Kutná Hora / Prague

Day Two

After breakfast at the Ibis hotel, we then took tram no. 22 to Prague Castle.

Prague Castle

The Prague Castle, known as Pražský hrad in Czech, is the largest coherent castle complex in the world; roughly the size of seven football fields. Dated back to earliest 10th century, it had since been office for the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and Presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic before opening to public as museums.

First Courtyard – designed to be the ceremonial court which encompasses the Giant's Gate and the Matthias' Gate (left photo below). Along the railings of the Giant's Gate on either side are statues portraying cherubs (an eagle – symbol of Hapsburg rulers) and lions (right photo below) – symbol of the kingdom of Bohemia. The Giant's Gate got its name from the gigantic figures (bottom photos below) which dominate the pillars at the entrance of the courtyard.





Second Courtyard – surrounded by various buildings of different styles, periods and purposes. In the centre of the courtyard stands an elegant baroque fountain (left photo below) designed with a mythological theme in 1686. The Chancellery of the President of the Republic was undergoing renovation during my visit (right photo below).



Due to the limited time we had, we could only buy the combined tickets (Prague castle – short trip) for CZK 250 at the second courtyard, which includes admission to Old Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica and Rosenberg Palace. There are also other tickets available: Permanent exhibition "The Story of Prague Castle" at CZK 140, Prague Castle Picture Gallery at CZK 150, Powder Tower at CZK 70, and long trip at CZK 350 for all the mentioned museums.

Old Royal Palace

Built in the 12th century by Prince Soběslav in a Romananesque style and with a rectangular plan. Among the many beautiful areas within the palace, the Chapel of All Saints (left photo below) is worth visiting. Though built during 1370 to 1387, the current decorations are furnished in late 16th century with a Renaissance vault and a baroque high alter (right photo below).



The majestic and imposing Vladislav Hall is not to be missed. Built between 1492 and 1502, the hall is 62-meters long, 16-meters wide and 13-meters high; it was the largest room in Europe during that time. The extraordinary design of the groins and highly elegant 'star-shaped' curved vault and excellent light provided by large windows are clearly the inspirations of early Renaissance (left photo below).



Rosenberg Palace

This large palace is located on Jirska Street in the area of the Prague Castle. Originally a Renaissance palace for the noble family of Rosenberg, it was rebuilt in Baroque style and used as a residence for unmarried women from insolvent noble families. The beautifully restored ceiling is another highlight of Rosenberg palace (right photo above).

Cathedral of St. Vitus

The Cathedral of St. Vitus, also known as Katedrála svatého Víta in Czech, can trace its history as early as 925 where St. Wenceslas built a small circular Romanesque structure for his future burial. After a series of expansion, destruction and renovation, the construction of the cathedral can only be said to be finally finished in 1929 to its present day architecture.

West Façade

Famed by its two lofty twin towers ending in soaring spires of 82-meters high (left photo below). Decorative elements, such as saints (right photo below), reliefs of scenes of Christ (bottom left photo) above the doorway, and traditional gargoyles (bottom right photo) can be spotted. The west façade is the entrance to the cathedral.

South Façade

This view shows the full length of the cathedral where the main tower and the golden gate can be seen (left photo below). The elegant clock tower was designed during 16th and 17th century in a baroque style.

East Façade

This is where the flying buttresses with pinnacles be seen clearly observed (right photo below).

Interior of the Cathedral

The interior of the cathedral is 124-meters long, just over 33-meters high, with two lower naves flanking the central one. Light filters through the large stained glass windows making the cathedral austere, unadorned and harmonious (photos below).



The cathedral is decorated with magnificent gallery of sculptures, such as the painted miners on the pillars (left photo below) at the Royal Oratory. The Royal Oratory was built by King Vladislav Jagellonsky in 1493 and these miners, with long aprons, are significant homage to the precious silver mines that were fundamental to the power of the Jagellonsky. The tomb of St. John Nepomucene (right photo below) is the funerary monument of St. John Nepomucene, considered to be a masterpiece of 18th century Bohemian art. Made of splendidly worked silver, the monument is framed by a elegant canopy with a imposing figure of the saint kneeling.



The stained glass windows of St. Vitus Cathedral is a not-to-miss feature (photos below) inside the cathedral.

Chapel of St. Wenceslas

Located within the cathedral, the Chapel of St. Wenceslas (left photo below) has almost 1,350 semi-precious stones set into the walls creating a grandiose frame for the fresco cycle dedicated to the Passion of Christ. This chapel is most sacred as it houses the relics of prince Wenceslas, patron saint of Bohemia, on the same spot. A fine door (right photo below) leads to the stairway up to the Crown room.

No admission is required to enter the cathedral. One personal advice is to visit this cathedral as the first itinerary because long queue will form soon after it has opened.

Saint George's Basilica

St. George Basilica (left photo below) was founded by Vratislaus I of Bohemia in 920 and is dedicated to Saint George. The beautiful baroque stairways (right photo below) lead from the funerary monuments of the Přemyslid princes to the square choir. The nave of the basilica could only house a small number of worshippers (bottom left photo). The frescos enhance the ceilings and the dome (bottom right photo) of the basilica. This basilica also houses the 19th century Bohemia Art Collection.





Palladium Shopping Mall

Largest Shopping Mall in Prague, Palladium Shopping Mall (left photo below), offers a selection of more than 200 shops spreading over 5 storeys (right photo below). A large Albert Supermarket and a drycleaner are located on its lower Market level floor.



We had lunch at a Thai Fast Food Restaurant known as Noodle Point located on the top floor of the shopping mall (left photo below). I ordered a plate of fried noodles with chicken (right photo below) and a cup of drink at CZK 219. The taste of the noodles was so authentic with the Thai spices that even Thai restaurants in Singapore may not have.



Half-day tour to Kutná Hora

Booked this half-day tour from the concierge of Ibis hotel at CZK 900 per person. The tour departs at 1300 hours from the main meet-up point at Národni Street 38 (left photo below) or earlier if pickup from hotel. Do note that the tour operates only from Tuesday to Sunday. Only 3 attractions, namely Sedlec Ossuary, Saint Barbara Church and the Italian Court are included in the tour itinerary.

The duration of the whole tour was 5-hours and we were brought to the attractions via the mini-coach bus (right photo below). Journey to Kutná Hora took 1-hour drive east of Prague.



Kutná Hora

Kutná Hora is an architecturally rich town built in the middle ages in the centre of extensive silver ore field and over time became the second most important town after Prague.

Kutná Hora and the neighboring town of Sedlec are inscribed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995.


Sedlec Ossuary

Sedlec Ossuary (photos below), known as kostnice Sedlec in Czech, is a small Roman Catholic chapel, located in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutná Hora. The ossuary, known locally as the "bone church", is estimated to contain the skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people died during the Black Death in the mid 14th century, and after the Hussite Wars in the early 15th century.



Around 1400 a Gothic church was built in the center of the cemetery with a vaulted upper level and a lower chapel to be used as an ossuary for the mass graves unearthed during construction, or simply slated for demolition to make room for new burials. After 1511 the task of exhuming skeletons and stacking their bones in the chapel was, according to legend, given to a half-blind monk of the order. Between 1703 and 1710 a new entrance was constructed to support the front wall, which was leaning outward, and the upper chapel was rebuilt in the Czech Baroque style. In 1870, František Rint, a woodcarver, was employed by the Schwarzenberg family to put the bone heaps into order. The macabre result of his effort speaks for itself (photos below).



An enormous chandelier of bones, which contains at least one of every bone in the human body, hangs from the center of the nave with garlands of skulls draping the vault (left photo below). Four enormous bell-shaped mounds occupy the corners of the chapel (right photo below).



Other works include piers and monstrances (left photos below) flanking the altar, a large Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms (right photo below), and the signature of Rint on the wall near the entrance.



Saint Barbara Church

Also known as Chrám svaté Barbory in Czech, St. Barbara church (left photo below) is one of the most famous Gothic churches in central Europe. Construction began in 1388, but because work on the church was interrupted several times, it was not completed until 1905.

The original design was a much larger church but due to the less productive of the silver mines, the incomplete structure was enclosed with a provisional wall, and thus its present size. The outside appearance is fascinating. Originally there were eight radial chapels with trapezoidal interiors. Later on, the choir was constructed, supported by double-arched flying buttresses (right photo below).



Internal points of attraction are the altars (photos below), pulpits and choir stalls.





Medieval frescoes depicting the secular life of the medieval mining town and religious themes have been partially preserved (photos below).



The stained glass windows are one of the best I've seen in central Europe; the figures are decorated with colorful dressing coupled with the realistic background (photos below).





As the church was constructed on a hill top, once we walked out from the church, we could see a section of the Kutná Hora town (left photo below). The walkway (right photo below) from the church do resembles part of the Charles Bridge in Prague where it was adorned with figures (bottom photos).







Italian Court

The Italian Court, known as Vlašský Dvůr in Czech, is the Central Mint originally. It was named after some after the Italian experts who were at the forefront of the minting reform.

The main area of the mint consisted of coin-makers-workshops, or Smithies, which were located around the courtyard (left photo below), and the minting chamber, called "Preghaus", where the Prague groschen were struck. Our guide to the Italian Court was demonstrating the making of Prague groschen (right photo below).



Various illustrations inside the minting chamber display the types of Prague groschen during different era (left photo below), and of course with some exhibition of the real Prague groschen (right photo below).



The hall of audience (photos below) used to be the place where town hall meeting was held after 1770.



The mini-coach bus took us back to Prague at about 1730 hours. As it was still early, so we decided to visit Wenceslas Square.

Wenceslas Square

Wenceslas Square (left photo below), known as Václavské náměstí in Czech, is one of the main city squares and the centre of the business and cultural communities in the New Town of Prague. In 1348, Bohemian King Charles IV founded the New Town of Prague, designating several open areas for markets, including the Horse Market (presently Wenceslas Square). During the Czech national revival movement in the 19th century, a more noble name for the street was requested. Thus Wenceslas Monument was built, and the square was renamed to Wenceslas Square.

Not truly in the shape of a square but more of a boulevard, the Wenceslas Square has the shape of a very long rectangle (750-meter, total area 45,000 m²). At that end, the street is dominated by the grand neoclassical Czech National Museum (right photo below). The main façade of the building is decorated with many sandstone statues (bottom left photo) and reliefs. Just in front of the National Museum stood the Wenceslas Monument (bottom right photo), in which the square is named after him (Saint Wenceslas).





Many historical events occurred there, and it is a traditional setting for demonstrations, celebrations, and other public gatherings:

• On October 28, 1918, Alois Jirásek read the proclamation of independence of Czechoslovakia in front of the Saint Wenceslas statue.
• The Nazis used the street for mass demonstrations.
• During the Prague Uprising in 1945, a few buildings near the National Museum were destroyed and were later replaced by department stores.
• On January 16, 1969, student Jan Palach set himself on fire in Wenceslas Square to protest the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1968.
• On March 28, 1969, the Czechoslovakian national ice hockey team defeated the USSR team for the second time in that year's Ice Hockey World Championships. As the country was still under Soviet occupation, the victory induced great celebrations.
• In 1989, during the Velvet Revolution, large demonstrations (with hundreds of thousands of people or more) were held to overthrown the Communist Rule.

To reach Wenceslas Square, the nearest metro station is Muzeum (Line A and C) or Můstek (Line A and B).

Dinner at Wenceslas Square

Perhaps my colleagues and I have been staying in Switzerland for more than 3-months, we really missed the taste of fried chicken. Went into one of the fast food restaurant outlets at Wenceslas Square and I ordered a Golden Bites Menu (left photo below), consisted of 6 pieces of golden bites, a large drink, coleslaw, French fries and a BBQ sauce at CZK 129. Interestingly the fast food restaurant also has a picture of Wenceslas Square as part of its modern furnishing (right photo below).



National Theatre

The National Theatre, known as Národní divadlo in Czech, is acclaimed as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art. Constructed between 1868-81, the National Theatre sits proudly alongside the banks of the Vltava River, its golden roof gleaming in the sunshine on fine weather days (left photo below).

The exterior of the building is decorated with many statues, including the triga – a three-horse quadriga (right photo below) and 10 exterior allegorical sculptures. The interior of the theatre is adorned with many neo-renaissance paintings (bottom photos). Nearest metro station is Staroměstská of Line A.





Rudolfinum

The Rudolfinum (photos below) is a music auditorium in Prague. It is one of the most important neo-renaissance buildings in the city and is situated at Jan Palach Square on the bank of the river Vltava. Nearest metro station is Staroměstská of Line A.



Had our last minute shopping at Old Town before heading back to the hotel.


Day Three

Early Lunch

We slept in the hotel till late morning then went to Noodle Point at Palladium Shopping Mall again for our brunch. Probably thought that we may not have the chance again to have such authentic Thai food in Europe, that was the reason why we chose to eat at this restuarant the next day. Ordered a plate of fried rice noodles (left photo below) and pan-broiled dumplings (right photo below) for CZK 186.



Packed our luggage and checked out the hotel. Took the same route when we arrived back to the airport. As I had some spare notes of Czech koruna, thus decided changed back to Swiss Francs at one of the money-exchangers in the airport.

Swiss International Airlines

Took Swiss Air flight LX 1461 at 1340 hours back to Switzerland. Sandwich and hot beverages (left photo below) were served during the flight, and best of all Swiss chocolates were given to every passenger (right photo below).



Reached the Basel airport at about 1500 hours. As it was still early, I then decided to have a short visit to Basel city before taking the train back to Neuchâtel.