Jubilee Synagogue in Prague So you’re coming to Prague and intend spending a day in the Jewish Quarter. You’ll buy the Jewish Museum ticket and visit all the accessible synagogues right? Wrong! If you do that you’ll miss one because it’s not officially part of the Jewish Museum in Prague. It’s the newest, largest, cheapest … Read More
Prague Calendarium When people see the Calendarium they think that they are looking at the Astronomical Clock. Actually the Clock is above it and was there first. The Calendarium was added around 80 years later. The first mention of the Calendarium is in 1490. What Does It Do? Although it is far less technical than … Read More
Prague World War Two Bombings On the Walking Tours people invariably ask that given the stunning beauty and historic architecture, was Prague bombed in the war? So, specifically the Old Town was not bombed but the city was bombed on a total of 3 occasions. Setting the Scene The tide has turned. The allies are … Read More
Prague Kinsky Palace, National Gallery Location The Kinsky Palace is the largest single building on the Old Town Square. Before you say “that’s not true, what about the churches and the Old Town Hall?”. Well the Old Town Hall is 4 buildings joined together, the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn is set back from … Read More
Czech Food – Old Prague Ham Old Prague Ham is cured ham so when you see them revolving around the spit it’s just to finish it off. This stall is a great place to stand in the winter months. Don’t worry if the guy walks around the corner with an axe in his hand, he’s … Read More
Bohemian Switzerland Actually the Czechs know the area as Ceske Svycarsko or Czech Switzerland. In either case it’s a National Park in the north-west of the country which straddles the Czech-German border. Germans call it Saxon Switzerland but from now on I’ll stick with it’s more popular tourist name Bohemian Switzerland. Why Visit Bohemian Switzerland? … Read More
Prague Cafes – Grand Cafe Orient There are not many “original” things left in the world, but some places are rebuilt with such care and attention to detail that you can’t tell the difference. Grand Cafe Orient in Prague is one of those places. The building where the cafe is located is on the route … Read More
Charles Bridge Portrait Artists There are some seriously talented artists in Prague and several of them can be found on Charles Bridge during the year. The signage on their easels should make it clear what the pricing will be and material options etc. It also makes it easy to point at what you want. But … Read More
Story of a Photograph I never know where I’ll be drawn next when I’m writing about Prague. This was supposed to be a religious persecution post, but it took a few turns and left me with a big surprise at the end. It started with a picture I took years ago of an empty building … Read More
Red and Blue Plates It’s a common question on the walking tours so I explain to people what is the difference between the red and blue plates on the buildings….apart from the colour. Up until 1802 there was no structured address system in Prague. There were plot numbers so each parish could control who was … Read More