Prague - the capital of the Czech
Republic has played
since its origin an important role in the history of the nation, the
country and also
Europe. Since the 9th century already Prague was the centre of
the Czech state, the settlement town of the princes and kings and since
1918 also the seat of the presidents of the republic.
Since
the Middle Ages Prague has been famous as one
of the most beautiful cities of
the world, and has been attributed adjectives such as "golden", "hundred-spired",
"the crown of the world", "a stone dream". Prague
represents a unique collection of historical monuments dominated
by the Prague Castle
which towers high above the city. The unique historic core includes
unique
examples of all building styles - the Romanesque rotundas and basilicas,
Gothic temples, Renaissance palaces, an extensive collection of
the Prague Baroque, Neo-Renaissance and Secession buildings.
Thanks
to its uniqueness the centre of Prague, together with the Prague
Castle,
Charles Bridge and a number of churches, palaces and gardens is
inscribed in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural
Heritage List. The historical core of the city is situated on both
banks of the Vltava river and
consists of 6 parts. They are as follows: Stare Mesto (Old Town),
Josefov (the preserved part of the former Jewish Town - today a
part of the
Old Town), Nove Mesto (New Town), Mala Strana (Lesser Town), Hradcany
and Vysehrad. Naturally, most of the historical monuments, museums
and galleries are concentrated right there.
Apart
from architectonic monuments Prague offers to its visitors a rich
selection of theatres, concert halls, exhibition premises,
museums,
galleries and other places for social and cultural life.
The travelling boom in Prague started in the 1990s, when the communism
regime fell. At the start there were some shortfalls and mistakes,
which sometimes discredited Prague and Czechs in the eyes of foreign
visitors. As a weakness is known disrepute of Prague taxi-drivers
and a lot of pickpockets in the centre of the city and in the public
transport
- necessary to say that most of the pickpockets are not Czechs,
they are immigrants from other countries. And the same or similar
problem
is in many other metropolises. But over time, Prague became one
of the most best-loved destinations in Europe when it comes to
urban
tourism. Problem with taxi-drivers is solved by stricter legislation
and a lot
of tourist are warned in advance by travel agency or traveller?s
guide book against taxi-drivers and other possible troubles. The
city centre
is full of policemen, which try to reduce criminality and other
negative characteristics like almsmen, homeless people?
Prague Basic Information
area: 496 sqkm
Population: 1,212,097 (2007)
Geographical situation: north latitude 50° 05',
east longitude 14° 27', height above sea level 235 m (average)
Time: Central European (GMT+1), summer time - Central
European +1 (GMT+2)
Climate: average temperature 9,0°C
summer season - July 19,0°C
winter season - January -0,9°C
The Vltava river flows through the city in the length
of 30 km, its maximum width being 330 m
Parts of the historical centre: Hradcany, Mala Strana
(Lesser Town), Stare Mesto (Old Town) including Josefov, Nove Mesto
(New Town) and Vysehrad
Thanks
to its uniqueness the centre of Prague, together with the Prague
Castle,
Charles Bridge and a number of churches, palaces and gardens is
inscribed in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural
Heritage List. The historical core of the city is situated on both
banks of the Vltava river and
consists of 6 parts. They are as follows: Stare Mesto (Old Town),
Josefov (the preserved part of the former Jewish Town - today a
part of the
Old Town), Nove Mesto (New Town), Mala Strana (Lesser Town), Hradcany
and Vysehrad. Naturally, most of the historical monuments, museums
and galleries are concentrated right there. 
Apart
from architectonic monuments Prague offers to its visitors a rich
selection of theatres, concert halls, exhibition premises,
museums,
galleries and other places for social and cultural life.
