Prague Travel: Mala Strana,
Petrin Hill, Prague Castle and a Delicious Goodbye
Dinner
As the late afternoon sun had come out, I was continuing
my action-packed day in Prague. After a guided tour
through Prague’s Jewish Quarter, a savory
and informative lunch in Prague’s oldest kosher
restaurant, followed by a tour of Municipal House,
Prague’s Art Nouveau masterpiece, I had just
finished a boat tour on the Vltava River that gave
me a completely different view of Prague from the
water. Our knowledgeable captain had shared many
stories about Prague and enriched us with countless
historical tidbits about this fascinating city.
Walking across the Charles Bridge
During my last few hours in Prague I was planning
to explore Mala Strana, one of the main historical
areas on the west side of the river. Crossing the
famous Charles Bridge, I passed by the 30 baroque
religious statues that line the bridge. My stroll
continued past various street artists, painters
and souvenir vendors who were displaying their merchandise
right on top of this historic river crossing. One
of the bridge’s statues had attracted a large
crowd of people lining up. I was wondering what
the big commotion was all about, so I joined the
queue myself. As I moved along I realized that everyone
wanted to rub the plaques on the statue of St. John
Nepomuk, the Czech martyr saint who was executed
in the 14th century when he was thrown into the
Vlatava. The plaques have been polished to a shine
by the thousands of people hoping for good luck.
Rubbing St. John Nepomuk for good luck
On the west side of the Charles Bridge I had arrived
in Mala Strana, which is translated in English as
the “Little Quarter” or the “Lesser
Quarter”. This part of town was mostly settled
by ethnic German residents during the Middle Ages.
Mala Strana was created in 1257 when several villages
were amalgamated. One of the well-known landmarks
in this part of town is the Church of Saint Nicholas,
a baroque masterpiece created by the father-and-son
team of Christoph and Killian Dientzenhofer. Starting
in 1703, this impressive church took almost 60 years
to build.
The baroque splendour of the Church of St. Nicholas
Another popular sight in the Little Quarter is
the Palace of Albrecht von Wallenstein, a Catholic
general who was responsible for a string of victories
over the Protestants in the Thirty Years War (1618
to 1648). Wallenstein’s intention was to overshadow
even Prague Castle, and to this end the general
demolished 25 houses, three gardens and a city gate
and built the city’s first baroque palace.
Today Wallenstein Palace is home to the Czech senate
and can be visited only on weekends.
Colourful houses in Mala Strana
On cobble-stoned streets I walked southwards to
reach another popular attraction in Prague: the
funicular railway that has been carrying passengers
up Petrin Hill for almost 120 years. Built in 1891
for the Jubilee Exhibition, this inclined railway
was closed for almost 20 years in 1965 after a hillside
collapsed as a result of coal mining that had taken
place here in the 19th century. Finally in 1985
the funicular reopened and continues to be one of
Prague’s popular landmarks.
Looking out the funicular as we start climbing Petrin
Hill
Having arrived at the top after the 510 metre ride,
I exited into the rose garden that surrounds the
hilltop station on Petrin Hill. After a quick stroll
I arrived at another famous Prague landmark: the
Petrin Lookout Tower, essentially a miniature version
of the Eiffel Tower which was also built in 1891,
two years after the Parisian original. Apart from
the height, a key difference between the two structures
is that the Petrin Tower has an octagonal cross-section
while the Eiffel Tower has a square base. The tower
offers a great view of the Prague skyline.
Prague's unique observation tower
Petrin Hill is covered by a sizeable forest that
is criss-crossed by numerous walking paths. A long
defensive wall called the Hunger Wall snakes its
way through the forest. Originally built from 1360
to 1362, it was part of an extensive fortification
system surrounding Prague Castle. The wall was indeed
constructed during a period of intense famine, and
its construction helped to provide a livelihood
for the city’s poor residents.
A gorgeous view towards Prague's Castle Hill
Once I came out of the forest on a walking path
below Strahov Monastery, I sat down on a bench and
enjoyed the magnificent view over the City of Prague
and Prague Castle. The city was stretching out below
the gardens and orchards of Petrin Hill, and the
curved ribbon of the Vltava River was glistening
in the late afternoon sun.
A colourful feathered visitor on Petrin Hill
After a brief rest I walked one more time through
the Prague Castle Complex, the world’s largest
castle. A mountain bike race was taking place on
the road at the southern edge of the castle. Hundreds
of people were standing behind the roped off areas,
cheering on the hard-driving athletes. After taking
in a bit of the excitement of the race, I continued
my exploration of the world’s biggest castle.
A final look at beautiful Strahov Monastery
Prague Castle was started around 870 AD. The first
Czech rulers, the Premyslids, ordered the construction
of the castle. It was extensively transformed in
the late 16th century when Renaissance style elements
were introduced to the castle’s architecture.
Historic street lights on Castle Hill
The castle complex contains a multitude of historical
buildings such as the Lobkowicz Palace, the Martinic
Palace and the Cernin Palace. The Royal Palace itself
contains Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque influences.
One of the most popular destinations at Prague Castle
is the Saint Vitus Cathedral whose spires have towered
over the city for more than 600 years. The west
side of the cathedral was built at the turn of the
19th and 20th century whereas the east side dates
back to medieval times. One of the most well-known
areas in the church is the richly decorated St.
Wenceslas Chapel that was created in the 13th century.
Looking at the spires of St. Vitus Cathedral
The cathedral was already locked as it was the
end of the day now. Things were noticeably quieting
down. At the eastern gate of the castle I was able
to catch the hourly routine of the Changing of the
Guards. Walking further down the hill, which is
covered by a vineyard, I found my dinner destination
for the evening: Villa Richter, a fine dining restaurant
surrounded by one of the oldest vineyards in Bohemia,
just steps away from Prague Castle.
What a beautiful panorama I had from my terrace
at Villa Richter
Villa Richter has a great outdoor terrace with
a wonderful southerly view over Old Town Prague,
the Little Quarter, the Vlatava River and Petrin
Hill. At its elevated location, this restaurant
offers one of the best panoramic views over the
city. I sat down on the outdoor terrace to enjoy
a delicious salad with baby greens, and a special
Czech dessert: strawberry dumplings whose fruity
sweetness just melted inside my mouth. This was
the perfect touch to end a long and eventful day
of sightseeing in Prague.
A nice dinner at Villa Richter
As the sun started to go down I continued my walk
down the flanks of the vineyards to the Malostranska
subway station and took the subway back to Wenceslas
Square. I walked back to the Hotel Jalta where I
was going to comfortably spend my last night in
Prague.
Cool wall tiles in Prague's subway system
After a two-and-a-half day whirlwind tour of Prague
I relaxed on my bed, watched a bit of satellite
television, checked the Internet and recollected
some of the images of these past few days in my
mind. Prague is definitely one of the most beautiful
cities I have ever visited; no wonder it is among
Europe’s most popular tourist destinations.
Prague's Old Town Hall - a jewel of Gothic architecture
I simply fell in love with Old Town Square, with
Petrin Hill and the Prague Castle complex, not to
mention the beautiful Art Nouveau buildings and
interesting history in Prague’s Jewish Quarter.
There was so much more I did not get to see, including
some of the easy day trips from Prague to places
like Karlstein Castle, Kutna Hora and the spa towns
of Karlsbad and Marienbad. Those are definitely
on the list for next time…
