| 6 mins read
By Joseph Francis
With its spikey Gothic turrets and gargoyle-dotted churches, Prague adorns the banks of the Vltava River in Bohemia with one of Europe’s most striking displays of art and architecture. A truly beautiful capital, the city boasts millennia of history, going from a stronghold of Paleolithic monarchs to a home of Celtic and Germanic tribes and finally a Slavic settlement in the heart of Central Europe. But although the churches and cobbled streets of the historic heart are to die for, it’s not just old Prague that beckons visitors these days ! There’s also a modern, hip and happening edge to the city that means oodles of boho cafes and rowdy beer halls, curious art galleries and the mind-boggling residue of a gentleman called Franz Kafka besides. Here is a Prague city guide to the top attractions in both the old and new sections of the town!
Old Prague
Mala Strana
The iconic Mala Strana of Prague is one of the city’s most visited districts and where most Prague tour guides will take first-time visitors to begin unravelling the deep histories of the town. The area sprung to life in the middle of the 13th century under the patronage of Ottokar II of Bohemia and his band of loyal German artisans and international merchants. Today, it’s an enchanting picture of the old Prague that resides on the peaceful western edge of the Vltava and in the shadow of the mighty Prague Castle above; a place where travellers can seek out interesting boutiques and restaurants, not to mention the likes of the Wallenstein Palace – gloriously done out in Baroque styles.
Charles Bridge
Unquestionably the most famous bridge in the capital, the Charles Bridge arches across the Vltava to connect the Mala Strana with the Old Town proper. First raised in the 14th century, it oozes medieval charm from each of its 16 stone apses. Note the mysterious effigies of saints and heroes that adorn the sides of the bridge. Prague travel guides will often instruct visitors to stop and touch the statue of St John of Nepomuk here for good luck and in honour of the saint himself, who died drowning in the river below in 1393.
Prague Castle
Scaling the Mala Strana and hitting the majestic interiors of the city castle is a must for anyone interested in Prague history. Guide services are available from the on-site box office and tours show visitors around both the St. Vitus Cathedral and the Old Royal Palace complexes; the first founded by revered Prince Wenceslas in the 900s, the latter marking where the Czech kings were crowned after the 16th century. Visitors here can also explore the fairy-tale Golden Lane, where alchemists and goldsmiths once worked away in the quaint Olde Worlde homes.
Old Town Square
The epicentre of historic Prague, the Old Town square is a medley of the city’s finest architecture. On the one side rises the gorgeous Gothic Church of Our Lady before Týn; a medieval masterpiece clad in stone. Opposite stands the Town Hall with the famous Orloj clock, crowds gathering in front to witness the curious procession of saints and death masks that plays on the hour. And in the centre of the square, where the Christmas markets sprawl during the colder months, the monument to Jan Hus dominates; a symbolic representation of Czech identity and defiance.
New Prague
Žižkov
Known locally as the Žižkov Republic for its boisterous onetime communist residents, this former hotbed of political radicalism now competes with the chicer Prague 7 district across the river for the title of the city’s coolest neighbourhood. Brimming with cafes and beer bars, the streets around the New Jewish Cemetery where Kafka is buried bustle with life every day of the year. Discover the likes of the Hunt Kastner Gallery here, along with quirky bicycle-themed bars and retro dives that tick over to old 80s pop songs on vinyl.
Kafka Museum
No visit to Prague could possibly be complete without sparing at least a thought for the city’s most famous literary son: Franz Kafka of Metamorphosis and The Trial fame. And there’s nowhere better to do just that than in the Franz Kafka Museum on Cihelna! Delve into exhibitions that chronicle how the looming Gothicism of the city of Prague affected the writer’s works and narratives, see manuscripts and antique photo collections that speak of his tumultuous life and times, and dive into the intricate existentialism of his philosophy and characters, their secrets concealed by the shadowy alcoves and arches of Prague’s Old Town.
Beer halls
While Pilsen may reign supreme as the beer capital of the Czech Republic, Prague still boasts oodles of underground beer halls touting some of the nation’s finest brews. These are where the city’s nightlife really begins in earnest, with locals and travelers alike crowding around the long wooden tables of U Medvidku in the Old Town – a beer hall with more than 500 years of brewing history. Then there’s famous U Vejvodu, where some of the tastiest tank beers are served up cloudy and unpasteurised. Finally, Bubeničků is a simple, stripped-down beer hall under one of Prague’s tenement blocks - the perfect spot to sample potent Kozel beers.
David Cerny statues
After getting your fill of unpasteurised pivo (beer)be sure tohit the streets of the New Town again in search of the quirky David Cerny statues. These surrealist, DADA-style effigies by the city’s own artistic son mark street corners and passages ad hoc, unexpectedly popping up in a visceral modernist show of sculptural subversion. Check out the upturned Horse statue in Lucerna Pasaz – thought to be a political attack on the Czech establishment – and the Piss sculpturein front of the Kafka Museum – weird and wonderful and worthy of the great and unnerving writer whose institution they adorn. Finally, there’s the iconic Hanging Man statue, which depicts Sigmund Freud casually coasting from the roof of an Old Town tenement!
Joseph ‘Rich’ Francis is a freelance travel writer who has travelled extensively in Asia and Europe. He particularly enjoys the jazz bars of Poland, the ski slopes of Austria and the beaches and cities of India.
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