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Martha Travels to Prague

  • History on View
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    History on View

    Here I am at Strahov Monastery, in front of a cabinet containing preserved aquatic life.
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    History on View

    A view of the Charles Bridge, a walkway spanning the Vltava River. The medieval structure, which is lined with dozens of Baroque statues, attracts throngs of tourists, who come to shop the open-air stalls.
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    Perfect Botanical Specimens

    In addition to extensive libraries, Strahov Monastery houses a collection of curiosities, including a cabinet filled with fanciful wax fruit. Other cabinets hold a preserved dodo bird, medieval weaponry, and exquisite butterflies.
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    Study Hall

    Theological Hall, inside Strahov Monastery, which was founded by the Premonstratensian religious order in 1143.
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    Study Hall

    Theological Hall and nearby rooms collectively contain more than 200,000 volumes of religious and philosophical texts, including books bound in white leather.
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    Royal Setting

    Wallenstein Garden, designed by Italian architect Andrea Spezza and built in the 1620s, features loggias, expertly pruned hedges, and bronze statues of gods and goddesses (these are copies; the originals were carted off by invading Swedes in 1648, at the end of the Thirty Years' War).
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    Royal Setting

     
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    Royal Setting

     
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    Garden Grotto

    The gardens of the Wallenstein Palace feature an aviary housing gigantic owls. The structure was designed to look like a grotto, with artificial stalactites and fantastical creatures.
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    Garden Grotto

    My colleague Robin Marino joins me in the grotto.
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    Cityscapes

    Prague is sometimes called the City of a Hundred Spires, and here are two striking examples, both part of the Church of Saint Nicholas in the Mala Strana quarter; a watchman once occupied the clock tower to look out for fire.
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    Cityscapes

    Vladislav Hall, a late-Gothic room in the Old Royal Palace at Prague Castle, is famous for its vaulted ceiling with intertwining ribs. Once used for knights' tournaments, it now serves as a venue for state functions.
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    Graphic Design

    This sixteenth-century building near Prague Castle once served as the town hall in the Hradcany quarter. (The city's many independent districts were united in 1784 under the name Praha, or Prague.) The golden facade looks like it's made up of envelopes and still bears fragments of the imperial coat of arms.
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    Graphic Design

    The geometric facade of a private home near the entrance to Golden Lane, a small street of 11 historic houses just behind Prague Castle. In the early 1600s, this one was inhabited by Hans von Aachen, the court painter.
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    Architectural Wonder

    Frank Gehry and Vlado Milunic's Dancing Building is a rare example of contemporary architecture in Prague. Constructed in 1996, the glass-and-concrete towers have been dubbed the Fred and Ginger Building, because the design's cinched waist and splayed skirt evoke a pair of dancers.
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    Chance Encounter

    A walk through the different sections of Prague offers a lovely juxtaposition of palaces, churches, and small city houses. It can also result in a chance meeting: Here I am on the street with Lillian Law, whom I met years ago in Atlanta through the Peachtree Garden Club, along with her grandson Mac Balentine.
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    Historic Jewish District

    Dating to the fifteenth century, the Old Jewish Cemetery is filled with more than 12,000 tombstones. This landmark and other areas of Josefov (formerly the Jewish quarter) provide a sense of Prague's rich past and make for a fascinating tour.

    Read More About Martha's Trip to Prague

  • History on View
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