Which country is Prague a city in? Why are so many romance films set in this place?

Prague

The capital of the Czech Republic - a beautiful city - Prague (Prague)

[Prague (Czech: Praha, German Prag (English: Prague) is the political, economic and cultural center of the Czech Republic and one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It is located in the center of the European continent, distributed on seven hills, with the Vltava River meandering through it. The city has a population of 1.183 million (March 2006), an area of ??496 square kilometers, and the city is divided into 22 districts. With an average altitude of 235 meters, it has a typical continental climate. The average temperature in July is 19.5 degrees and in January is -0.9 degrees.

Brief history:

Prague has been inhabited by humans since the Neolithic Age.

The castle and settlement were built in the ninth century.

The Old City was built in 1230/34 by the Bohemian monarch Wenceslas I.

From 1345 to 1378, under the rule of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia, Prague reached its heyday. Prague played an important role in the European Reformation and the Thirty Years' War from 1618 to 1648. On June 21, 1621, the "Re-Catholic Movement" represented by the Holy Roman Emperor, the Pope, and Spanish nobles suppressed the Prague citizen uprising and executed the uprising leaders. Prague was occupied by the Saxons and Swedes in 1631 and 1648, and entered a period of decline. In the 18th century, the situation in Central Europe stabilized and the economy developed again. Prague's population increased. German, Spanish, and Italian nobles and businessmen gathered here, which had a great impact on Prague's architectural style and economic and cultural life.

Transportation:

Prague was connected to the railway network in 1845, and trams were opened in the 1920s. The first subway was built in 1974 and now has three lines, A, B and C, with a total length of more than 20 kilometers. Passenger ships travel on the Vltava River. After expansion in 1997, Prague Ruzin Airport became a large international airport with an annual passenger volume of 5 million.

Architecture:

Prague now has more than 1,700 ancient buildings of various types, so it is known as the "World Museum of Architectural Art". The oldest building in the city is Vishehrad Castle, which was built in the second half of the ninth century. Charles University, the first university in Central Europe, and Charles Bridge, which combines Gothic and Baroque architectural art, were built in 1348 and 1357 respectively.

Anecdote:

The name Prague comes from German. The locals call it Braha, which means "threshold". The reason is that the Vltava River flows through a reef here. , the current is rushing, just like crossing a threshold. There is also such a legend: When the city was being built in ancient times, the architect came here to survey. He met an old man who was sawing wood to make a threshold. He was doing it extremely seriously and carefully. The architect was deeply moved. After the city was built, he named it for Prague.

Attractions:

The Vltava River divides the city into two parts. There are more than 10 bridges of different periods built on the river, the most famous of which is the Charles Bridge. Most of the ancient tower-style buildings with spiers or domes in the urban area are well preserved, among which Gothic or Baroque buildings are the largest and most famous. Most of them are churches. The high and low spiers are connected to form a forest of towers, so Prague is known as the "City of a Hundred Towers". Under the sunlight, the "Hundred Pagodas" look magnificent, so they are also called "Golden Prague".

Prague Castle

Prague Castle is located on the hills of the Vltava River and has a history of more than 1,000 years. For more than 60 years, the offices of successive presidents have been located in the castle, so it is also called " Presidential Palace", the castle consists of the following parts.

Prague Castle Gallery The newly renovated Prague Castle Gallery (Obrazarna Prazskeho Hradu) requires an additional fee to enter. It contains many classical paintings, starting from the 16th century as early as the 16th to 18th centuries, and includes There are more than 4,000 works by artists from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and other countries. The original site of the Prague Castle Gallery was the castle stables. During the process of being converted into the castle gallery, the earliest church in Prague Castle, the Church of the Virgin, was excavated, and some of its remains are stored in the castle gallery.

Katedrala sv. Vita is the most important landmark of Prague Castle. In addition to its rich architectural features, it is also the coronation and resting place of the Prague Castle royal family. The Cathedral of St. Vitus has been expanded three times. The circular church of St. Wenceslas in 929 AD was expanded into a rectangular church in 1060 AD. In 1344, Charles IV ordered the construction of the current Gothic-style building, but it has always been It was not officially completed until 1929 AD. Several highlights of the visit to the Cathedral of St. Vitus include the 20th-century stained glass windows, the Tomb of St. John and the Chapel of St. Wenceslas. Entering the entrance of the church, the brightly colored stained glass on the left is the work of the famous Prague painter Mucha; inside the church there is the tomb of St. John, a counter-reformer in 1736, made of sterling silver and richly decorated. The Chapel of St. Wenceslas is located behind the tomb of St. John. The frescoes and the sacramental spire are decorated with gold.

The Old Royal Palace (Stary Kralovsky Palac) was the residence of the kings of Bohemia in the past. Successive reigning lords have repaired different parts. The entire palace building is roughly divided into three floors. As soon as you enter the entrance, you will see the high-ceilinged Vladislav Hall, which is also the center of gravity of the entire palace. The New Territory Hall on the upper floor has many images of early secretaries; the lower floor has the Gothic-style Charles IV. The palace, as well as the imitation Romanesque palace hall, most of the rooms were destroyed in the fire of 1541, so they are partly the remains of later reconstruction.

St. George's Church is located behind St. Vitus Cathedral (Bazilika sv. Jiri), with red exterior walls and twin towers. St. George's Church is the best-preserved Romanesque building in the Czech Republic. After its completion in 920, it was expanded and built many times, the most recent one at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The church's cornerstone and two steeples have been preserved from the 10th century.

St. George’s Convent was the first convent in Bohemia. It was demolished and converted into a military barracks in the 18th century. It is now the National Gallery, collecting Czech art works from the 14th to the 17th century, including Czech art works from the 14th to the 17th century. Paintings from different periods of German art, Renaissance and Baroque.

The Powder Tower (Prasna Vez-Mihulka) here is the same as the Powder Tower in the Old Town Square. It was originally a fortress for guarding the city, and later it was used to store gunpowder. In the 16th century, the king let warlocks live here to study the art of refining lead into gold. After the 18th century, it was changed to the place where Saint Vitus Cathedral stored sacred vessels. Now it is a museum displaying medieval art, astronomy and alchemical artifacts.

The Golden Lane (Zlata Ulicka) is one of the most famous attractions in Prague Castle. Number 22, where Kafka once lived, is currently a bookstore. Golden Lane was originally a place where servants and craftsmen lived. Later, it got its name because many magicians gathered to make alchemy for the king. After the 19th century, it gradually turned into a slum. It was re-planned in the mid-20th century and the original buildings were converted into shops selling various souvenirs and handicrafts.