Prague Old Town

Friday, Sept. 20

Today we went on a guided tour of Prague. We started off on the bus. As we rode through various parts of town, our tour guide, Monica, gave us a little bit of history of the Czech Republic. This part of Europe was known as the Bohemian Kingdom. After World War I, it became Czechoslovakia. Then, in 1993, it was divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which is what it is today. Monica talked about the challenges, when the Bohemian Kingdom became Czechoslovakia, of the people converting from subjects to citizens.

We drove through a section of Prague known as New Town. Now this "New Town" was actually built in the 14th century, so what's new about it? Well, the most well-known part of Prague, and the part which attracts most of the tourists, is called Old Town, so in order to distinguish the one from the other, they called it New Town. Some people call it Lesser Town.

We got off the bus in New Town to begin our walking tour. We walked across the Charles Bridge, which separates New Town from Old Town. The Charles Bridge is a well-known pedestrian bridge and is a very popular tourist point. You enter the Charles Bridge through a "gate", or tower, which is located at either ends of the bridge. Along the bridge, there are statues, mostly of Saints, and a few crucifixes.

 

The Catholic history of the country is obvious as you stroll across this iconic bridge.

As we entered Old Town, we enjoyed the picturesque setting, with narrow cobblestone streets lined with shops, cafes, etc. One of the oddest things that caught my eye was a Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments. Really, I'm not kidding!

We walked through Old Town and eventually ended up at the famous Astronomical Clock near the town square. This is a large clock that was built in the 13th century. 

When the clock is about to begin it's "show" each hour, a crowd gathers. There are two small doors located above the clock. Wooden figures of the apostles appear in these doorways, 2 at a time, until all 12 have made an appearance. Each apostle carries a symbol that he is associated with. For example, Peter is carrying a large key. There are 4 figures below the apostles, located on either side of the clock, that also move. One of these figures is a skeleton, representing death and holding an hourglass. After the 12 apostles pass in the doorways, a golden rooster at the top flaps his wings and crows. After this, the clock chimes out, announcing the current hour.

Monica tried to explain how you can look at the clock (aside from when it chimes) and actually try to tell the time. With a number of hands, the different colors and symbols, it is not easy to actually tell the time. We were at another place later where we saw a clock, this one with only one hand, and we were told about the difficulty of trying to tell time from it. Apparently they are very fond of clocks here, but not very fond of telling time!

We left Old Town and headed for the bus, which would take us to the Castle area next. Along the walk, Monica pointed out a hotel that we passed, and remarked how ugly the building was. She said this was because it was built during the Communist era. She said that the style of architecture during this time is called, even by the architect, "Brutalism". 

On to the Castle Area. There's a reason why it's called the "Castle Area" and not simply, the Castle. To find out why this is, stay tuned.