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Prague ( , see also other names) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Its official name is Hlavní mesto Praha, meaning Prague, the Capital City.
Situated on the River Vltava in central Bohemia, Prague has been the political, cultural, and economic centre of the Czech state for more than 1100 years. The city proper is home to more than 1.2 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 1.9 million.
Since 1992, the extensive historic centre of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
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Prague ( , see also other names) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Its official name is Hlavní mesto Praha, meaning Prague, the Capital City.
Situated on the River Vltava in central Bohemia, Prague has been the political, cultural, and economic centre of the Czech state for more than 1100 years. The city proper is home to more than 1.2 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 1.9 million.
Since 1992, the extensive historic centre of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. According to Guinness World Records, Prague Castle is the largest medieval castle in the world. Nicknames for Prague have included "the mother of cities" (Praga mater urbium, or "Praha matka mest" in Czech)", "city of a hundred spires" and "the golden city".
Etymology
The name Prague comes from an old Slavic root, praga, which means “ford”, referring to the city's origin at a crossing of the Vltava River. This root is found in other toponyms in the region. For example, a district of Warsaw bears the name of Praga.
The native name of the city, Praha, is also related to the modern Czech word práh, which means “threshold.” A popular etymology connects the name of the city to the fact that the city is located on the threshold of the Slavic and German worlds.
A legendary etymology connects the name of the city with Libuše, prophetess and mythical founder of the Premyslid dynasty. She is said to have ordered the city to be built where a man stood on the threshold of his house. Others finally, fascinated by the magic character of the city, affirm that Prague lies on the threshold of a door of access to other worlds or other dimensions.
History
The history of Prague spans thousands of years, during which time the city grew from the Vyšehrad Castle to the multicultural capital of a modern European state, the Czech Republic.
Ancient Prague
The area on which Prague was founded was settled as early as the Paleolithic Age. Around 200 BC the Celts had a settlement in the south, called Závist, but later they were replaced by the Marcomanni a Germanic people and later by the Slavic people. According to a legend, Prague was founded by Libuše and her husband, Premysl, founder of the dynasty with the same name. Whether this legend is true or not, Prague's first nucleus was founded in the latter part of the 9th century as a castle on a hill commanding the right bank of the Vltava: this is known as Vyšehrad ("high castle") to differentiate from another castle which was later erected on the opposite bank, the future Prague Castle.
Under emperor Otto II the city became a bishopric in 973. Until Prague was elevated to archbishopric in 1344, it was under the jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Mainz. Soon the city became the seat of the dukes and later kings of Bohemia.
It was an important seat for trading where merchants from all of Europe settled, including many Jews, as recalled in 965 by the Jewish merchant and traveller Ibrahim ibn Ya'qub. The Old New Synagogue of 1270 survives.
King Vladislav II had a first bridge on the Vltava built in 1170, the Judith Bridge, which collapsed in 1342.
In 1257, under King Otakar II, Malá Strana ("Lesser Quarter") was founded in Prague in the future Hradcany area: it was the district of the German people. These had the right to administrate the law autonomously, pursuant to Magdeburg Rights. The new district was on the opposite bank of the Staré Mesto ("Old Town"), which had a borough status and was defended by a line of walls and fortifications.
The era of Charles IV
The city flourished during the 14th century reign of the king of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV of the new Luxembourg dynasty. He ordered the building of the New Town (Nové Mesto) adjacent to the Old Town. The Charles Bridge was erected to connect the new district to Malá Strana. Monuments by Charles include the Saint Vitus Cathedral, the oldest gothic cathedral in central Europe, which is actually inside the Castle, and the Charles University. The latter is the oldest university in central Europe. Prague was then the third-largest city in Europe. Under Charles, Prague was, from 1355, the actual capital of the Holy Roman Empire, and its rank was elevated to that of archbishopric (1344). It had a mint, and German and Italian merchants, as well as bankers, were present in the city. The social order, however, became more turbulent due to the rising power of the craftsmen's guild (themselves often torn by internal fights), and the presence of increasing number of poor people.
During the reign of King Wenceslas IV (1378-1419), Jan Hus, a theologian and lector at the Charles University, preached in Prague. In 1402, he began giving sermons in the Bethlehem Chapel. Inspired by John Wycliffe, these sermons focused on reforming the Church. Having become too dangerous for the political and religious establishment, Hus was summoned to the Council of Constance, put on trial for heresy, and burned in Konstanz in 1415. Four years later Prague experienced its First Defenestration (the act of throwing someone out the window as a political protest - in this case, the city's councillors out the window of the New Town Hall), when the people rebelled under the command of the Prague priest Jan Želivský. Hus' death, coupled with Czech proto-nationalism and proto-Protestantism, had spurred the so-called Hussite Wars. In 1420, peasant rebels, led by the general Jan Žižka, along with Hussite troops from Prague, defeated the Bohemian King Sigismund, in the Battle of Vítkov Hill.
In the following two centuries, Prague strengthened its role as a merchant city. Many noteworthy Gothic buildings were erected, including the Vladislav Hall of the Prague Castle.
The Habsburg era
In 1526, the Kingdom of Bohemia was handed over to the House of Habsburg: the fervent Catholicism of its members was to bring them into conflict in Bohemia, and then in Prague, where Protestant ideas were at the time having increasing success. These problems were not preeminent under Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, elected King of Bohemia in 1576, who chose Prague as his home. He lived in the Prague Castle where his court saw invitations to astrologers and magicians, but also scientists, musicians, and artists. Rudolf was an art lover too and Prague became the capital of European culture. This was a prosperous period for the city: famous people living there in that age include the astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johann Kepler, the painter Arcimboldo, the alchemists Edward Kelley and John Dee, the poetess Elizabeth Jane Weston, and others.
In 1618, the famous Second Defenestration of Prague provoked the Thirty Years' War, a particularly harsh period for Prague and Bohemia. Ferdinand II of Habsburg was deposed, and his place as King of Bohemia taken by Frederick V, Elector Palatine; however the Czech army under him was crushed in the Battle of White Mountain (1620) not far from the city. Following this in 1621 was an execution of 27 Czech lords (involved in the Battle of White Mountain) in the Old Town Square and an exiling of many others. The city suffered subsequently during the war under Saxon (1631) and Swedish (1648) occupation.
Moreover, after the Peace of Westphalia of the next year, Ferdinand moved the court to Vienna, and Prague began a steady decline which reduced the population from the 60,000 it had had in the years before the war to 20,000. Population had been increasing from half of the 17th century. Jews have been in Prague since the end of the 10th century and, by 1708, Jews accounted for about a quarter of Prague’s population.
In 1689, a great fire devastated Prague, but this spurred a renovation and a rebuilding of the city. In 1713–1714, a major outbreak of plague hit Prague one last time. The economic rise continued through the 18th century, and the city in 1771 had 80,000 inhabitants. Many of these were rich merchants who, together with noblemen of German, Spanish and even Italian origin, enriched the city with a host of palaces, churches and gardens, creating a Baroque style renowned throughout the world. In 1784, under Joseph II, the four municipalities of Malá Strana, Nové Mesto, Staré Mesto and Hradcany were merged into a single entity. The Jewish district, called Josefov, was included only in 1850. The Industrial Revolution had a strong effect in Prague, as factories could take advantage of the coal mines and ironworks of the nearby region. A first suburb, Karlín, was created in 1817, and twenty years later population exceeded 100,000. The first railway connection was built in 1796-1842.
The revolutions that shocked all Europe around 1848 touched Prague too, but they were fiercely suppressed. In the following years the Czech nationalist movement (opposed to another nationalist party, the German one) began its rise, until it gained the majority in the Town Council in 1861. Prague had German-speaking near-majority in 1848, but by 1880 the German population decreased to 14% (42,000), and by 1910 to 6.7% (37,000), due to a massive increase of the city's overall population caused by the influx of Czechs from the rest of Bohemia and Moravia and also due to the assimilation of some Germans.
20th century
At the beginning of the 20th century Czech lands were the most productive part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and some Czech politics began with attempts to separate it from Habsburg empire.
The 1st Republic
- article about First Republic of Czechoslovakia
World War I ended with the defeat of the Austrian Empire and the creation of Czechoslovakia. Prague was chosen as its capital and Prague Castle as the seat of president (Tomáš Masaryk). At this time Prague was a true European capital with highly developed industry. By 1930, the population had risen to a startling 850,000.
Second World War
- article about the Occupation of Czechoslovakia
Hitler ordered Germany's army to enter Prague on 15 March 1939 and from Prague Castle proclaimed Bohemia and Moravia a German protectorate.
For most of its history Prague had been a multiethnic city with important Czech, German, and (mostly Czech- and/ or German-speaking) Jewish populations. From 1939, when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany, and during World War II, most Jews either fled the city or were killed in the Holocaust.
In 1942, Prague was witness to the assassination of one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany - Reinhard Heydrich (during Operation Anthropoid). Hitler ordered bloody reprisals. At the end of the war Prague suffered several bombing raids by the U.S. Air Force. Over 1000 people were killed and hundreds of buildings, factories and historical landmarks were destroyed (however the damage was small compared to the total destruction of many other cities in that time). Once it was certain that the outcome of the war was decided and Germany would surrender to the allies, Prague revolted against the Nazi occupants on 5 May 1945 two days before Germany capitulated, on May 7. Four days later the Soviet army entered the city. The majority of German population either fled or was expelled in the aftermath of the war.
Prague during the Cold War
Prague was a city in the territory of military and political control of the Soviet Union (see Iron Curtain). The 4th Czechoslovakian Writers' Congress held in the city in 1967 took a strong position against the regime. This spurred the new secretary of the Communist Party, Alexander Dubcek to proclaim a new deal in his city's and country's life, starting the short-lived season of the "socialism with a human face". It was the Prague Spring, which aimed at the renovation of institutions in a democratic way. The Soviet Union and its allies reacted with the invasion of Czechoslovakia and the capital in August 1968 by tanks, suppressing any attempt at work.
Era after the Velvet Revolution
In 1989, after riot police beat back a peaceful student demonstration, the Velvet Revolution crowded the streets of Prague and the Czechoslovak capital benefited greatly from the new mood. In 1993, after the split of Czechoslovakia, Prague became the capital city of the new Czech Republic. In the late 90's Prague became again an important cultural centre of Europe and was notably influenced by globalization. In 2000 anti-globalization protests in Prague (some 15,000 protesters) turned violent during the IMF and World Bank summits. In 2002 Prague suffered from widespread flooding.
Sights
Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, Prague has become one of Europe's (and the world's) most popular tourist destinations. It is the sixth most-visited European city after London, Paris, Rome, Madrid and Berlin. Prague suffered considerably less damage during World War II than some other major cities in the region, allowing most of its historic architecture to stay true to form. It contains one of the world's most pristine and varied collections of architecture, from Art Nouveau to Baroque, Renaissance, Cubist, Gothic, Neo-Classical and ultra-modern. Some popular sights include:
Climate
Culture
Prague is traditionally one of the cultural centres of Europe, hosting many cultural events.
Significant cultural institutions:
There are hundreds of concert halls, galleries, cinemas and music clubs in the city. Prague hosts Music Festivals including the Prague Spring International Music Festival, the Prague Autumn International Music Festival and the Prague International Organ Festival. Film Festivals include the Febiofest, the One World and Echoes of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Prague also hosts the Prague Writers Festival, the Prague Fringe Festival, the World Roma Festival as well as hundreds of Vernissages and Fashion Shows.
Many films have been made at the Barrandov Studios. Hollywood movies set in Prague include Mission Impossible, Blade II and xXx. Other Czech films shot in Prague include Empties and The Fifth Horseman is Fear. Also, the music video to "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" by Kanye West was shot in Prague, and features shots of the Charles Bridge and the Astronomical Clock, among other famous landmarks. Prague was also the setting for the film "Dungeons and Dragons" in 2000.
The Prague restaurant Allegro received the 1st Michelin star in the whole of post-Communist Eastern Europe.
With the growth of low-cost airlines in Europe, Prague has become a popular weekend city destination allowing tourists to visit its many museums and cultural sites as well as try its famous Czech beers and hearty cuisine. Unfortunately a more seedy side has developed with violent binge-drinking youths from all over Europe coming on cheap flights to drink large amounts of alcohol leading to anti-social behavior and hooliganism .
Economy
The GDP per capita of Prague is more than double that of the Czech Republic as a whole, with a per-capita GDP (PPP) of 33,784 (purchasing power standard) in 2004, which is 157.1% of the European Union average, ranking Prague among the 12 richest EU regions , in Purchasing Power. However, the price level is significantly lower than in comparable cities.
The city is the site of the European headquarters of many international companies.
Since the late 1990s, Prague has become a popular filming location for international productions and Hollywood motion pictures. A combination of architecture, low costs and the existing motion picture infrastructure have proven attractive to international film production companies.
Prague's economy is based on various industrial sectors. Prague's industrial sector is split into aircraft engines, diesel engines, refined oil products, electronics, chemicals, food, printing, automobiles etc. Also a significant proportion of research and development is based in Prague. Approximately one-fifth of all investment in the Czech Republic takes place in Prague city.
Almost one-half of the national income from tourism is spent in Prague. The city offers approximately 73,000 beds in accommodation facilities, most of which were built after 1990, including almost 51,000 beds in hotels and boarding houses capable of satisfying all categories of visitors.
Colleges and universities
The city contains several universities and colleges:
Transport
The public transport infrastructure consists of an integrated transport system of Prague Metro (with 57 stations in total), Prague Tram System (including the "nostalgic tram" no. 91), buses, the Petrín funicular to Petrín Hill, and five ferries. All services have a common ticketing system, and are run by Prague Public Transit Co. Inc. (Dopravní podnik hl. m. Prahy, a.s.) and some other companies ().
Rail
The city forms the hub of the Czech railway system, with services to all parts of the Czech Republic and abroad. There is also a commuter rail system known as Esko Prague which serves the Prague metropolitan area.
Prague has two international railway stations, Hlavní nádraží (formerly called and sometimes still referred to as Wilsonovo nádraží) and Praha-Holešovice. Intercity services also stop at the main stations Praha-Smíchov and Masarykovo nádraží. In addition to these, there are a number of smaller suburban stations.
In the future rail should play a greater role in Prague Public Transport System.
Air
Prague is served by Ruzyne International Airport, the biggest airport in the Czech Republic and one of the busiest in Central and Eastern Europe. It is the hub of the flag carrier, Czech Airlines and of the low-cost airlines SkyEurope and Smart Wings operating throughout Europe. Other airfields in Prague include the city's original airport in the suburb of Kbely, which houses the Prague Aviation Museum and Letnany which is mainly used for private aviation and aeroclub aviation. Tocna airfield is located in the southwest part of the city and serves mostly as an aeroclub.
Taxis
Taxi services in Prague can be divided into two sectors. There are major taxicab companies, operating call-for-taxi services (radio-taxi) or from regulated taxi stands, and independent drivers, who make pickups on the street. The latter are notorious for overcharging, targeted mainly at foreign tourists and are possibly managed by (mob) crime organizations.
Sport
Prague is the site of many sports events, national stadiums and teams
Miscellaneous
Prague is also the site of the most important offices and institutions of the Czech Republic and Central Europe.
Prague as a venue
Recent major events held in Prague:
International relations
Prague is involved in a number of official as well as unofficial partnerships with other major world cities. The city of Prague also maintains its own EU delegation in Brussels called Prague House.
Partner cities:
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official:
Berlin, Germany (since 1996)
Tunis, Tunisia
Brussels, Belgium (since 2003)
Chicago, Illinois, United States (since 1990)
Frankfurt am Main, Germany (since 1990)
Hamburg, Germany (since 1990)
Teramo, Italy (since 2005)
Kyoto, Japan (since 1996)
Moscow, Russia (since 2000)
Nuremberg, Germany (since 1990)
Paris, France (since 1997)
Phoenix, Arizona, United States (since 1991)
Saint Petersburg, Russia (since 1992)
Taipei, Republic of China (since 2001)
Jaslo, Poland (since 2008, albeit only with the Prague 10 district) |
unofficial:
Baghdad, Iraq
Beijing, China
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Bratislava, Slovakia
Istanbul, Turkey
Budapest, Hungary
Copenhagen, Denmark
Helsinki, Finland
Melaka, Malaysia
Jerusalem, Israel
Lisbon, Portugal
Riga, Latvia
Rome, Italy
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Seoul, South Korea
Shanghai, China
Vienna, Austria
Vilnius, Lithuania |
Partner cities in the future:
Athens, Greece
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Luxembourg city, Luxembourg
Warsaw, Poland
Stockholm, Sweden
Turin, Italy
Miami, Florida, United States |
Namesakes
Czech emigration has left a number of namesake cities scattered over the globe, though more heavily concentrated in the New World.
See also
External Links and Readings
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- - including traffic map and search
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- - Detailed map of Prague
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