.
return of the stones memorial in prague zizkov old jewish cemetery

Return of the Stones

Return of the Stones Memorial In January 2019 I first became aware that Jewish gravestones had been cut up and made into cobble stones for use in city streets during the communist era. I wrote about this on the Walking on Gravestones post. I’d heard that the Jewish community had an agreement with the City … Read More

prague wenceslas square rokoko palace with linden tree outside

The Linden Tree

The Linden Tree, Slavic Icon About 4 months after arriving in Prague I was having a conversation with a local guy and I asked what was the national flower of the country. He replied that they did not have a national flower but they did have a national tree, the Lípa (pronounced like leepa) or … Read More

prague charles square trees and gothic new town hall pictured in early spring

Charles Square

Charles Square It’s probably not going to be on your top ten list when visiting Prague but Charles Square is an historic area which today is a park bisected by two main roads but it has an active past so I’ll describe why it is here, some of it’s colourful history, why you might like … Read More

prague expo 58 building in letna park with lots of vertical glass, steel tubular supports and cantilevered balconies

Prague Expo 58

Prague Expo 58 If you are thinking that Expo 58 was in Prague then unfortunately that would be wrong but we do have a little piece of Czech design that was built for Expo 58 in Brussels so if architecture and design interest you it might be worth a trip to the Adolf Loos Apartment … Read More

sign saying Exhibition of Destroyed Russian Military Equipment in prague letna park

Destroyed Russian Military Vehicles

Destroyed Russian Military Vehicles in Prague During the summer of 2022 in Letna Park the Army Museum arranged a small exhibition of Russian military vehicles that were either destroyed or incapacitated during the war in Ukraine as they attempted to take control of major Ukrainian cities. I can tell you that it is very different … Read More

The Rear Terrace of the Hanavsky Pavilon Restaurant in Prague

Hanavsky Pavilon

Hanavsky Pavilon No it’s not a spelling mistake. In Czech we call them a pavilon but tourist guides will often call it a pavilion. In any case the Hanavsky Pavilon has both a practical purpose of being one of the few restaurants in the area and also it’s a building of architectural importance. If you … Read More

empty bench seating at the riegrovy sady beer garden during the pandemic

Riegrovy Sady Beer Garden and Park

Riegrovy Sady Beer Garden and Park If you look at a map of Prague and you find the main train station located roughly at the top and to one side of Wenceslas Square then you’ll notice that behind the station is a large green area that takes up approximately eleven hectares of land. This is … Read More

the courtyard of zbiroh castle and entry to the castle pub.

Zbiroh Castle

Trips from Prague, Zbiroh Castle There are several reasons for visiting Zbiroh not least for the surrounding countryside hiking experiences but the Castle/Chateau is fairly unknown to tourists. It has an interesting history so if you are driving between Prague and Plzen it might be worth a stop especially if you are a Slav Epic … Read More

the queen annes palace or belvedere in the prague castle imperial gardens along with the giardinette and singing fountain

Prague Castle Imperial Gardens

Prague Castle Imperial Gardens and Belvedere Until the middle of the 15th Century Prague Castle was largely defended by it’s own high walls and a moat on the northern side. As new defences were installed over the next Century it enabled the Castle grounds to be extended to the north by about 300 metres. Part … Read More

the neo-renaissance sophies palace building on slavonic island in prague

Slavonic Island and Sophies Palace

Slavonic Island and Sophies Palace If you visit the Dancing House then when you look down into this part of the river you’ll see a weir. You may think that this is a fairly recent thing to control the river but actually there has been a weir here for at least 600 years. It’s a … Read More