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PART II
Prague Most Beautiful City in the World
Prague is one of the most magnificent and stunning cities in the world. A city of unexpected and rich in mythology.
Even with a turbulent history Prague has emerged with the main fabric of her architectural wealth intact.
With cobbled squares lined with the *Baroque palaces of the illustrious elite, through the alleys flowing amongst the *Gothic market square of Staromestske, to the Charles Bridge. Or the raise of St. Vitus skyward like a chalice held aloft the heavens.
History of Prague Czech Republic
References: Czech Republic by Miroslav Krob
It's history goes as far back as the 6th century AD. First settled by a Slavic tribe in the Moldeu valley which Prague would later emerge. Around the 7th century, the Przemyslid tribe prevailed, creating a dynasty that would rule the region for the next 4 hundred years.
Between the 9th and 10th centuries, the Przemyslid built two fortifications: Prague Castle is one of them. During this epoch, Christianity spread rapidly through the region, preached by saints Cyril and Methodius and promoted by the first Przemyslid prince, Borivoj, and his successors, by erecting within the Prague Castle a church consecrated to the Virgin Mary, the St. George basilica (905) and the St. Vitus rotunda (925).
In the 12th century, trade and the economy flourished, as did *Romanesque art. In 1278 the battle of Marchfeld broke out and territories were reduced to Bohemia and Moravia. Bohemia on the east side and Moravia on the west side of what we now call Czech Republic.
During the period of (1346-1378) reigned Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, marked an epoch of great splendor for Prague. Construction of the Charles Bridge was erected, Prague became an archbishopric, and numerous convents were built.
1389 under Wenceslar IV, Prague led a revolt against the Jews, who were accused of bringing the plague to the city, entered a period of violent social disorder of a religious nature.
1448, Prague was occupied by the Utraquist troops of George of Podiebrad, who, excommunicated by the Church, reigned from 1458 to 1471. With the first Hussite king of Bohemia, the city experienced another period of grandeur that continued with George's successor Wladyslaw II Jagiello, even thought bitter religious revolts continued.
In 1516 Louis Jagiello ascended the throne, but died in battle of Mochas (1526), leaving the crown of Bohemia to the Hapsburgs. Under Hapsburg domination, Prague once again became the imperial seat and played a preeminent political role, becoming the center of the extraordinary artistic and cultural *renaissance that nevertheless conflicted with the Catholic absolutism of the Hapsburgs.
In 1618, the defenestration of two Catholic officials from the castle halls marked the beginning of the Thirty Years War.
In 1620 was the final defeat for the Hussites, and resulted in Bohemia losing all its political and religious privileges. In 1648, the Peace of Westphalia reiterated the absolute predominance of the Hapsburgs over Bohemia.
After a period of prosperity and relative peace, in 1848 simmering Czech nationalism, which took shape in the Reform movement that played a fundamental role in the cultural area as well, exploded in a popular revolt that led to the recognition of some fundamental rights.
In 1918, Czechoslovakia became an independent republic called Czechoslovakia Republic.
In 1935 Czechoslovakia Republic entered into a alliance with the Soviet Union but in 1938, after the ratification of the Munich Agreement, a large part of the Czechoslovakia Republic was annexed to Nazi Germany.
In 1945, Prague revolted and welcomed the return of the Red Army. Three years later, when the communist party came to power, the nation entered the Stalinist period.
In 1968, the first secretary of the socialist Republic of Czechoslovakia, initiated a series of reforms known as the Prague Spring, which was harshly suppressed by the Warsaw Pact troops that occupied the city. Beginning from the 1977 birth of the Charta 99 civil rights act, movement for liberty gradually began to grow. In November 1989, Prague revolted peacefully and the Soviet occupation troops left and all civil and political rights were recognized,
Czechoslovakia was divided into two separate countries, and in 1993 (Iron Curtain Comes Down) Prague became the capital of the new independent Czech Republic.
Visiting Prague & Surrounding Cities
While in the Czech Republic we visited as many different sites and places we could within a 2 weeks time frame. One of the cities just north of Jablonec we visited is called Liberec.
We went to the Frydlant Castle in Liberec and I couldn't help but notice a cute little man cleaning the streets as we left.
TO BE CONTINUED.
In Conclusion
Some people here in the states might think of the Czech Republic as a 3rd world country. Only after visiting in the Czech Rep. do you realize this is not at all true. Like one of our guides put it, "They think we all swing from trees over here".
THIS IS NOT AT ALL TRUE!
I have found that the Czech Republic is mainly economically behind us in many ways. To describe them as being back in the 60's or 70's when comparing them to us.
This is not meant in anyway to be a criticism by any means of the Czech's. Only a reflection of decades of harsh wars and notable communism rein.
This does NOT take away the enormous Czech spirit, or immense will, to improve and fight back to gain what was once theirs.
*Renaissance
A series of literary and cultural movements in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. These movements began in Italy and eventually expanded into Germany, France, England, and other parts of Europe. Participants studied the great civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome and came to the conclusion that their own cultural achievements rivaled those of antiquity.
The word renaissance means "rebirth." The idea of rebirth originated in the belief that Europeans had rediscovered the superiority of Greek and Roman culture after many centuries of what they considered intellectual and cultural decline. The preceding era, which began with the collapse of the Roman Empire around the 5th century, became known as the Middle Ages to indicate its position between the classical and modern world.
*Medieval
MIDDLE AGES, period in the history of Europe that lasted from about AD 350 to about 1450. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, the western half of the Roman Empire began to fragment into smaller, weaker kingdoms. By the end of the Middle Ages, many modern European states had taken shape. During this time, the precursors of many modern institutions, such as universities and bodies of representative government, were created.
No single event ended the ancient world and began the Middle Ages. In fact, no one who lived in what is now called the Middle Ages ever thought of themselves as living in it. In the Middle Ages, people thought they were living in modern times, just as people do today.
Historians adopted this term even though it was originally meant to belittle the period. Since the Middle Ages covers such a large span of time, historians divided it into three parts: the Early Middle Ages, lasting from about 350 to about 1050; the High Middle Ages, lasting from about 1050 to about 1300; and the Late Middle Ages, lasting from about 1300 to about 1450. Historians used to believe that most of the cultural, economic, and political achievements of the Middle Ages occurred in the second period, and because of this they called that period “High.” Only recently, as the accomplishments of the Early and Late Middle Ages have gained appreciation, has this term fallen into disuse. Today, historians often use a more neutral name, the Central Middle Ages.
*Gothic
ARCHITECTURE of medieval architectural style: belonging to a style of architecture used in Western Europe from the 12th to the 15th centuries, and characterized by pointed arches, flying buttresses, and high curved ceilings.
ARTS of medieval artistic style: belonging to a style of music, painting, or sculpture practiced in parts of Europe from the 12th to the 15th centuries.
LITERATURE of eerie fiction style: belonging to a genre of fiction characterized by gloom and darkness, often with a grotesque or supernatural plot unfolding in an eerie or lonely location such as a ruined castle.
*Baroque
Baroque Art and Architecture, the style dominating the art and architecture of Europe and certain European colonies in the Americas throughout the 1600s, and in some places, until 1750. A number of its characteristics continue in the art and architecture of the first half of the 18th century, although this period is generally termed rococo (see Rococo Style) and corresponds roughly with King Louis XV of France. Manifestations of baroque art appear in virtually every country in Europe, with other important centers in the Spanish and Portuguese settlements in the Americas and in other outposts. The term baroque also defines periods in literature and music.
The origins of the word baroque are not clear.
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It may have been derived from the Portuguese barocco or the Spanish barueco to indicate an irregularly shaped pearl. The word itself does not accurately define or even approximate the meaning of the style to which it refers. However, by the end of the 18th century baroque had entered the terminology of art criticism as an epithet leveled against 17th-century art, which many later critics regularly dismissed as too bizarre or strange to merit serious study. Writers such as the 19th-century Swiss cultural historian Jakob Burckhardt considered this style the decadent end of the Renaissance; his student Heinrich Wölfflin, in Principles of Art History (1915; translated 1932), first pointed out the fundamental differences between the art of the 16th and 17th centuries, stating that “baroque is neither a rise nor a decline from classic, but a totally different art.”
*Romanesque
Typical of an early European architectural style: relating to or built in the style of European architecture that combines Roman and Byzantine elements, prevalent from the 9th century to the 12th and featuring rounded arches and barrel vaults.
Relating to the period of Romanesque architecture: characteristic of or relating to the style of European painting, sculpture, or decorative arts contemporary with Romanesque architecture. Romanesque works of art show a Byzantine influence and often feature elaborate ornamentation.
Romanesque style in architecture or art.
Back to PART I
Our Visit To the Czech Republic
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