Friday, December 21, 2007

Prague 2007

I visited Prague in May of 2007. Here are some of my impressions.
click on these images to enlarge.
Above is sometehing you don't see everyday...a "Pro-America" rally. The sign in back says "Thank You America, 1918, 1945, and 1989" There was a band playing here at the head of Wenseslas square and thirty or forty people were milling about for the cameras. Contrast the structures armound the square.... the 1920's art deco glass building to the left, the communist concrete with the "workers unite" statues up top, and to the right, the 1930's "gotham city" buildings.


Above is a random church......this one dates back to the time when Bohemia was bordered by Silesia on the North, the Eastern Marches on the South, Moravia on the East, and Franconia on the West. Its okay if you don't know about those places....those nations (I hesitate to call them countries) don't exist any more as political entities, but they surely DO exist as cultural entities. It would be worth a morning to look each of these places up on google and see what they are all about,

Above is a remarkable little bit of stone carving. I have NO idea what event is being commemorated here, but I just love the armour, the heraldry (the Hapsburg Eagle is instantly recognizable) and how sharp, crisp and clean the carvings are. Otherwise the building was pretty much non remarkable. At least by Prague standards.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I also had a lot of impressions after visiting Prague. I liked the oldest Prague bridge founded by Charles IV in 1357 and built by P. Parler in High Gothic style. Two Malá Strana bridge towers, the Old Town bridge towers, 30 statues and statuary of seints dating from the 18th-20th cent. I also liked Prague Castle, which is the Residence of the Bohemian princes and kings, now of the President of the Republic, Old Town Square - the oldest and most important square in historic Prague dating from from the 12th cent and many other sightseeings. Nowadays Prague is becoming one the most visited cities in central Europe . Due to the increased incoming tourism activity the number of Prague hotels providers is increasing as well.

STAG said...

Yeah, and I have a time share place right downtown!!!!

Yaaah!