08/24 - 08/25
Waking up early to grab breakfast on Saturday (08/24), I was fortunate enough to be able to try Czech ducat buns with vanilla sauce at a cafe near our hostel. We then returned back to Prague Castle to take a tour inside the castle. Passing through the Great Hall of the castle, we learned that the Bohemian lands were inherited by a Habsburg—Ferdinand III—in 1627 I following the death of Louis Jagiellon. This began the four hundred year rule of the Habsburg over Bohemian lands until the independence of Czechoslovakia in 1918.
Within Prague Castle, we then entered the room where the 1618 Prague Defenestration occurred. During the imperial reign of Habsburg Ferdinand II—a proponent of the Catholic Reformation—aggrieved Protestants pushed two Catholic royal governors out of a window that were staunch supporters of the emperor. Though they miraculously survived, this greatly contributed to the beginning of the Thirty Years’ War.
After quick stops at the nearby Golden Lane—a sixteenth-century street built during Rudolph II’s reign—and the St. George’s Basilica—a Romanesque church from the tenth century—we entered into the beautiful St. Vitus Cathedral. This Gothic church is a renowned Czech structure established in 1344 was elevated from a bishopric to an archbishopric. We then ascended the church’s south tower, granting us views of the surrounding Prague Castle. Afterwards, we stopped at the Krčma U Krále Brabantského tavern for lunch.
The St. Vitus Cathedral.
Our final major stop of the day was the Prague National Museum. After looking through a collection of minerals and the animal evolution exhibition, I arrived at the section about the history of the Czech Republic. Since I did not know much about the country’s past, it was fascinating to learn about how intertwined the histories of Austria and the Czech Republic are due to Habsburg influence. I also was taught about what happened to the country during the twentieth century, including the creation of Czechoslovakia following WWI and its occupation by the Nazis during WWII.
The front of the Prague National Museum.
On Sunday (08/25), we took the Staromēstská train to the New Jewish Cemetery in the Third District of Prague. Established in the late nineteenth century, the cemetery contains the gravestone of renowned writer Franz Kafka. We wandered around the expansive cemetery until the rain ushered us away. However, while still at the cemetery, I noticed a couple gravestones depicting the words "Never Forget," reminding me of Richard Trank’s I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, which follows a Holocaust survivor uncovering Nazi criminals. Simon Wiesenthal—the prolific Nazi hunter—believed that the pursuit of justice is never-ending as he thought that stopping his investigations would betray the memories of those that were killed during the Holocaust (read my full review under the Movies section). Having to check out of our hostel by noon, we grabbed a quick bite before quickly returning back to the hostel in the First District of Prague.
We took another train to the nearby Vyšehrad fortress in the Fourth District of Prague. Likely built during the tenth century, the Vyšehrad acted as a rival power to Prague Castle for a few centuries. It would soon fall into disrepair until the Habsburgs gained control of it during the seventeenth century and added Baroque fixtures. With significantly more nature within the fortress than at Prague Castle, it proved to be a fun time walking around Vyšehrad in spite of the rain. We visited the Vyšehrad Cemetery and the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul inside the fortress walls before we left the fortress.
One of the entrances to the Vyšehrad fortress.
We did some quick shopping around the city center and visited an art exhibition before grabbing a quick early dinner. We then took a tram to the train station in order to begin our long ride back to Vienna.
German Words of the Day: Stürmisch (Stormy) & Gehen (To Go)
Provided by: Transparent Language