The Traffic Light Alley and Restaurant Čertovka Over the years without doubt the most common question I get stopped in a street for is “which way is the Charles Bridge?”. Another popular question has different forms like “where is the little street with traffic lights?” or “where is the traffic light alley?” or “where is … Read More
Golden Lane at Prague Castle Golden Lane was home to the “little people” i.e. servants, smiths and soldiers and one Franz Kafka for a while (only visiting). It’s a neat little cobble stoned street with houses on one side built into the wall. Quaint windows, antique furnishings, restored interiors and earth colours make it an … Read More
Prague Metronome In 1891 Prague hosted the World’s Fair (what would become called EXPO) in the Prague 7 Exhibition Grounds. One of the structures built for that fair was the Little Eiffel Tower. For the 100th anniversary of that event the Society for the Czechoslovak General Exhibition returned to the same place and commissioned another … Read More
Prague Meridian Time has always been important to the residents of Prague and they even have their own “Old Czech Time”. But long before pocket watches became fashionable people knew what time it was or at least they knew when it was noon. The Prague Meridian is an invisible line but it’s also marked in … Read More
Church of Our Lady Before Tyn If you read about the Tyn Courtyard then it won’t surprise you too much to learn that the original church was built in front of that place, hence the name “Before Tyn”. As with many historic places it’s undergone many changes over the last 900 years. Yes that’s right … 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
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
Jan Nepomuk You’ll see his statue in every published guide but there are other things to look for and understand. This post will give a brief timeline and background of Jan Nepomuk so you know how he came to die but mostly it’s about the icons on the Charles Bridge and how to recognise a … Read More
Prague Tower Park Recreation Area On the Prague TV Tower post I mentioned this place because although Prague Tower Park would not normally be on your list of places to visit, you will appreciate combining the TV Tower and Tower Park. When I worked at the TV Tower in 1996/7 this was a public park … Read More
The Wonderful Prague Astronomical Clock Imagine a guy turning up at your office with an idea for putting a huge clock on the outside. It’s going to cost loads of money, it’s going to break down a lot and only 3 people in the next 400 years will know how to fix it. Well the … Read More