Yveta, Frankie, Teo and their dog Judy will take you through both sides of the Charles Bridge – through places you know well (but maybe not so much about) and also through areas you may know less – Old Town and Kampa.Malé náměstí is rarely empty, only about maybe 2 months of the year you can cross it without much trouble, with a good view of the beautiful Baroque well in the middle. Without the large crowds, we can admire its amazing unique architecture with houses dating back to the 13th century and even earlier.Both NYU buildings have interesting histories – a printing house in Prague was set up in what we know as the Blue Building (officially called a House at the White Lion) in 1488 printing the the first Bible in Czech (called the Prague Bible). In Richtrův dům was located Prague´s first telephone switchboard set up in 1882 for Prague´s first 8 telephone users.Through Male namesti leads the Royal Route which between 1086 and 1836 was taken by the Czech kings and queens (26 kings and 28 queens in total) in a procession to their coronation in the St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle. Normally it’s hard to make your way through the crowds here but at these strange times, you can truly feel its atmosphere and history.When you continue down Karlova street, you will end up at the Charles Bridge, a place no visitor to Prague should miss. Its construction started in 1357 (it took 45 years to complete) by the most beloved Czech king Charles IV, it was the only way of crossing the river Vltava until 1841. There are 30 mostly baroque statues on the bridge made by prominent Bohemian sculptors. Now it’s only for pedestrians but in the early 20th century trams and buses travelled over this bridge. The only means of transportation some visitors may sometimes use are vehicles like skateboards. 🙂We will end our walk at Kampa, an island in the Vltava river on the other side of the bridge, in Mala Strana, from which it is separated by a narrow artificial channel called the Devil’s Stream (Čertovka), a waterway dug to power water mills (no longer existent).One of the most popular places of this area is the so-called Lennon Wall. Located in a secluded square across from the French Embassy, the wall had been decorated with love poems and short messages against the regime since the 1960s. The first decoration was connected to John Lennon, a symbol of freedom, western culture, and political struggle, following his assassination in 1980. The wall has been repainted many times, nevertheless it continues to attract both tourists and locals, who like to gather here to express their views. You can see for yourself that it has been keeping up with the current developments yet again.
Fall 2024