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Published: August 6th 2016
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Today we took a tram ride to Wenceslas Square. It is a vibrant area of hotels, apartments, restaurants, bars and nightclubs. There are also banks and local and international shops. It is the entertainment and nightlife centre of Prague, and the main shopping and commercial district begins here.
Wenceslas Square lies at the heart of the New Town - the word new is misleading though, as the area was actually laid out in 1348 by Charles IV. Wenceslas Square is really a boulevard, measuring 750m long by 60m wide. It was originally laid out as the Prague horse market 650 years ago.
Ever since, it has been a parade ground for all kinds of organisations and political parties. From anti-communist uprisings to celebrations of national sporting achievements, Wenceslas Square is where the Czechs gather to let off steam. The square can hold up to 400,000 people!
The square is named after the good King Wenceslas, murdered a thousand years ago by his brother, and the patron saint of the Czech Republic. (This a strange as we have been told by our guide that the czechs are not religious). There are two plaques on the ground near St. Wenceslas which
commemorate those killed during the communist era. One is dedicated to Jan Palach, who set himself on fire in 1969 in protest of the Soviet invasion.
After lunch we visited the Prague Castle. It is not a castle per say, but actually a castle complex dating from the 9th century and the official residence of the
President of the Czech Republic. The castle was a seat of power for
kings of Bohemia,
Holy Roman emperors, and
presidents of
Czechoslovakia. The
Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept within a hidden room inside it.
According to the
Guinness Book of Records, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world, occupying an area of almost 70,000 m2, at about 570 meters in length and an average of about 130 meters wide. since most of the buidings are government building we did not get to see the inside, however we did visit the cathedral which was amazing as all Europeen cathedralS are. Since the castle is on a hill you get a magnificient view of the city.
On the way back from the castle our guide showed us the smallest street (maybe in
the world), a very controvertial art work and Mozart house when he lived in Prague. See pictures.
Tomorrow we take the train to Regensburg, Germany to join our river cruise. Looking forward to it.
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