User:Mashaunix/Bury Tomorrow

born and raised in Prague – parents, grandparents, and teachers told me stories of our history school in England changed my perspective – this is a unique and comfortable country after uni fell in love with travelling and decided to connect my work to it with my stories I hope to shed light on some of the meaning behind the beautiful views

US EMBASSY – ownership Schönborn Palace from the 17th century, huge gardens Kafka 1917, then the US ambassador Richard Crane bought it diplomatic police checks since 9/11 many embassies around but none so large and with such special treatment but there is one bigger, the Russian – Russia X NATO dichotomy still strong in our politics

ST NICHOLAS – counter-reformation – red sign – quarter and district grand St Nicholas church from the 18th century – peak of the Czech baroque the country is full of stunningly ornate Baroque art and architecture but there is a political motivation beneath the beauty an aesthetic conquest – the Austrian counter-reformation this church replaced a smaller gothic church that had been used by the protestants it is masterwork of Dientzenhofer, born in Germany but famous in the Czech lands as typical, it is packed with paintings and sculptures, and has a massive organ by the end of the century, it was played by Mozart, who came to premiere Don Giovanni he visited Prague many times and was revered here almost as a sort of rockstar but he did not speak Czech – assist up to 5!

NERUDA – 26 kings we are on the royal path, which the king of Bohemia took to enter the cathedral for his coronation 26 kings underwent this solemn ritual with the entire city in festival mode the kingdom was established around 1000 by the Premyslids, who defeated Great Moravia most famous coronation in 1346 – Charles IV, who ruled much of Europe from Prague later Prague was ruled from Vienna, but the emperor still came to be crowned in the 17th century, he had a shortcut built – house still cut in half this was soon after a large fire damaged Lesser Town, so we see houses from the same period keep your eyes out for symbolism – here we see descriptive pictures over doorways

1) VIEWPOINT – communist peaks Strahov monastery convent above us, Lesser Town (St Nicholas) and the highest points of the city a) St Vitus cathedral, which is the centre of the Prague Castle 2nd biggest castle complex in the world – 70,000 square metres/750,000 square feet architectural mix – from early 10th century St George towers to copper Baroque tower on St Vitus b) Žižkov TV tower – built in 1985-1992, marks the end of the Cold War – ugly or beautiful? c) Petřín Viewpoint Tower – shining red star of top the St Nicholas church also connected to communism – clock tower was used by the secret police

(PETŘÍNKA) – seasons – water good to drink – refill day of love on 1st of May (epic romantic poem by Mácha) – blooming apple trees May and early October best times to visit – nature – next stop funicular middle station, watch out for sharp turn

2) NEBOZÍZEK – economic history highest viewpoint – uniform prefabricated panel houses on the horizon behind Letná most visible communist legacy, house over 500,000 in Prague/3 million across the country communist ideology was oppressive but at least was not a complete disaster economically transition into capitalism created a good balance – world's smallest social gap free healthcare & education, 3-year maternity leave, cheap public transport low wages and low costs, service oriented economy, all tax c15% flat 2% unemployment (lowest in EU), Prague top 5 visited city in Europe but Czech often don't realize how good they have it – close-mindedness and passivity persists

TOWER – cheating Eiffel Czech tourist club at 1889 Paris expo, built in 6 months for 1891 Prague expo 5 times smaller but same reach, 300 step both ways, lift in the middle, (Communist star) funicular and mirror maze (Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Slovakia) also built for the expo (18th century St Lawrence church – Old Catholic Church cathedral) Hungry Wall: built under Charles IV, saved some poor from a famine

(OBSERVATORY) – doom of Slovakia rose gardens, anti-slug catmint barriers (urban legend about student blocks) Štefánik observatory for popular astronomy – dedicated to the Slovak founder of Czechoslovakia MR Štefánik – astronomer, pilot, French army officer, Defence Minister 1918-19 one of three who seized the opportunity of WWI to work for the destruction of the Austrian Empire allied not on the basis of history, but language – the union lasted for the better part of a century but Štefánik crashed (conspiracy theories) and the country centered in Prague

MONASTERY – philosopher's stone one of the oldest and biggest, founded by Premonstratensians in the 12th century St Roch church built by emperor Rudolf II around 1600 made Prague his seat for its art and science – invited the best alchemists and astrologists though his empire was torn by rising religious conflict, his only concern was finding the philosopher's stone he built this church to appease "God" – the Catholic church Baroque remake in 17th/18th century – Basilica of the Assumption, Theological Hall, Brewery (!)

LORETA – two crises another work by Dientzenhofer – saintly statues, 27 melody bells, Capuchin monastery behind fake windows on the house – because of tax Černín palace built for powerful diplomat, today Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2 flags) (EU since 2004, but strong Eurosceptic wing (no desire to adopt the Euro + potential Czexit)) Edvard Beneš – Foreign Minister 1918-1935, president 1935-8 (Mnichov) & 1945-8 (coup) complex figure – great statesman who came on tough and controversial decisions (humble statue)

3) CASTLE – two presidents Matthias Gate, early Baroque structure named after the Emperor who had it built (Wrestling Titans – motive from Antiquity) entrance into presidential area – presidential standard (Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia) Truth Wins – chosen by TGM (1850-37) – from poor Moravian half-Slovak to philosophy professor to founding father – seen as moral authority, greatest Czech, First Republic as a golden age posters contrast him with current leaders – Miloš Zeman appears drunk in public and maintains few relations (Russia and China over EU) – re-elected 2018 with 51% of the vote, 30% in Prague

(HOUSE NO. 8) – Korbelová two famous Czech-Americans – Madeleine Albright born here in 1937 as Marie Jana Korbelová, emigrated in 1948, became a succesful politician and diplomat, kept a Czech interest Czechoslovak director Miloš Forman emigrated in 1968, went on to do One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Amadeus (1984, one scene shot here), died 2018

GARDENS – Ferdinand's pasttimes Ministry of Defence behind us, Royal Garden in front of us (open April-October) through the castle runs the Deer Ditch, which was used as a royal hunting ground in the 16th century, emperor Ferdinand wanted more leisure space for his court and commissioned Italian artists to transform this side of the ditch into a Rennaissance masterpiece – unique Sgraffito technique on the Ball Room (hosts cultural events in the summer) – watch out for bumpy roots

BELVEDERE – Tycho and Dalibor the crowning jewel of Ferdinand's project – named for the view, but there are other names in the reign of Rudolph II, it was used by Tycho Brahe and named the “mathematical house” many also call it the Summerhouse of Queen Anne to put more emphasis on the Polish empress to the left is the Deer Ditch and the oldest remaining part of the castle the towers were part of the original fortifications and often served as prisons

4) BRIDGES – two bridges, two leaders 5/20 bridges on Vltava (flows from the south to the north into Elbe) first is Charles Bridge – originally Stone/Prague Bridge – key East-West trade connection last is the Railway Bridge between Vyšehrad and Smíchov – built around 1900 for industrialization the Villa of Kramář's – built 1914 by Karel Kramář who became first Czechoslovakian PM in 1918 made into PM's official residence by Vaclav Havel after the revolution (Havel – dissident playwright of the Prague underground, imprisoned for over 4 years – co-led Velvet Revolution and became president, made friends ranging from Dalai Lama to Rolling Stones) current PM – Andrej Babiš – second richest Czech, tripled his wealth since entering politics in 2011, broke up leftXright 2-party dichotomy with the non-ideological ANO – prosecuted on corruption charges, criticized for conflict of interests and StB background (9 parties in parliament, mayor's seat in Prague occupied by the Pirates)

5) BEST – three levels the city of a 100 spires layer 1 – Old Town until the National Theatre (+ Jewish Town inside) layer 2 – New Town – National Museum behind Old Town Square layer 3	Smíchov – former industrial zone (Staropramen chimney), now major residential centre	Vyšehrad – “High Castle” – one of the oldest places in the city, recommended to visit	Pankrác – bussiness district with skyscrapers	Vinohrady – beautiful residential area, good for local culture	Žižkov – around TV tower, many pubs, named after Hussite military leader Jan Žižka	Vítkov – largest equestrian statue in Europe, Catholic crusade defeated in 1420	(Karlín – formerly a nasty area, gentrified after floods in 2002)

STALIN on drugs centre of Letná (Summer Park) named for giant statue from the Stalinist dark age of Czechoslovakia underneath are extensive nuclear shelters (many metro stations built deep for the same reason) statue only lasted for 7 years, blown up in 1962, which marked the beginnings of liberalization Prague Spring halted by 1968 Soviet invasion, but the „underground“ carried on the spirit youth culture emerged from this in the 1990s – rock & electronic music, grafitti, skateboarding drugs (hanging shoes) – no posession charge, lots of alcohol + weed, police go mostly after meth Stalin is now one of the biggest summer party spots and the bunker entrances serve as bars

(NA BAŠTĚ) – 130,000 Letná is located above Old Town but frequented by residents of Prague 6/7 field hosted biggest concert in Czech history in 1996 – 130 000 to see Michael Jackson behind it the Sparta Stadium – one of two major Prague football clubs, rivaling Slavia

CHASE ISLAND – post-Christianity named for a dogfight arena – now also connected to youth culture (Mystic Sk8 cup) between Holešovice and Karlín – furthest out of the centre we get magistrála – built in the 70s, cuts south through the city on the border of New Town in Karlín we see massive office buildings built since the floods in Holešovice we see the chalice – a Czechoslovak Hussite church from the 1930s Prague has over 150 churches belonging to many denominations, this being the newest but now 90% of the population identifies with no religion (75% across the country) most churches get small congregations but the main value is now aesthetic, not religious two reasons – abandonment of Austrian-imposed Catholicism -> Communist ideology instead, there is a vague secular spirituality – interest in Eastern religion – vegetarianism

JAN PALACH – burning philosopher Rudolfinum – 19th century, Czech National Revival – symphony (Dvořák) and painting (Mánes) Pinkas synagogue – one of seven in Josefov – and Old Jewish cemetery behind commemorates the 80,000 Holocaust victims – 2/3 of Czech Jews at the time we see second story windows – it is on the medieval street level Faculty of Philosophy – offers courses in the humanities the square is named after a student, Jan Palach, who burned himself alive in January 1969 he protested the loss of spirit of the Czechoslovaks in the wake of the 1968 invasion new memorial represents him (silver) and his grieving mother (copper)

KLÁROV – Beneš V Heydrich 1938–45 – to those that suffered and fought against the Nazi occupation in 1940, Beneš established provisional government in London, linked to the resistance Czechoslovak pilots joined the Battle of Britain – Josef František was the top ace (lion with wings – gift from the British government) in late 1941, Reinhard Heydrich – the chief of Gestapo – entered Prague, executing hundreds and drafting his second „final solution“: "Germanize the Czech vermin", Beneš retaliated by Operation Anthropoid, the only succesful assassination of a high-ranking Nazi Heydrich was just on his way to Berlin in May 1942 – he was to be transfered to France the assassin's machine gun jammed, and Heydrich stopped to retaliate – he was then hit by a bomb he succumbed to his wounds one week later – Hitler ordered two villages wiped out but meanwhile, Beneš had created his own „final solution“...

KAFKA – existential dread Pissing Statues made by sculptor David Černý – pissing contest inside the country Franz Kafka – most famous Prague writer – a Jew who wrote strange and dark stuff in German Metamorphosis story an unknown clerk in his lifetime, he wanted his friends to burn his works when he died – check out the Charles Bridge from underneath!

(CANAL) – devil's love the Devil's Canal creates Kampa Island, with a park and modern art gallery couples lock their love forever, but it's only until the local administration cuts it down

LENNON – rock for freedom rock music was a source of inspiration to the Underground – illegal concerts belongs to the Maltese Knights, located opposite the French embassy convenient locations where political statements have been made since the face of Lennon in 1980 – cross a street and back to the office!