Everyone I know who has visited Prague has told me that it is one of the most beautiful cities they have ever seen. But having traveled for the last six months, I know from experience that most every European city of considerable size, as well as many smaller ones, have their own fair-share of beautiful buildings. However, there is something that immediately strikes the visitor as different about Prague. It is not the simply the beauty of the buildings, nor even their quantity, which is considerable. It is their diversity. My first impressions of Prague’s main squares are ones where Gothic cathedrals, Rococo town halls and Art Nouveau cafes sit side by side, in a sort of cacophonous harmony, which somehow and unexpectedly works for the city of Prague. Because every building is so different from the next, each contrast helps to tell a story about the history of Prague, and the changes it has seen over the centuries. Thus far I have taken only a cursory walk of the city, and have seen only some of its main attractions, but the difference between Prague and the rest of Europe is fairly evident, in this respect. I have also explored the far side of the Vltava River, and seen Prague Castle. Here are some photos of my first two days in Prague, with descriptions. I will be posting more thematically and specifically in the next few days.
Prague's Art Nouveau Municipal House was built in 1911, about which I will post more later.
Charles Bridge, across the River Vltava
On Old Town Square you can see a Gothic Church, a Baroque Church, and the Rococo balcony from where Klement Gottwald declared Czechoslovakia a communist state in 1948.
This is one of my favorite buildings in Prague, though we never found out what it is
A view of the city from across the river
A view of Prague Castle
More of the castle
And finally, St. Vitus Cathedral, at Prague Castle
