While burning at the stake in German town Konstanz on July 6th 1415, Jan Hus screamed: “Truth prevails” (Czech: Pravda vítězí). The “Truth prevails” even became the national motto of the Czech Republic. The motto is believed to be derived from Jan Hus’ phrase “Seek the truth, hear the truth, learn the truth, love the truth,
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Everyone says that cities were during current health crisis completely empty. That was not really the case. Yes, it would be possible to support the claim by waiting a couple of minutes for desired photo bare of all the life forms. But that would be a lie. As Prague was not empty at all. But
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What does a tour guide do when there are no tourists due to the recent health crisis? Starting last week, Prague Castle was open again, after months of being closed. To promote the opening and to get more people in, from 29th May to 1st June 2020, most of the castle objects were opened free
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Exactly 30 years ago, a student protest against communist rule was put down in Narodni street in Prague and this rebellion became known as the Velvet Revolution. Why velvet? Because Czechs like metaphors and velvet fabric is soft and smooth, which translates to peaceful and non-violent. The organisers of the revolution agreed that they would
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The history of the Czech lands is long and complex. Our tour guides painstakingly try to cram most of the crucial topics in our two-hour tours. However, the challenge is monumental. We were always in the middle of things due to our unique location where the influence of many kingdoms and later empires met and
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People say the only certain things in life are death and taxes. I believe that for people who been to Prague, googled Prague or simply heard about the city from others, there is another certainty. That is that they know about the impressive astronomical clock from the early 15th century in the Old Town of
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Today, the Czechs are remembering one of their several painful moments in the history of our country. It has been exactly 50 years since the USSR-led forces have invaded Czechoslovakia. The reason for the invasion was due to the Prague Spring. This was a period in which the Czechoslovak communist government tried to relax some
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In honor of Halloween (a holiday which isn’t really celebrated much here except perhaps as an excuse for a rockin’ themed bar party), this week we’ll re-present a few good, old-fashioned Prague ghost stories which I have taken the liberty of retouching a bit for dramatic effect. Several years ago I worked them up as
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There are many different museums in Prague which cater to many different interests. The largest and most well-known of these is the National Museum, but since its main building at the top of Wenceslas Square is currently closed for reconstruction and will remain so for the foreseeable future, maybe you’re not sure where else you
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During the chaotic history of Czechoslovakia during the latter part of the 20th century, quite a number of its citizens found it necessary to leave, for various reasons, regardless of whatever feelings they might have had towards their homeland. The Nazi occupation of the Second World War, the Communist takeover afterwards, the Soviet invasion of
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