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a yellow trafika or tabak sign in a shop window with the reflection of the building opposite

Trafika or Tabak

Trafika or Tabak for Buying Tobacco in Prague A Trafika or Tabak is a newsagent that also specialises in the sale of tobacco and tobacco related products. If you are a smoker in Prague then you’ll have your favourite Trafika. Like Herna Bars, trafika shops took a big hit in 2017 when a nationwide internal … Read More

Scene picture of Prague ST Nicholas Church Old Town viewed from the little park

ST Nicholas Church Old Town

St Nicholas Church Old Town Some buildings in Prague are so old that nobody is really sure exactly how old they are. St Nicholas Church Old Town is one of them. The best we can say is that the original church is “likely” to have been built in the 12th Century but the oldest documented … Read More

President Emil Hacha of Czechoslovakia seated at a table speaking into a microphone

Emil Hacha

Czech Presidents, Emil Hacha and the Poison Chalice When you take a look at Czech history especially in the 20th Century you’ll find lots of references to Tomas Garrigue Masaryk (the first President of Czechoslovakia) or Edvard Beneš (longest serving Foreign Minister and second President of Czechoslovakia). Then we have a third President called Emil … Read More

sign on the art nouveau fanta kavarna at prague main train station

Fantova Kavarna

Fantova Kavarna at Prague Main Train Station Prague very much has a cafe and artistic culture to go along with an impressive history so what better place to combine all three than at the Fantova Kavarna (Fanta’s Cafe) in the historic part of the main train station. A Potted History The original Prague main train … Read More

family on a gondola in Prague hired from Little Venice on the vltava river with charles bridge in the background

Little Venice

Little Venice in Prague When you look at your tourist map of the city then find where the Charles Bridge crosses the river. On the Lesser Town side of the Charles Bridge you’ll find what seems to be a smaller river called the Čertovka Inlet (Devil’s Inlet). Where this inlet goes under Charles Bridge now … Read More

the interior of the baroque st james basilica in prague with marble columns and decorated knave

ST James Basilica

St James Basilica If you have come from the Old Town Square and you’ve walked through the Tyn Courtyard then as you emerge onto the street at the far end (Mala Stupartska) you’ll see the church 30 metres to your left. The church, to be accurate it was made a “Basilica Minor” in 1976, has … Read More

17th century baroque style troja chateau with roses in foreground

Troja Chateau

Troja Chateau In Czech it has the name “Zámek” which usually means it’s a castle so some people call it Troja Castle. But when you see pictures it looks more like a chateau or a villa so again some people call it Troja Chateau or Troja Villa or Troja Palace. For me it’s Troja Chateau. … Read More

prague herna bars camouflage patterned window with the words herna m-a-s-h

Prague Herna Bars

Prague Herna Bars In Czech the word “Herna” does actually mean “Casino” but I’m not going to say that Prague Herna Bars are going to give you that casino experience because they won’t. These are places which generally are Non-stop (open 24 hours). I did a brief search of adjectives that described Herna Bars in … Read More

memorial plaque in prague for tank guards lieutenant ivan goncarenko of the red army

Ivan Gončarenko

Ivan Gončarenko Every now and again I start researching an apparently simple story which takes you in different unexpected directions. The story of a death of a soldier is not uncommon in Prague. It’s how he died, when and where, where he was buried then, where he’s buried now and how he came to be … Read More

prague jan hus monument with flowers, blue sky and st nicholas church in the background

Jan Hus Monument

Jan Hus Monument The period from 1850 to 1918 is known as the Czech National Revival. All aspects of “what it was to be Czech” from an ethnic, cultural, political and religious point of view were being investigated and highlighted. Famous Czechs of the past were being honoured and by the early 20th Century it … Read More