In the interest of trying to finish blogging about our June travel before the rest of the summer is over, I am combining three places we visited in Prague. They each deserve more time and space, but there's lots of good sites at everyone's fingertips for further information. I've been doing a lot of that kind of research these days to refresh my memory.
The Czech National Museum was within easy walking distance of our Prague apartment. It's located near the top of Wenceslas Square, the main gathering/shopping area in the City.
We spent most of a day in just one wing of the the main (Historical) building but also visited the New Building next to it. The buildings are connected by a tunnel.
The stunning main building is a major landmark for the city. It was built between 1885 and 1891. The main building underwent a major renovation between 2011 and 2019 and was even completely closed part of that time. (It had been damaged during the war and again when the city metro tunnels were being built.) During those years, exhibits were either stored or moved into the "New Building" next door which had been purchased both for that purpose and to eventually add exhibition space. I'm glad we visited after the big move and reopening had taken place. In the main building the exhibits we visited were on Czech history — ancient treasures. No pictures included — the ones I could take did not turn out well enough to bother.
Cupola from entryway
The exhibits in the newer building were where we learned more about recent history (during our lifetime). There was an excellent photo and light display showing what it was like to be in Prague at the time of the Velvet Revolution in 1989. This is when massive demonstrations (hundred of thousands of people at times) helped to force the end of the Communist regime in Czech and Slovakia. Some major gatherings took place right here on Wenceslas Square in front of the Museum buildings. A fitting place to learn about this incredibly important piece of history. It was after this time that the former Czechoslovakia, which had been part of the USSR, became two republics: The Czech Republic and the Slovakian Republic. This display was impossible to capture with my camera, but the contribution to our understanding will not be forgotten.
There are more stunning views of Prague from the top floor of the Main Building.
On another day during our stay we took the Metro (underground) to Prague Old Town. The famed medieval astronomical clock of Prague is attached to the Old Town Hall.
It was first installed in 1410 and is the oldest astronomical clock still in operation. The figures surrounding the clock are the apostles and other Catholic saints and a skeleton representing death (he shows up pretty clearly to the top right of the clock.) The apostles and the skeleton do a very quick parade around the dial on the hour. I forgive them for being quick about it, because they are probably tired of working that hard after all these years.
The astronomical dial represents the position of the sun and moon. HERE is a link to the Wikipedia page with more about the mechanism, history, and legends surrounding the clock.
I think it was on the same day that we also visited the different kind of tower below:
Idiom by Matej Kren
This art installation in the foyer of the Prague Public Library includes hundreds of books stacked in a cylindrical tower. Mirrors at the top and bottom give the tower the illusion of infinity. There's a tiny window that lets you look in and imagine what it would like to drown in an infinity of books. The question is whether that is a book-lovers dream or nightmare.
Of course, I have family pictures from every single place we went with our grands, but those from the children's section of this library (bel0w) may well be my all-time favorites:
It's never too early to introduce a child to the love of reading. We all love libraries and I was so glad our three "guides" took us to this one.
LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to the hosts.
MOSAIC MONDAY; THROUGH MY LENS; TUESDAY TREASURES; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY; and SKYWATCH FRIDAY
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