Interesting places in Prague:

Hradčany		Praha 1
Prague Castle		Královská cesta / Royal way
Old Town		Malá Strana / Lesser Town
Charles Bridge (Karlův Most)		Metro - Line C
Metro - Line B		Nové Město pražské
Vinohrady (Vineyards)		Kampa Island
Charles Square		Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí)
Praha 5		Praha 2
Petřín Hill		Petrovice
Old Town Hall with Orloj Astronomical Clock		Jewish Quarter (Josefov)
Královská zahrada / Royal garden		Malostranské Náměstí (Lesser Town Square)
Vyšehrad, (Prague)		Mánes bridge
Jelení příkop / Deer s moat

Prague (Czech: Praha IPA: ), see also other names} is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated on the Vltava river in central Bohemia, it is home to approximately 1.2 million people. (It can be derived from jobs statistics, however, that an additional 300,000 work there without having registered as residents.)

• Prague Castle . The biggest ancient castle in the world, according to Guinness World Records, which rises above the city offering beautiful views of the areas below. Also on site is the St. Vitus Cathedral with its lookout tower, the Castle Picture Gallery , several palaces and museums and the beautiful Royal Garden, among other attractions. You can also watch the Presidential Guard, and the changeover of the guards on duty on the hour.

• Charles Bridge One of several bridges over the Vltava. Its construction started at the 14th Century and it is one of Prague's most beautiful attractions. Over the day it is a bustling place of trade and entertainment.

• The Old Town (Staré město) Prague's historic centre. Includes numerous historical buildings and monuments, most notably the famed Astronomical Clock (Orloj), the pure GothicTýn Church, the mural-covered Storch building, and the Jan Hus monument. Nearby, the Estate Theatre is a neoclassical theatre where Mozart's opera was first performed. The old town features many historical churches (St. James Church, Church of Our Lady before Tnem among others) and some other interesting historical buildings like the Old Town Hall.

• Josefov The historical Jewish ghetto. Interesting for its well preserved historical synagogues, unique in the entire world. The Old New Synagogue (Czech: ) is Europe's oldest active synagogue. It's rumoured to be the resting place of the famed Prague Golem. Another interesting synagogue is the Spanish Synagogue, a highly ornamented building of Moorish style. Other attractions are the old Jewish Cemetery, which is the oldest in Europe, and Kafka's house. The Old New Synagogue is NOT a part of the Jewish museum, so it's recommended to buy a combined pass to all Jewish attractions .

• New Town (Nové město) The new town was constructed as an extension of the old town at the 14th Century. Nonetheless, despite its oldness most of it was modernized. The main attraction here is the Wenceslas Square, which has many stalls, shops and restaurants. At the top of the square is the National Museum which is well worth a look (see below). Midway down this historic Boulevard one finds trendy discos and art nouveau hotels, as well as quaint parks and arcades, while just off the beaten path are some wonderful panoramic views (Henry Tower), romantic restaurants, Narodni, and the dazzling, Disney-colored Jubilee Synagogue.

• The Lesser Town (Malá strana) Across the Vltava from the city centre and leading to the castle, this quarter also offers beautiful streets and churches (of which St. Nicholas Church is the most renowned). The Lennon Wall which used to be a source of irritation to the communist regime is also found here, near a Venetian-like canal with water wheel and close to the Charles Bridge.
• Loreta A beautiful Baroque convent in the Lesser Town.

• Strahov Monastery A monastery on the mountain. Worth a visit for both its picture gallery and its notable Renaissance library.

• Prague Dancing House (Fred and Ginger Building). One of the most fascinating architectural expressions of Prague. Accessed from the Karlovo náměstí metro station.

• Vyšehrad . A nice castle worth a visit.

• Petřínská rozhledna A smaller version of the Eiffel Tower on the top of a hill.

• Prague Giant Metronome It is a huge monument erected in order to replace the Stalinistic monument that preceded it.

• Memorial to the 1989 Velvet Revolution A simple brass plaque at 20 Narodni. From Cafe Louvre, walk toward the river. You will enter an archway in just a few meters, look on the wall to the left.

Museums:

• Czech National Gallery Its most important collections are in the Sternberg Palace (up to to the Baroque), St George Convent (Czech Baroque and Mannerism) and Veletržní Palace (19th century and modern art). The first two are located near and in the castle respectively. Do not confuse them with the Castle Picture Gallery (see above) which is worth visiting on its own right.

A collection of Asian art is exhibited at the Zbraslav Castle.

• Czech National Museum An association of various museums. The main building is at the Wenceslas Square and is dedicated to natural history. Other branches include museums of the Czech composers Dvořák and Smetana, Czech Music Museum, Historical Pharmacy Museum, Prince Lobkovicz' Collection at the Prague Castle, Czech Ethnographical Museum and Naprstek Anthropological Museum.

• Prague City Gallery A museum of modern Czech arts divided between several sites most of which are in the old town. Its main building is the House of the Golden Ring at the Old Town Square featuring 20th Century Czech art in a beautiful medievil edifice. 19th Century Czech art is exhibited at the Troja Castle.

• Czech Museum of Fine Arts 20th Century Czech art and changing exhibitions.

• Museum of Decorative Arts

• National Technical Museum Amazing collection of motorcycles, cars, aircraft and commercial vehicles, plus many examples of communist-era technological angineering

• Military Museum

• Mozart and Dušek Museum

• Prague City Museum An absolute must-see for the incredibly detailed cardboard model of nineteenth century Prague by Anton Langweil. The detail is amazing, even down to the colour of the doorways and the design of the windowsills.

• Mucha Museum A museum of the Czech artist and his contemporaries.

• Kafka Museum There is also a permanent exhibition at Kafka's house.

• The Pedagogical Comenius Museum A museum documenting the writings of the Czech Renaissance erudite.

• The Mueller Villa A work of art of the well known Viennese architect Loos from the beginning of the 20th Century.

• Museum Kampa A museum of modern Central European art.

• Museum of Communism in Czechoslovakia

• There are plenty of smaller museums. Among them: Miniature Museum at the Stahnov Monastery, Toys Museum and Musical Automata Museum at the Prague Castle, Wax Museum, Torture Museum, Postal Museum and Brewery Museum at the Old Town and the Aviation Museum at Kbely.

Sightseeing Passes

As with many major European cities, you can get a good deal by buying a tourist card. Be discerning when choosing based on your needs (for example, cards may list free entry to locations that are normally free anyway - this concerns Prague Pass). Here are your options:

• PRAGUE CARD , all-top attractions inclusive tourist card with tradition since 1991, is valid for 4 days and grants free entry to over 50 top attractions in the Prague area. You will receive a book with information on all the free attractions and many discounts (Prague Walks excursions, airport transfer, shopping, Mucha and Kafka museum etc.) and a voucher for each attraction. You can only enter the attraction with a valid card AND a voucher. The card does not include public transport and a separate ticket will have to be bought. The Prague Card costs 740 Kč.

Of note is that the card will grant free admission to all the Prague Castle short tour, which normally costs 250 Kč. Many of the town's museums and galleries--including all branches of the National Gallery and the National Museum--are also included, and over four days you can easily see 3 times the card's value. As such, this is an excellent choice if you're planning on visiting a lot of museums. The only major attraction that is not included is the Old New Synagogue and Jewish Museum.

With the Prague Card you can visit Prague Castle, Old Town, Malá Strana and Charles Bridge historical towers and other attractions, Observatory, small copy of Eiffel Tour and Mirror Maze at Petrin Hill, Vysehrad all castle including his casemates and gallery, many New Town Museums and Galleries and several castles outside centre of Prague.

• Prague Pass will give you free entry to various attractions in Prague within a 1 year period, various discounts, sightseeing tours and 72 hours of public transport, including metro, tram, bus, funicular, and train all for 860 Kč, or roughly 30 euros.

There is something for everyone with Vysehrad and its casemate (catacombs) and basilica, take a boat trip through Prague on the river Vltava (Moldau), effortless up in the TV tower with the best panorama of Prague or enjoy a ride on the Petrin hill cable railway. The whole city in one hall (perfect model in 1:480 scale) - a time travel to the past in Prague’s historical most significant museum. Don't fear the sharks and marvel at the blaze of colors in the Sea World Aquarium, a magical ride at a performance of a Black-Light-Theater or let your soul swing at a concert in a church. River Navigation Museum, Army museum, Aviation museum and the UNESCO certified auto museum "PRAGA".... all for free! (Some of them however have a free entry anyway !)

Also in your pack is a free map of Prague and a program guide booklet as well as a free welcome present. You will also receive discount coupons for several discounts of up to 50% for guided sightseeing- and city-walking tours, Mozart museum, galleries, concerts, internet use, computer games, real laser game or for Rent a Car (25%).

Top photos chosen by u all:

Prague Hradschin: st. nikolaus church 15.902.17
Made by Juergen Kurlvink
Hear: ... The Moldau - Bedrich Smetana ... AND see SLIDE Show: from our Newest or Unvalued ... or look ... bigly . or . map Ort: Blick von der Prager Burg (Hradschin) (. Kleinseite ) • auf die St, Nikolaus Kirche • Prag • Tschechien Place: view from the Prague Castle (Hradschin) (Mala Strana (prager kleinseite)) • of the St. Nicolas' church (in german) ) • Prague • Czech Republic Kommentar: → Klick Links ↑oben↑ für mehr Infos (alle in neuem TAB) Der Blick von der Prager Burg ist ein viel fotografierter Postkartenblick. Doch es lohnt sich immer wieder, diesen phantastischen Ausblick zu genießen. Vor allem dieser Blick über die Sankt Nicholaus Kirche hinweg, zur, schemenhaft sichtbaren, Prager Kopie des Eiffelturms ist besonders schön. Comment: → Click Link ↑above↑ ) for more infos (all in new TAB) The view from the Prague Castle is a much photographed postcard views. But it is always worthwhile again, this fantastic view to enjoy. Above all, this view of the Church over St. Nicholaus to, in shadowy visible, Prague copy of the Eiffel Tower, is particularly beautiful. • • •


A Chapel in St Vitus Cathedral, Prague
Made by szeke
I have a fascination with church interiors, and Prague is most surely one of the best places to indulge that fascination. I spent many hours inside the numerous churches with my camera mounted on my little Gorilla tripod. It is barely a few inches off the floor, so there is no chance to look through the view finder without laying on the floor. That probably would not go well with the guards. But I have perfected my technique. I will set up the camera on the tripod at 10mm, auto-bracket +/- 2 and caefully set up the legs of the tripod before going in the church. I also attach the cable release. Once in the church I will adjust the aperture so that the longest shot does not go over 30 seconds so I don't have to shoot bulb mode and look at my watch. I sneakealy place the camera on the floor, like a little chihuahua, and press the release button 3 times. If the church is very crowded, I will push the camera in front of the rope that prevents people from moving closer. I feel it's OK to do this as the little tripod does not really disturb the flow of people, or trips people. Unfortunately, I eventually get caught, I would say yelled at. Fortunately, I don't understand everything I am being told except for the no static photo part. But, I can't resist, I'll show up at opening time, or a little before closing time if I can, and do it all over gain. The challenge ahead of me is to figure out the best way to process these shots. I do have a lot. This time I turned temperature to -10 in Photomatix, and sturation very low to conserve the colors but not fall pray to the oversaturation tendency of Photomatix. Once in Photoshop I neutralized the yellow cast further using Nik Color Efex. Then several steps to increase contrast, and then finally desaturated again. I like this one better than my prior yellow/brown shots. Hmm, this image looks much too bright on my Mac laptop. This shot was a 10mm, f7.1, 4 secs. The longest exposure was 15 secs. This is likely to be the only shot I can post this week as I have a lot of piled up work.


Dancing House
Made by .: Philipp Klinger :.
I'm back from Prague since Wednesday, but i didn't even have time to log on to flickr... We were at the dancing house a bit too late, hence the dark sky (But i made a nice blue hour panorama of the hradcany before this one - one can't have everything) Info The Dancing House (Czech: Tančící dům) is the nickname given to the Nationale-Nederlanden building in downtown Prague, Czech Republic at Rašínovo nábřeží 80, 120 00 Praha 2. It was designed by Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić in co-operation with Canadian architect Frank Gehry on a vacant riverfront plot (where the previous building had been destroyed during the Bombing of Prague in 1945). The building was designed in 1992 and completed in 1996. side view The very non-traditional design was controversial at the time. Czech president Václav Havel, who lived for decades next to the site, had supported it, hoping that the building would become a center of cultural activity. Originally named Fred and Ginger (after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers - the house resembles a pair of dancers) the house stands out among the Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings for which Prague is famous. Others have nicknamed it Drunk House. On the roof is a French restaurant with magnificent views of the city. The building's other tenants include several multinational firms. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_House Technique/Processing Developed from RAW twice, once with -2EV and once with 0EV and then i replaced the brightest parts of the 0EV photo with those from the underexposed one - some of them are still to bright, but it's better. I also had to clone out some electrical wires and lens flares (pretty bad ones, i should've used another lens, than the Sigma 12-24mm, with it's huge front glass)


Charles Bridge
Made by tonypreece
This is the famous Charles Bridge, crossing the river in Prague. Photographed from a viewtower at the end of the bridge. I spent an hour or so busking here Monday night with Mel, an Austrian guitarist, Alex & 2 American sisters, Laura & Mora who were singing for their supper, well for fun really. Mel & I joined them then went to a bar to spend the earnings. We had a great time there, those guys rock! ---- Construction of the bridge started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and was finished in 1400. As the only means of crossing the river in Prague, Charles Bridge used to be the most important connection between the Old Town, Prague Castle and adjacent areas, utill 1841. Also this 'solid-land' connection made Prague important as a trade route between east and west Europe. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or the Prague Bridge (Pražský most) but has been the Charles Bridge since 1870. The bridge is 516 meters long and nearly 10m wide, resting on 16 arches shielded by ice guards. It is protected by three bridge towers, two of them on the Lesser Quarter side and the third one on the Old Town side. The Old Town bridge tower is often considered to be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in the world. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, erected around 1700. (Information from www.wikipedia.com)


St Nicholas, Prague
Made by szeke
Back to church interiors, one of my favorite subjects. I shot this while sitting on a bench and quietly setting up my camera on my tripod. The interior of this church is very beautiful. It is not very large, but is beautifully decorated. I processed the image to show as much detail as possible as one can see when being there. The Shot: - ISO 100, 10mm, f13, - 3 shots at 1, 4, 16 secs. HDR using Photomatix: - HDR of the 0 and +2 shots. - Started with painterly effect, reduced temperature, increased micro contrast and then played with lumniosity and gamma to try to center the histogram. Photoshop: - Reduced brightness on -2 exposure and blended over the windows to get back a bit of the frames. - Rendered clouds on a separate layer and blended on the windows. - Nik Color Efex: Pro Contrast to compensate blue cast and add contrast. - Nik Color Efex: Color Contrast to darken the yellows. - Surface blur over marble to remove Photomatix grunginess. - Dodge all golden ornaments and areas with excessive shadow. - Burn front bench and people to make them less obtrusive.


Fred and Ginger
Made by Matteo Foiadelli
The Dancing House is the nickname given to the Nationale-Nederlanden building in downtown Prague. It was designed by Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić in co-operation with Canadian architect Frank Gehry on a vacant riverfront plot (where the previous building had been destroyed during the Bombing of Prague in 1945). The building was designed in 1992 and completed in 1996. The very non-traditional design was controversial at the time. Czech president Václav Havel, who lived for decades next to the site, had supported it, hoping that the building would become a center of cultural activity. Originally named Fred and Ginger (after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers - the house vaguely resembles a pair of dancers) the house stands out among the Neo-Baroque, Neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings for which Prague is famous. Others have nicknamed it Drunk House. On the roof is a French restaurant with magnificent views of the city. The building's other tenants include several multinational firms. (The plans for a cultural center were not realized.) Wikipedia


Charles Bridge
Made by _skynet
Haven't posted any photos as was out to Scottish Borders over the weekend to escape the rain in Glasgow. The weather there was excellent! Had a great time and some trouble :) my car broke down! Anyway, last picture of Prague city. Charles Bridge, my favourite bridge in the world so far. The statue, the lights, the pavements and the view from the bridge especially during sunset all attracts me to it! This was taken early in the morning, drag myself up after a late night. Wanted to take a photo of the bridge at dawn with the lights still on but when I arrived at the bridge they just switched it off (I saw the lights off!). So walked around and try to take something different after crossing it so many times. It was very foggy in the morning, relatively dark and I had to push my ISO up, resulting in the noise which I kinda like it as it give the feel of the fogginess and the cold weather in early spring. Explored on May 10, 2009 #360. Thank you !!


Saint Vitus Cathedral, Prague
Made by szeke
This is the awesome Saint Vitus Cathedral in Prague. The decoration is not as rich as in some of the other churches, but the gothic interior is large and breathtaking. Nice . I was the first one in so had the church to myself for a few minutes. Didn't want to be too conspicuous with really long exposures, so I set up a quick f7.1 aperture. The Shot: - ISO 100, 10mm, f7.1 - 3 shots, 0.5, 1.6 and 6 seconds on gorilla tripod on the floor. HDR: - Photomatix details enhancer using painterly effect adjusted to get a bit more contrast. Photoshop: - Imagenomics noise reduction. - Nik Color Efex: Pro Contrast, Color Contrast and Tonal Contrast. - Reduce saturation. - Burn to recover additional window detail. - Long fight with perspective correction to try to make the walls vertical. This is more difficult to do than it sounds.


Narrow Alley
Made by Souvik_Prometure
Highest position in Explore # 4 & Golden Lane is one of the busiest and narrowest lanes of Prague which is always overcrowded with tourist at daytime. Fortunately for me when been there the shops were closed and it was almost empty. For getting this angle I lied flat on the ground...oouch those stones hurt. Got this picture from my archives and reprocessed it by tonemapping and digitally blending single RAW file using Photoshop. Trivia Golden Lane is yet another interesting part of the Prague Castle complex. Dating from the 15th Century, this small street is lined by 11 historic houses, which exhibit medieval armoury and textiles, as well as selling tourist souvenirs.


A Brief Architectural Interlude (Part 2)
Made by an untrained eye
November 11th, 2007 - Prague, Czech Republic Amongst the classical and baroque façades, the gothic cathedrals and the art nouveau buildings for which Prague is rightly famed, few of the more modern constructions can be said to hold their own. The Tancici Dum, or Fred & Ginger Building as it is known to English speakers, is one of them. Like most remarkable buildings, it's been over-photographed, I think, but in choosing to post this rather atypical view of the windows on the side that overlooks the Vltava river I'm conscious that I'm giving you no sense of the magical form of the building - the shape to which its name refers. So I'll either post another photograph showing the whole building, or put one in the comments.