PREMIANT CITY TOUR

The Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is situated in the middle of Europe. Thanks to this location at the crossroads of various cultures, the Czech Republic has countless points of interest. The physical land area puts it into a category of smaller countries, on the area of 78 864 square kilometers live 10,3 million inhabitants.

 Until the 4^th century B.C. the Czech territory was inhabited by the Celts. In the successive centuries there were German tribes residents here but slowly they were pushed out by Slavonic tribes during the migration of the nations. The first formation of a state was in the 9^th century A.D., called The Great Moravian Empire and fell in the 10^th century A.D. The territory became the Czech State. In the 14^th century started the biggest expansion of the state under rule of Charles IV. Prague becomes the capital city of The Holy Roman Empire. In the 16^th century the Kingdom of Bohemia fell under the ruling of the Hapsburgs. Their Austrio-Hungarian Empire did not end until the 1^st world war when in the 1918 the independent Czechoslovak Republic was proclaimed. In 1993 Czechoslovakia split into Czech and Slovak Republic. Since May 2004, the Czech Republic has been a member of the European Union; it has been NATO member since 2002.

 The Czech Republic is a country of great historical and cultural importance. The Czech lands take pride in an extraordinarily high number of monuments. Over 2000 well-preserved castles and chateaux represent an important part of the national cultural heritage. Many of these sights are registered onto the List of World Heritage UNESCO, for example Kutná Hora with an Ossuary and the Cathedral of Saint Barbara, the historical core and castle with a Baroque theatre in Český Krumlov or Telč with a beautiful castle. Prague, the Capital of the Czech Republic, is generally considered to be one of the most splendid towns in the world.

PRAGUE 

Prague is not only the capital but also the biggest city in the Czech republic. On the area of 500 km² live more than 1.2 million residents. Since the Middle Ages Prague has had the reputation to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It has been given attributes like Golden, the City of Hundred Spires or Crown of the World. Many important personalities were charmed by Prague, like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Fjodor Michajlovič Dostojevskij and even the British Queen Elizabeth II. Prague also inspired some of the world known writers, as Franz Kafka, Max Brod and Jaroslav Hašek.

The City divides into 15 sections and it offers a unique complex of historical sights. That is why the historical center of Prague has been included on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. The dominant monument here is The Prague Castle, which is a perfect illustration of all architectural styles. The historical core of the city lies on both sides of the Vltava river and it is made of 6 main parts: The Old Town, The New Town, Josefov, Lesser Town, Hradčany and Vyšehrad. Most of the sights, but also Museums and galleries are concentrated in these parts.

 Prague Castle

Prague Castle, now residence of our president, was in the past used by Czech rulers. It has over a thousand years of history, which makes it the longest continuous governmental residence and also the biggest castle complex all over the world. Prague Castle is the most popular sight visited in Prague. 

 Lesser Town

Lesser Town was founded in the 13^th century by the Czech king Přemysl Otakar II. At that time in this area there were gothic townhouses but most of them perished in the most destructive fire in history of Prague in 1541. The fire caused enormous damage to the Lesser Town, Hradčany and the Prague Castle. After that the nobility built new palaces, which at the present time are used mostly for administrative purposes, Houses of Parliament, cultural institutions and embassies.

 Old Town

The Old Town was mentioned in 11^th century and it is the oldest of the towns of Prague, they obtain the privileges of a town in the 13^th century. The center of the Old Town has always been the Old Town Square. The area of the square is about 9 000 square meters and is surrounded by richly decorated town houses. The dominant of this square is the Old Town Hall with world known astronomical clock and the Church of Virgin Mary before Týn from 15^th century. Old Town Square witnessed many historical events. One of them was the execution of 27 representatives of the protestant revolt against the ruling catholic clan of the Hapsburgs.

 Jewish Quarter (Josefov)

The Jewish settlement in this district is dated from 10^th century. The Jewish Quarter contains the remains of Prague’s former Jewish ghetto. The Old-New Synagogue comes from the 13^th century and it is the oldest functional synagogue in Europe. The Old Jewish Cemetery is one of the most memorable burial grounds in the world. In its area there are 22 thousand gravestones. One of them is the famous tombstone of Rabbi Löw who as a legend says was the creator of an artificial human being named Golem. The cemetery was founded at the beginning of the 15^th century and was used until the century 18^th. On the grounds of the Jewish Cemetery stands the Synagogue of Pinkas. Its walls bear the names of all the victims that died in Bohemia and Moravia during the World War II.

 New Town

The New Town was ordered to be built by the emperor Charles IV. in the 14^th century as the last and therefore new. The project of this city was very thought out, architecturally demanding and at the same time high aiming. The New Town covers the area of 240 hectares considering the Middle Age scale with a couple of enormous squares. The area of 80 000 square meters makes the Charles Square the biggest square in Central Europe. The main square of the New Town is the Wenceslas Square. Originally it was intended for merchandising with horses so they used to call it the Horse Market. The square is 750 meters long and 60 meters wide.