabitants and brought in 60,000 Jews, creating a concentration camp.  This was the Nazis' model "Jewish Town", a concentration camp dolled up for propaganda purposes.  Here, in this "self governing Jewish resettlement area," Jewish culture seemed to thrive, as citizens put on plays and concerts, published a magazine, and raised their families.  But it was all a carefully planned deception, intended to convince the Red Cross inspectors that the Jews were being treated well. Virtually all of Terezins Jews (155,000 over the course of the war) ultimately ended up dying either here or in extermination camps further east.

It was very eerie.  The whole town felt deserted.

The abandoned train tracks....

Cemetery

Gate to the small fortress

Work Makes you Free

It was a very depressing place to visit.  But it's important to look at the ugly parts of history, too.

After a long day, a little foot washing in the hotel bidet was necessary!

Here are the pictures from our day at Terezin:Terezin

Before our trip, my Mom recommended reading "The Lost Wife".  It is a historical novel that includes stories from Terezin.  It was brought to life for me during our visit.

Day One in Prague

For our first full day in Prague, we decided to visit Old Town, the Jewish Quarter, and New Town.  It was a long day with a lot of walking.  A lot of pictures to follow.

The Old Town Square has been a market square since the 11th century. 

It boasts a beautiful astronomical clock. 
 

 It was heavily damaged in WWII, but it has been restored to working order.  We joined the crowds at 4pm for the striking of the hour.  First, Death tips his hourglass and pulls the cord, ringing the bell; the windows at the top open and the 12 apostles parade by; the rooster crows, and finally the hour is rung.  It is quite the show, and causes a huge crowd to gather.

We also visited Tyn Church. 

It's most notable for its 200 year stint as the leading church of the Hussite movement.  It is now a Catholic church with a gaudy Baroque interior.

Next up, the Jewish Quarter....

As the Nazi's decimated Jewish communities in the region, Prague's Jews were allowed to collect and archive their treasures because Hitler planned on making this area a museum of the 'Extinct Jewish Race'.  No pictures were allowed inside the sites, so I don't have very many of my own....

One of the most moving places was the Pinkas Synagogue. The Pinkas Synagogue is a memorial to the victims of the Nazis.  The walls are covered with the handwritten names of 77,297 Czech Jews who were sent from Prague to the gas chambers.

(picture taken from the internet)

Another moving area was the cemetery.  There are 12,000 tombstones, but approximately 100,000 people buried here.  Surreal.

After the Jewish Quarter, we ventured into New Town, and Wenceslas Square.  Definitely a more modern and urban area of town.  And where Czech history was made.

Here is the statue of King Wenceslas....

This is where the creation of the Czechoslavak state was celebrated in 1918; in 1968, where the Soviets suppressed huge popular demonstrations; and in 1989, more then 300,000 Czechs and Slovaks converged here to proclaim their freedom (the picture of Marks & Spencer in the album is because this is the bldg where the announcement of imminent Czech freedom was made.)

The Municipal House is an example of Czech Art Nouveau architecture. It was hard to get a great picture because of the position of the building, but it was gorgeous.

The glass awning...

Our two travel companions on this long day.....

And the beer and lemonade to finish the day off with....

Here are all of the pictures from Day One:  Prague Day One