where to go - i

i
Prague
where
to go
information and sights
august – october 2011
i
Prague
Liberec Region
... a colourful
holiday
Currently...
19. 5. – 11. 9. Prague Biennale 5 / Prague Biennale Photo 2 – the 5th edition
of the contemporary art exhibition – Microna Modřany
www.praguebiennale.org
2. 8. Giacomo Puccini: La Bohème – screening of the MET opera performance – Světozor cinema
www.kinosvetozor.cz
10. – 14. 8. Prague Pride 2011 – a festival of pride and tolerance – Prague centre
www.praguepride.cz
17. 8. The National – a concert of the acclaimed American indie-rock band – Archa theatre
www.archatheatre.cz
21. 8. – 4. 9. Letní Letná – the 8th international festival of new circus and theatre – Letná park
www.letniletna.cz
22. 8. Symphonica: The Orchestral Tour – a concert of the legendary British singer George Michael
www.opera.cz
– State Opera Prague
25. – 30. 8. Prague Fair – the 8th edition of the international folklore festival – Ovocný trh www.prazskyjarmark.cz
12. 5. – 4. 9. Glamour / Women’s Formal and Evening Wear 1950 – 2010 from the collections
of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague – an exhibition of ladies’ formal and evening garments
– Museum of Decorative Arts
www.upm.cz
31. 5. – 11. 9. Porcelain at Prague Castle – a pottery exhibition from the Prague Castle collections
www.kulturanahrade.cz
– Queen Anne’s Summer Palace – Prague Castle
17. 6. – 3. 10. Prague Baroque Festival – unique open-air performances of Baroque operas
– Ledebour Garden below Prague Castle
www.prazskebaroknislavnosti.cz
4. – 9. 10. Designblok ´11 – the 13th Design Days festival – Futurama, Karlín
www.designblok.cz
4. 10. – 9. 11. AghaRTA PRAGUE JAZZ FESTIVAL 2011 – the 20th edition of the international jazz festival
– Lucerna Music Bar
www.agharta.cz
6. – 9. 10. Indian Film Festival – the 9th festival of Bollywood films
– Světozor, Evald cinemas
www.bollywood.cz
13. 10. Guano Apes – the return of the German alternative rock band with the new album Bel Air
– KC Vltavská
19. – 23. 10. DAS FILMFEST – the 6th edition of the festival of German-language films
– Lucerna, Evald cinemas
20. 10. – 13. 11. TINA B. – the 6th festival of contemporary arts
– various venues in Prague
www.vltavska.cz
www.dasfilmfest.cz
www.tina-b.eu
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Prague
Did you know that...
◗ Václav Havel
An outdoor exhibition of large-format photographs on Wenceslas Square will mark the 75th
birthday of Václav Havel (5 October). The fascinating life story of the Czech dramatist, essayist,
stage and film director, dissident, political prisoner and president will be traced through the works
of those who accompanied and depicted him
during various periods of his life (Karel Cudlín,
Přemysl Fialka, Bohdan Holomíček, Ivan Kyncl,
Pavel Štecha, etc.). The outdoor exhibition will be
followed by an indoor display at the DOX Centre.
In addition to Prague, the exhibition will also take
place at the seat of the European Parliament in
Strasbourg and, in co-operation with the network
of Czech Centres, in other European cities. It will
last from 22 September to 30 October.
◗ Prague Fashion Weekend
◗ Attention!
On 24 and 25 September Prague Fashion Weekend will take place on elegant Pařížská street in
the centre of Prague. Just like last year, models
will display creations of Czech and foreign designers on one of the longest catwalks in Central
Europe. This year, the visitors can look forward
to, among other things, a new collection by the
famous Dutch duo Viktor & Rolf.
On 7 July the doors of the National Museum
on Wenceslas Square closed for four years.
The historical building is set to undergo an extensive and much-needed renovation (it has not
been properly repaired since its opening in 1891).
We can look forward to the reopening of the refurbished National Museum building in 2015 and
in the meantime visit some of its numerous other
www.nm.cz
displays.
www.praguefashionweekend.cz
www.medialogue.cz
◗ Strings of Autumn
On 26 September the 16th edition of Strings
of Autumn will begin in Prague. The international
festival comprises classical, early music, experimental, crossover, world music and jazz concerts
featuring distinguished Czech and international
artists (to name but a few: Avishai Cohen, Dee
Dee Bridgewater, Sir Willard White, Vivica Genaux).
It will take place at various concert halls until
www.strunypodzimu.cz
10 November.
The current brochure can also be found at
www.i-prague.info
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Prague
Model of Prague
Premiere
September
2011
Rupert Holmes, Original Libretto and Concept Peter
Stone, Music John Kander, Lyrics Fred Ebb
Libretto
John Kander and Rupert Holmes
CURTAINS translated and Czech lyrics wrote
Additional Lyrics
American musical
Adam NovÁk
ENGLISH SUBTITLES
FULL ON AND ALWAYS LIVE
OTHER REPERTOIRE: CARMEN THE MUSICAL • JESUS CHRIST
SUPERSTAR • POLSKÁ KREV (POLISH BLOOD) • PRODUCENTI (THE PRODUCERS) • ČARDÁŠOVÁ PRINCEZNA (THE
GIPSY PRINCESS) • NOC NA KARLŠTEJNĚ
WWW.HDK.CZ
Křižíkova 10, Praha 8, tel.: +420 221 868 666
At the present time, Prague can pride itself on two
exquisite models of the city. The older of the two,
Langweil’s, is on display at the Museum of the City of
Prague and captures the town as it looked circa 1830.
The second model, depicting Prague at the end of the
20th century, can be found at the Království železnic
(Kingdom of Railways) in Anděl, Prague 5. Its creators
originally intended to make the model on the scale
of 1:500 yet this would have simply been too large.
Hence, they settled on 1:1000. The construction was
launched in 1980 by the architects Vlastimil Slíva
and Jiří Straka, who gradually created a total of 305
sections, each with the dimensions of 50 x 62.5 cm.
The model was completed in 2000. In addition to the
historical centre, it covers a substantial proportion of
the city’s built-up area. The model stretches over 115.5
square metres, equivalent to 11,812 hectares in reality.
All the objects are made of plexiglass, since this material was the most suitable for elaborating fine details,
and were finally sprayed with a thin layer of white
paint. The display is interactive, edifying and extremely
attractive. Visitors have available 4 touch screens
through which they can control the cameras and zoom
in on any of the 400 selected objects, each accompanied by a thorough description from the database of
the Prague Information Service and photographs of the
real building. Projectors make it possible to screen the
model: you can see the route of the metro, significant
buildings, museums, parks, the main cycle paths, etc.
Model of Prague
www.model-prahy.cz
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Prague
170th anniversary of Antonín Dvořák’s birth
On 8 September, 170 years will have passed since
the birth of Antonín Dvořák, one of the most distinguished Czech composers. The life and work
of the musical genius will be commemorated by
numerous exhibitions, concerts and other celebratory events.
Selected events taking place in Prague:
Antonín Dvořák 8. 6. 2011 – 29. 2. 2012
– A remarkable exhibition shedding new light on
the celebrated Czech composer, guiding the visitors
through his life and work in a multimedia form. They
also have the opportunity to see Dvořák’s personal
items, correspondence with friends and well-known
personalities, as well as the original scores of the composer’s most famous pieces. On display too is
the autograph of the famous Symphony No. 9, From
the New World, one of the most frequently performed
symphonies worldwide.
Czech Museum of Music
www.nm.cz
Antonín Dvořák’s Diplomas
11. 1. 2011 – 8. 1. 2012 – During his lifetime,
Antonín Dvořák was awarded diplomas and honorary
memberships from various prestigious musical and
cultural institutions. These documents are on display for the very first time. They not only illustrate
Dvořák’s popularity but also bear witness to the
graphic style of their time. The Antonín Dvořák Museum, Villa America, houses a permanent exhibition
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) – dedicated to the
world-renowned Czech composer.
Antonín Dvořák Museum
www.nm.cz
The gala opening concert Cornissimo 2011 to
mark the 20th anniversary of Hornclass, the
150th anniversary of the Prague Hlahol Choral
Society and the 170th anniversary of the birth
of Antonín Dvořák 6. 8. 2011 – The chamber orchestra Camerata filarmonica Bohemia and the Hlahol Choral Society. Programme: A. Dvořák: Psalm 149, Op 79;
Mass in D major, Op. 86; R. Strauss: Concerto No. 1.
Church of the Virgin Mary of the Snow
www.praguehorn.cz
Dvořák’s Prague 8.– 24. 9. – The 4th edition of
the international classical music festival celebrating
the Czech composer’s legacy. Prague annually hosts
world-renowned orchestras, conductors and performers. On the eve of the festival, the Antonín Dvořák
Award will be handed over to this year’s winner, the
conductor Jiří Kout, music director of the Prague Symphony Orchestra.
various venues in Prague
www.dvorakovapraha.cz
Tip:
Antonín Dvořák’s final resting place is situated in
the Vyšehrad cemetery, well worth visiting in itself.
The bust of the composer with motifs of a weeping
willow and a harp is the work of the sculptor
www.praha-vysehrad.cz
Ladislav Šaloun.
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Prague
Tracing Prague myths and legends
Prague is a magical city whose history spans more
than a thousand years. Its ancient buildings, mazy
cobbled lanes and dark nooks are connected with
various fables that shroud the city in mystery. Set
out to trace the eerie legends of old Prague and find
out whether there is at least a grain of truth in them.
The Faust House
One of the most mysterious places in Prague is the
Faust House on Karlovo square. This Baroque building
conceals many macabre mysteries connected with
black magic and alchemy. Legend has it that it was the
residence of Doctor Faust, who so longed for eternal
life and knowledge that he sold his soul to the Devil,
who ultimately took him to hell through a hole in the
ceiling. Another inhabitant of the Faust House was an
impoverished student who practised black magic until
one day he vanished without leaving a trace. Historically documented is the fact that several alchemists
lived in the house, among them the notorious Edward
Kelley, the court alchemist of Emperor Rudolf II, who
claimed to have invented the sorcerers’ stone by which
he was able to transmute base metals into gold. In the
18th century, another tenant of the Faust House, the
magician Mladota, would entertain his guests by carrying out chemical and physical experiments and conjure
up marvellous automatic moving figurines. In the 20th
century the Faust House became home to the highly
eccentric Karl Jaenig, a man obsessed with death. He
allegedly slept in a coffin and collected human bones
and funeral items. Gruesome accidents occurred in the
house, several fires broke out for mysterious reasons.
Alchemist paintings were revealed on the walls and
numerous cat skeletons discovered in the cellar.
The Prague Golem
The legend of the Golem is one of the most famous
of all Prague fables. During the rule of Emperor
Rudolf II, the artificial man was created by Rabbi Yehuda Löw with the aim to protect the Jewish quarter
against Christian attacks. The Golem was activated
when the Rabbi inserted a shem (a parchment with
a magic formula) into his mouth. The fearsome creature only obeyed his creator, carried out the work
he was ordered to do, and was duly deactivated
once the shem was removed. One day, however, the
Rabbi forgot to take out the parchment. The Golem
came to life and since he had nothing useful to do
he went berserk, trashing the furniture and fittings
in the Rabbi’s house. The terrified servant ran to
the synagogue and beseeched the Rabbi to destroy
the Golem. Löw shouted at the Golem to stop and
proceeded to remove the shem from his mouth. Subsequently, the Golem allegedly crumbled into dust.
Legend has it that the Golem’s body is kept in the
attic of the Old-New Synagogue in Prague’s Jewish
Quarter.
The Daliborka Tower
The Daliborka Tower is situated amidst the vast
Prague Castle complex. It was once part of the lateGothic fortifications and until the end of the 18th century served as a prison. The tower was named after
the first person to be jailed there, Dalibor of Kozojedy.
The valiant young knight was sentenced to death and
shut away in a dungeon for providing shelter to disobedient serfs. According to legend, while imprisoned
in the dark tower Dalibor learnt to play the violin. The
beautiful strains spread through the air and attracted
Praguers, who would gather beneath the tower, listen
and bring the prisoners food and drink. Dalibor was
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Prague
so popular that the date of his execution was never
announced. One day, however, the violin playing
ceased for good.
JIŘÍ SRNEC:
LEGENDS OF
MAGIC
PRAGUE
Brand new multimedia show
THE FIRST MULTIMEDIA THEATRE EVER
NO LANGUAGE BARRIER
Laterna magika at the National Theatre
New Stage | Národní třída 4, Praha 1
e-mail: [email protected]
www.laterna.cz | www.novascena.cz
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
LANGWEIL’S
3D
1826-1837
3D cinema – unique virtual
flight over the Langweil’s
model of Prague
MODEL
OF PRAGUE
Opening concert of the International
Music Festival „Talich‘s Beroun“
2/9/2011 Friday 8:00 p.m.
18/10/2011 Tuesday 7:00 p.m.
Dvořák Hall, Rudolfinum
Dvořák Hall, Rudolfinum
LANGWEIL’S
MODEL OF PRAGUE
Open: Tue – Sun 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Na Poříčí 52, Prague 8 - Florenc
Metro line C/B - Florenc station
Special concert in honor
of Václav Talich
www.ceskafilharmonie.cz
TALICH
The Headless Templar
After midnight, a headless rider courses through the
lanes of the Old Town near Liliová street and Charles
Bridge. He is seeking a brave person who would stop
his horse, take his sword, stab him through the heart
and finally relieve him of his burden.
Opening concert of the
2011/2012 season
Václav
THE CITY OF PRAGUE MUSEUM
The Begging Skeleton
The begging skeleton wanders through the Old Town
in the vicinity of the Karolinum (the complex of buildings
of Charles University, on the corner of Ovocný trh and
Železná street, close to Old Town Square). He ignores
sober people yet begs money from the drunk. Legend
has it that the man sold his skeleton to a doctor but
spent all the money on alcohol and gambling and in
the end died in a pub fight with fellow drunkards.
OPENING concert
The Mad Barber
The tale of the mad barber dates back to the time of
Emperor Rudolf II. The barber was quite successful yet
was not satisfied with the money his job earned him.
Hence, he decided to become an alchemist. He practised magic rituals at home and attempted to produce
gold, yet his greed would ultimately destroy him. The
barber’s desperate wife killed herself by jumping from
a rampart. The man went insane and began attacking
passers-by with his razor. Once night has fallen, the
ghost of the mad barber walks through Karlova street
in the Old Town and seeks deliverance. He can only be
saved by an intrepid fellow agreeing to let the barber
shave him with shaking hands and a mad expression
on his face.
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Prague
Emmaus Monastery
REGULAR SHUTTLE BUS
AIRPORT
¯ CITY CENTRE
COMFORTABLE AND DIRECT
TRANSPORT FROM PRAGUE AIRPORT
TO THE CITY CENTRE OR BACK
Airport bus stop: T1 exit F, T2 exit E
Bus stop - CITY CENTRE is in V CELNICI Street
• NEXT TO METRO LINE B •
&
• 40 METRES FROM NÁMĚSTÍ REPUBLIKY •
LEAVES EVERY 30 MINUTES
ONE WAY TICKET
ONLY 120,- CZK / PERSON
www.cedaz.cz
The Emmaus (Emauzy) Monastery was founded in
1347 by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King
of Bohemia. In addition to the Virgin Mary, he chose
the Czech saints Adalbert, Procopius, Cyril, Methodius
and Jerome to be the monastery’s patrons. The Gothic
church was consecrated on Easter Monday 1372,
when the gospel on the encounter of the resurrected
Christ with his disciples in Emmaus was read at the
ceremony. In the 1360s, the monastery’s cloister was
adorned with 85 Gothic frescos depicting scenes from
the Old and New Testaments. The paintings were
the work of the Master of the Emmaus Cycle (whose
name is unknown), Nicholas Wurmser of Strasbourg
and Master Oswald. In the 17th and 18th centuries,
the buildings assumed a Baroque appearance and two
early-Baroque towers were added to the church.
During World War II, the monastery was taken over by
the Gestapo and the monks transported to concentration camps. Parts of the building were destroyed
during British and American bombing raids. Only in
1960, after the two towers (which make the structure
truly remarkable) were completed did the monastery
acquire its current appearance.
At the present time, visitors can view the cloister with
14th-century frescos, the Baroque refectory, the royal
chapel in the Beuron style and the monastery church.
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Prague
AMoYA
Foto: Yan Renelt
The Artbanka Museum of Young Art (AMoYA) opened
in Prague on 21 July. This unique project aims to
present and support young visual artists in the Czech
Republic and Slovakia, as well as in the wider Central
European context. AMoYA is located in the Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace in Karlova street, in the very
centre of Prague. The dilapidated Baroque building,
whose spaces are being used prior to its overall
restoration, is a prime example of the insensitive
construction modifications that were carried out on
historical monuments before 1989. Many of the brutal architectural interventions have become an integral part of the museum’s displays, thus highlighting
the artistic intention. The Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace
served as a platform for young artists back in the
19th century. The first display of paintings was held
here in 1808, and in 1840 the palace housed the first
exhibition of the Bohemian Fine Arts Association,
established in 1835 by the Society of Patriotic Friends
of Arts, the precursor to today’s National Gallery.
The Society co-ordinated the arts market and organised annual fairs and spring exhibitions that
afforded artists the opportunity to present their work
and gain recognition.
AMoYA is a place where young artists, their teachers
and arts-lovers can get together. Over an area
of more than 4,000 square metres, the museum
offers a large selection of works by young Czech and
foreign artists. At the present time, it displays over
250 pictures, installations, sculptures and videos
created by some 133 artists. The Artbanka Museum
of Young Art’s conception combines permanent and
temporary exhibitions of key and cult works of the
past two decades within the Czech visual arts, contemporary arts and the Young Visual Art programme
– a space earmarked for arts academies from the
Czech and Slovak Republics for presenting works
created by their students, graduates
and pedagogues.
The AMoYA project is the fruit of co-operation between the Gallery of the City of Prague and Artbanka,
a project helping young artists at the outset of their
career by purchasing their works, which are subsequently offered on the Artbanka website. The money
raised is used in turn to buy other works of art.
In addition to displaying the purchased works in national and semi-national institutions, Artbanka also
promotes the best young artists at exhibitions in the
Czech Republic, as well as at international shows.
AMoYA will be based at the Colloredo-Mansfeld
Palace until the launch of the building’s renovation,
for which sufficient finance has yet to be found. Until
then, the museum visitors have the opportunity to
delight in this exquisite space abounding in original
young art.
Artbanka Museum of Young Art
www.artbanka.cz
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Prague
café Louvre
e s t .
G
INDOOR SKPYRDAIVGINUE
IN
1 9 0 2
Tupolevova, Praha 9
016
Tel.: +420 734 676
Galerie Rudolfinum
08 / 09 — 13 / 11 / 2011
A favourite hang-out
of Prague residents,
also visited by
Karel âapek, Franz Kafka,
Albert Einstein . . .
CAFÉ
~
Alšovo nábřeží 12
CZ — 110 01 Praha 1
www.galerierudolfinum.cz
Výstavu připravilo
/ An Exhibition produced
by the Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne
om
www.skydivearena.c
Do
You
Speak
Czech?
No?
LOUVRE, Národní tfiída 22, Praha 1
tel. 224 930 949, 724 054 055
[email protected], www.cafelouvre.cz
www.czechstepbystep.cz
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Prague
Charles University in Prague
Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies
• intensive courses of Czech as a foreign language in Prague
- one-year course, one-semester, six-week and evening
Czech language courses, special courses, one-to-one courses,
online courses, preparatory courses for university studies
• preparatory courses for language exams
• standardized exams of Czech language for foreigners
Touch
PILSNER URQUELL
BREWERY TOURS
Visit the Original
the Nature
UJOP, Vratislavova 10, 128 00 Praha 2, www.ujop.cuni.cz
fax: +420-224 990 440, e-mail: [email protected]
Discover the authentic places where
the famous Pilsner Urquell beer has
been brewed since 1842 and taste
this special beer drawn directly
from oak lager barrels in historical
brewery cellars.
THE SECOND
LARGEST URBAN
ZOO PARK
Only 1 hour from Prague.
Opened daily.
U Prazdroje 7, Plzeň,
Tel: +420 377 062 888
E-mail: [email protected]
Chomutov
CONSERVATION
AREA IN THE
www.eChomutov.cz
www.prazdrojvisit.cz
COUNTRY
stunningly different
INFORMATION CENTRE
Upper Square – Town Hall
Tel: +420 585 513 385
[email protected]
tourism.olomouc.eu
2 hrs from Prague
Fill up
at Agip,
collect
points and
obtain
a bonus.
The Czech Republic: castles and chateaux admired throughout
the world. Twelve sights included in the UNESCO world heritage
list. Gourmet specialities for lovers of traditional flavours. Cafés,
festivals and the joy of shopping. Wellness and active leisure
activities in harmony with nature. Simply amazing.
www.tipsfortrips.cz
www.czechspecials.com
www.czechtourism.com
LIBEREC
Welcome to this city of one
hundred thousand in North
Bohemia, a city which lies in
the basin enclosed by the
Jizera Mountains and the
Ještěd Mountain Ridge.
Sights:
ZOO
Botanical Gardens
Centrum Babylon
TV tower Ještěd
www.liberec.cz
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Prague
Interesting events in Czech regions
Moravian Autumn
7. – 21. 10. Brno
◗ The 46th international music festival hosted by the
Moravian metropolis, Brno.
www.mhf-brno.cz
Jičín – A Fairy-Tale Town
7. – 11. 9. Jičín
◗ An annual festival of traditional Czech fairy tales featuring a bountiful programme for children, including
creative workshops, exhibitions, games and theatre.
www.pohadka.cz
CIAF – Czech International Air Fest
3. – 4. 9. Hradec Králové
◗ The 18th edition of the largest air show in the Czech Republic. You can look forward to an action-packed weekend “with your head in the clouds”.
www.airshow.cz
Česká Pojišťovna Velká Pardubická Steeplechase
9. 10. Pardubice
◗ The 121st edition of the prestigious horse-race, the
oldest and most demanding steeplechase in Central
www.pardubice-racecourse.cz
Europe.
Pilsner Fest
26. – 27. 8. Plzeň
◗ A culture and gastronomy festival in the city of the worldfamous Czech beer brand. This year the event is taking
place directly within the premises of the Pilsner Urquell
brewery. Visitors can look forward to lots of music, competitions and other entertainment.t www.pilsnerfest.cz
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Prague
A town founded on silver
A town of great historical significance, Kutná Hora
is mainly famous for mining of silver and silver ore,
as well as manufacture of Czech coins. At the end of
the 13th century, the local deposits accounted for
approximately one-third of Europe’s silver production. Besides silver mines and a mint, this beautiful
town contains many historic sites, with the most
attractive for tourists being the magnificent Cathedral of St Barbara. Kutná Hora is a noted Czech historical protected area and has received a UNESCO
World Heritage listing.
Cathedral of St Barbara
The Cathedral of St Barbara, patron saint of miners, is a
Gothic structure whose history is synonymous with the
long struggle of the Kutná Hora citizens for spiritual
autonomy from the nearby Sedlec Monastery. The conflict gave rise to the building of the colossal cathedral.
The construction was launched in 1388 and according
to some sources the church was planned to be twice as
large as the current one. The work took place in several
phases and was interrupted on a few occasions, with
the progress largely depending on the current prosperity of the silver mines. The construction was only definitively completed in 1905. Over the course of several
centuries, leading Czech as well as world-renowned
architects and constructors participated in building the
cathedral.
Cemetery chapel with an ossuary
The current appearance of the cemetery chapel,
which was built at the end of the 14th century, is the
result of Baroque modifications carried out by the
architect J. B. Santini in the early 18th century. The
decorations made from human skeletal remains
are probably the work of the woodcarver František
Rint. Unique is the enormous chandelier adorned
with human bones, as well as the cross, chalices,
monstrance and coat-of-arms of the Schwarzenberg family made from the same macabre material.
According to estimates, the decorations in the
Sedlec ossuary are made up of the remains of
some 40,000 people. The work sought to emphasise the transience of human life and the existence
of death in the starkest terms.
Silver mines and mint
The history of Kutná Hora is synonymous with the
mining of silver ores. The first written records of
the local silver deposits date back to 1260. Visitors
can see part of the silver mine – the St George’s
Gallery – dressed in traditional miner’s clothing:
a white coat, a helmet with a head lamp – and experience, among other things, complete darkness
when all the lights go off in the shaft. In the adjacent museum you can see how Czech royal coins
were produced in olden times.
Žehušice – a unique game preserve abounding in white deer
The game preserve spread over the area of 270
ha is located approximately 15 km east of Kutná
Hora. It is famous for breeding white stags and
today can boast of having 130 of these magnificent animals and it is one of the few herds of
white deer kept in the world.
G
A
Kutná Hora
Tue — Sun 10 AM — 6 PM
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Prague
Useful information:
◗ Prague is the capital city of the Czech Republic.
It has approximately 1.3 million inhabitants, on an
area of some 500 sq km (193 sq mi). The President
of the Czech Republic resides in the Prague Castle.
The office is currently held by Václav Klaus.
The official Czech currency is the Czech Koruna,
and Czech is the official language.
◗ There are three underground (metro) lines operating
in Prague – green (A), yellow (B) and red (C).
The metro system interconnects all the important
places around the city, with tram and bus connections to destinations where the metro does not reach.
The public transport network is reliable and covers
the city thoroughly. The metro operates daily from
5 a.m. to midnight, and to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. After 1 a.m., public transport is secured
by night tram and bus lines.
WOULD YOU LIKE
TO GET TO KNOW
PRAGUE?
Buy the new book
33 PRAGUE
TRIPS
by public transport
On sale at Infocentres
of the Prague Transport
Company for 150 CZK.
More at www.dpp.cz
◗ The central coach station in Prague is located at
“Florenc” (metro line C, station “Florenc”). The main
railway station is just next door (metro line C, station
“Hlavní nádraží”). Another important transport hub
is the Holešovice railway station (metro line C, station
“Nádraží Holešovice”).
◗ The majority of shops open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on
workdays. It is, however, easy to do one’s shopping
at weekends as well, primarily thanks to numerous
shopping centres (e.g. Palladium near metro station
“náměstí Republiky”, Nový Smíchov near metro station “Anděl”, or Centrum Chodov at metro station
“Chodov”).
◗ Alcohol and cigarettes can be purchased at nearly
any grocery shop as well as at numerous specialised
outlets. Only those above 18 years of age may legally
drink alcoholic beverages in the Czech Republic,
while doing so in many public places around Prague
is prohibited and a finable offence. The most popular
beverage in the country is beer. The Czech Republic is
home to the best beer in the world. Numerous breweries apply production technologies of longstanding
tradition and make beers with various degrees of
alcohol content in a broad range of tastes. A pint
(around half a litre) of beer costs around CZK 30 on
average.
◗ Traditional Czech dishes are a meal of braised
beef with cream sauce and bread dumplings and
roast pork with dumplings and cabbage, while the
traditional Christmas meal is carp. Main courses in
restaurants usually cost (depending on location)
from CZK 120 to CZK 300.
◗ Popular souvenirs purchased in the Czech Republic
include Czech cut glass, porcelain, traditional liquors
(Becherovka – herbal bitters, mead, Slivovice – plum
brandy), Bohemian garnets, amber, wooden marionettes, art and design pieces, folk art pieces,
spa wafers and typical spa drinking cups, etc.
◗ Bank holidays in the Czech Republic:
1 January – New Year, Easter Monday, 1 May –
Labour Day, 8 May – Liberation Day, 5 July – The Day
of Missionaries and Saints Cyril and Methodius, 6 July
– Jan Hus (John Huss) Day, 28 September – Czech
Statehood Day, 28 October – Independence Day,
17 November - Struggle for Freedom and Democracy
Day, 24 December – Christmas Eve, 25 December –
Christmas Day, 26 December – Boxing Day.
Public transport fares:
TYPE OF TICKET
Adults
Children up
to 15 years
Basic 90 min.
CZK 32
CZK 16
Short-term 30 min.
CZK 24
CZK 12
1 day 24-hour
CZK 110
CZK 55
3 days 72-hour
CZK 310
-
Airport Express (AE)
Ruzyně Airport
– Main Railway
Station
CZK 50
CZK 30
i
Prague
Public transport links to Ruzyně Airport:
Bus 119 – “Dejvická” (metro line A) – “Letiště Praha”
– 22 min.
Bus 100 – “Zličín” (metro line B) – “Letiště Praha”
– 16 min.
Bus 179 – “Nové Butovice” (metro line B)
– “Letiště Praha” – 38 min.
Bus 225 – “Nové Butovice” (metro line B)
– “Letiště Praha” – 53 min. (only selected connections
during weekdays)
Airport Express – Prague main railway station “Hlavní
nádraží” (metro line C, with SC, EC, IC and EN type rail
links) – “Letiště Praha” – 33 min.
Currency exchange rates:
One US dollar buys approximately 19 CZK, one Euro
approximately 25 CZK, and one pound sterling
approximately 30 CZK.
Postal services:
The main post office is located at 14 Jindřišská Street in
the very centre of the city, near metro station “Můstek”,
the interchange metro station for the A and B lines.
The post office is open daily from 2 a.m. until midnight.
Banks:
Most banks are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Important telephone numbers:
Useful links:
The EU universal emergency telephone number:
www.czech.cz
112
official website of the Czech Republic
Fire Brigade emergency number:
www.praha.eu
150
web portal of the City of Prague
Emergency medical service number:
www.praguewelcome.cz
155
Prague tourist web portal
Municipal police emergency number:
www.czechtourism.com
156
official travel site of the Czech Republic
Emergency number of the Police:
www.kudyznudy.cz
158
ideas for trips
Information line (telephone numbers,
traffic information, information on cultural
events, etc.):
www.florenc.cz
1188
www.cd.cz
website of the Florenc coach terminal
Czech Railways website
Prague contact centre:
12444
www.prg.aero
Prague Airport website
Roadside assistance:
1230
Airport information – nonstop lines:
220 113 314, 220 113 321
International country calling code
for the Czech Republic:
+420 (00420)
www.dpp.cz
website of the Prague public transport
operator
www.chmi.cz
website of the Czech Institute
of Hydrometeorology– information
on weather in the Czech Republic
Transportation map
Daily operation, June 2011
TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRES
• Old-Town Hall
• Main Railway Station
• Lesser-Town Bridge Tower
8
15
(April – October)
• Rytířská 31
• Airport Ruzyně
20 26 36
ŠPEJCHAR
Vozovna
Střešovice
TRANSIT INFORMATION CENTRES
• Airport Terminal 1 and 2
• Prague City Hall,
Jungmannova 29/35, Prague 1
Metro stations:
• Muzeum
• Anděl
• Nádraží Holešovice
MK ČR E 15381
8
STARÝ
HLOUBĚTÍN
25
16
21
16
i
Editor: Milan Beniš
Photos: Czechtourism
25
VYPICH
RADLICKÁ
Prague
i-Prague 3/11
Quarterly journal
75,000 copies in English and
75,000 copies in German
17
15 36
Owing to the ongoing construction
works, the public transport
connections as depicted on the map
will probably change.
Please read the information at stops
or call the info line 296 19 18 17.
Occasional
Railway station
Owing to Metro
the ongoing construction works terminus
in Letná, the public transport
Funicular
connections as depicted on the map
Tram routes
Bus routes
will probably change.
in the direction
AE Airport Express bus
Tramthe
route
out of order at stops of the map
Please read
information
or call the info line 800 19 18 17.
Parking:
Park & Ride
Kiss & Ride
www.i-prague.info
for free distribution