Czech
Republic
(Formerly
Czechoslovakia)
May-June 2000
The Flags of Czech
Republic and the United States
In May 2001, the band traveled
to Plzen, Czech Republic (formerly Communist Czechoslovakia). The Czech Republic has had an interesting
history even during the 20th century. The area was once known as Bohemia. In 1939, the German Nazis “annexed” the area as part of their
“annexation” of Europe (mostly against the will of the “annexees). Liberated from the Nazis on May 06, 1945 (a
REALLY BIG holiday there), the freedom was short-lived as the Communist party
gained control and held a tight grip on the country until 1989. After 45 years, the Czechs were finally able
to show their appreciation to the Americans for liberating them in 1945. Once considered a hard-line Communist
bastion, the Czech Republic is undergoing an amazing transformation into a
free-market economy. It is a country of
remarkable contrasts between old and new.
I was so impressed with Pilsen and the Czech Republic that I took Beth and Spencer there for part of our summer vacation. The following pictures are a mixture from those two trips.
Standing at the German/Czech
border. I had visions of Cold-War,
Machine-Gun-toting Guards
ready to shoot anyone who looked at them funny. In reality, they were polite, but very
strict.
Forget everything you read
about or saw on TV about this being a bad country.
Five minutes inside the
Czech border, the first sign of a free-market economy appears.
Easy to find your way --
just follow the signs.
Our first stop was the city
zoo, located just outside the city limits.
As we got out of the car, we were greeted by a beautiful view of Pilsen
in the distance.
A view of Pilsen from the
city zoo. St. Bartholomew Church is
visible just to the left of center.
Spencer feeding an ostrich
at the Pilsen zoo.
We checked into our hotel
right on the main square, with a view of St. Bartholomew Church right out our
window. The hotel was nice and clean,
but was 1960's retro like you wouldn't believe. Flashbacks to "GROOVY".
That's our hotel on the
lower right corner.
(Taken from the observation
deck of St Bartholomew church)
Our cool orange phone in the
room.
Check out these glass doors
to the restaurant. Grooooovy!!
Dominating the Republic Square
in the center of Plzen is the St. Bartholomew Cathedral. The original church was completed around
1340, but a fire in 1507 and a lightning strike in 1837 made renovations
necessary. On May 31, 1993, Pope John
Paul II gave the church Cathedral status.
For those adventurers with strong legs, 298 steps lead you up to the observation deck just above the mid-point of the spire. A beautiful view awaits you on a clear day, as you can see.
A view of Plzen’s Republic
Square from the St. Bartholomew Cathedral observation deck.
Here, Spencer is taking
pictures of his own to remember Pilsen.
A view of Plzen’s Republic
Square from the St. Bartholomew Cathedral observation deck.
Another view from the tower
of St. Bartholomew Cathedral.
Visible is part of the town
square and a passing trolley car.
On the east side of St.
Bartholomew Cathedral is a sculpture depicting Christ on the Mount of Olives,
protected by an interesting railing with angels’ heads. One of the heads is glossy and half the size
of the others. This is the result of
centuries of rubbing by residents who believe doing this brings good luck. In this picture, you will notice the
wrought-iron door has 3 sections. On the left-side section, the lucky angel is
the farthest to the right, just above and to the left of the door handle.
The good-luck angel
close-up. (The one most rubbed)
Spencer getting his dose of
good luck.
We stopped in to explore the
Pilsen Armory.
Here, we found weapons and interesting artifacts from centuries
past.
Amerika Street - Pilsen.
A gen-yoo-wine cobblestone
street. Pilsen Square.
The pharmacy on Pilsen
Square.
Another view walking around
Pilsen Square.
Our first view of the Great Synagogue
as we came down the street.
The Great Synagogue. This is the third-largest synagogue in the
world, following Jerusalem and Budapest.
Before WW II, there was a large Jewish community in Plzen. After the war, most of the surviving Jews emigrated
to other countries, leaving just a small fraction of the previous
community. The last regular service was
held in the synagogue in 1973.
Currently, the synagogue is slowly being restored with contributions and
tour entrance fees.
I did not get a good picture
inside of the Great Synagogue, as the lights were off.
Three of the beautiful
stained glass windows in the rear of the Great Synagogue.
The Plzen Opera House. The
band performed here one night.
A more photogenic side of
the Plzen Opera House.
Inside the Plzen Opera
House.
The main entrance to the
Plzen brewery. What does “Plzen” sound
like? How about Pilsen, as in Pilsner
beer. This is the birthplace of Pilsner
beer. Around the 14th
century, there was a lot of BAD beer being made in this area, so the local
Magistrates decided to establish a standard.
They decided that each beer would be poured onto an oak bench and
allowed to soak in. Then the
Magistrates would sit on the bench for one hour in their leather pants. If they stuck to the bench, it was Pilsner
quality. If they didn’t stick, you were
out of business.
Inside the brewery gift
shop. Inexpensive beer ($5 for 24 big
bottles of the finest pilsner), books,
clothes, decorations, glasses, bottle openers, and much more!
Click here to read
more about the history of Pilsner Beer
With all of that good beer
around, the local residents have acquired quite a taste for the brew. Mere bottles or cans are not large enough to
quench a thirst – they bring the beer to the beer tents in 5,000-gallon tank
trucks!
For those who prefer soda,
they sell that too.
We ate at this Italian
restaurant the first night in Plzen. We
had 2 delicious 14” pizzas (oops, only meant to order 1), spaghetti, sodas, and
a large Pilsner beer on tap. Total cost
with generous tip – 400 Czech Crowns, about $11.00
The Italian Restaurant menu. Quite a selection, and the conversion rate
was about 38 KC = $1. Most selections here were about $2-3.
If you prefer American food,
you-know-who is always nearby.
“Ahoy” from Plzen.
Some artwork in
McDonalds. I guess the local monks
brewed a good beer.
There are many parks and
flower gardens around the city. In the
background is the State Scientific Library section of the Institute of
Physics.
The “Thank You America”
Memorial downtown. Shortly after the
Americans liberated Plzen in 1945, the Communists took control of the
country. They didn’t feel as warmly
about the Americans as the Plzen residents did, so the memorial was not built
until after the fall of Communism in 1989.
The memorial reads:
Thank You
America!
On May 6th 1945
The City of Plzen
Was Liberated
By The U.S. Army
The Institute of Physics.
Outside the Institute of
Physics was this weather station, with barometer, thermometer,
and a moving chart for the phases
of the moon.
The musician/composer
Smetana (spelled Smetna in the US) lived in Pilsen part of his life.
Smetana is the guy up on the
stand, in case you're wondering.
Interesting painting on the
front of this hotel.
One of the trolleys. “Hey, buddy, get off the tracks!”
When we travel, I love to
wake up early and walk around as the city comes alive. While out on one of my early morning walks,
I came across this lady painting the daily specials of her butcher shop on the
windows. She graciously allowed me to
take her picture, and was very surprised when I showed her the digital image on
the back of the camera right away.
This area is also well known
for it's brandy. I bought the tall
bottle of plum brandy (second from right) and still have it on my display
shelf. I did have to empty it to ship
it back to the states. I tried a tiny
sip and thought I'd swallowed fire. Too
strong for me. Cool bottle, though.
Some of the vodka from the
area.
The bottles weren't quite as
impressive as the brandy.
These two ladies ran a
crystal/glass shop, where I bought a few souvenirs.
This area was once part of
Bavaria, and is well-known for crystal.
Some storefront window
shopping - ceramics.
More window shopping - ceramics
and crystal.
Well, after walking around
and seeing all of these beautiful sights,
I’m going to sit in a park
bench and relax a while.
Our band (U.S. Air Forces in
Europe) performed that evening on the main square.
We played a lot of Glenn Miller/WWII
-era music and the crowd loved it!
The next day……………
The Pilsen Train
Station. From here, it’s only a little
over an hour (and only 70 cents for 2nd class
tickets/$1.10 one way for 1st class) to Prague. It’s
the deal of the year! We bought
our tickets and boarded the
train for the unforgettable ride to Prague.
The train traveled along the
Beroun River toward Prague. Very
picturesque.
Another nice view along the
Beroun River.
A sailboat out on the water.
The train passed many
villages like this on the way to Prague.
I'd love to stop and
explore.
One of the stops along the
way - Horovice (hor -oh - vee -chee)
One of the train station
workers at Horovice.
OK, I'm no fashion expert,
but, Dude, you need to get another tie.
Passing by Roxycany.
Zbiroh station, on the way
to Prague. Nice.
We're here! The Prague train station. Let's go explore!
As we are leaving the
station, it's like a flashback to the Communist 60's era.
Apparently, the hallways
connecting different gates at the Prague train station
are not high on the list of
renovation priorities of the new government.
Considering the cost of a
round-trip train ride from Plzen to Prague, a distance of about 75 miles,
costs 74 Czech Crowns (about $1.85), I guess I shouldn’t expect
luxury.
That changes as soon as you
step out of the station and into the street, though.
*********************************
Prague
Prague (Czech Praha) is the capital and largest city of the Czech
Republic. It is located in the
northwestern area of the country, in the region of Bohemia. First settled by Slavs in the 5th
and 6th centuries, this area along the Vltava River was later
settled by a group who identified themselves as Czechs between 870 and
880. In the 10th century,
another castle, Vysehrad, was built on the other side of the river by the
leader of the Premyslid dynasty. Under
the Premyslids, Bohemia expanded its territory and came under the protection of
the German-based Holy Roman Empire.
Prague developed rapidly
under the leadership of Charles IV in the 14th century. He began a massive building program to turn
the city into his imperial capital.
Charles IV founded Charles University, one of the oldest surviving universities
in Europe. In the early 1400s, Prague
became the center of the religious reform movement of John Huss, who was later
burned at the stake.
Education and culture have
dominated Prague’s history. Dvorak and
Smetana are two of the most famous composers born here. Mozart lived here and wrote the opera Don
Giovanni (1787) there. There are
several institutes of higher learning dedicated to economics, agriculture,
performing arts, and applied sciences and technology. The Czech Philharmonic and Prague Symphony are both
world-renown. In addition, there are
over 50 theatres in addition to the National Theatre and the State Opera House.
Prague became the capital of
the newly created Czechoslovakia in 1918.
The city was occupied by German forces during World War II. Prague was one of the few cities in central
Europe not seriously damaged in World War II.
After the war, the Communist party took control of Czechoslovakia until
1989. That year, massive demonstrations
in Wenceslas Square led to the downfall of Communism and the return to a market
economy. Although industries such as
aircraft and automobile manufacturing, oil refining, and electronics are very
strong, tourism is promoted extensively.
Wenceslas Square is the main
business street of Prague. About ¾ mile
long, it is lined on both side with stores selling everything from Bohemian
crystal and fine porcelain, to McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken. We didn’t even have a KFC in Germany!!! On the far end of this street lies the old
city square.
Walking along Wenceslas
Square, you can see people from all over the world.
Watch out for pick-pockets,
though. Although serious crime
(muggings, assaults, etc) are rare,
there are plenty of petty thieves preying on tourists.
The old Town Hall located in
the Old Town Square. On the lower wall
is the Old Town Astronomical Clock, which was built at the end of the 15th
century and is adorned with statues of the 12 apostles that rotate each hour.
From the tower of the Old
Town Hall, the Old City Square and a statue of religious reformer Jon Hus.
St. Nicholas Church, Old
Town Square, Prague. View from the Old Town Hall tower.
Looking toward the castle
from atop the Old Town Hall tower.
Two more views of the town
square from atop the Old Town Hall.
As we were leaving the Old
Town Hall, I noticed this interesting
statue with the tower in the
background.
Many artist set up shop on
the Charles Bridge, which was commissioned in the late
14th century by
Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, and was completed in the
early 15th
century. It was later embellished with
statues of saints along both sides.
Some of the many artists
lining the Charles Bridge.
I bought a print from this
particular artist – a drawing of the bridge and the
Prague Castle in the background.
One of the statues adorning
the Charles Bridge
Period-costume musician on
the Charles Bridge. The Prague Castle
is in the background.
St. Gall church. One of many
beautiful churches throughout the city.
I'm getting hungry. Walking along Kaprova St looking for a café.
Hey, this looks
interesting. Food!!
After a good lunch, it's
time to visit the Museum of Torture.
Inside they had music
playing -- a bagpipe/oboe duet. (Just
kidding!!)
Glad I had real food before
I saw this. Every town in Europe has
one.
Here, though, you can get a
McBeer with your meal.
A Skoda convertible from the
60s or 70s. Excellent condition!
Skoda is a Czech company that
built airplanes up until WWII,
then specialized in cars and
trucks. Volkswagen now owns it.
St Wenceslas statue. After reading his bio below, I wonder why they erected a statue??
Wenceslas (1361-1419), Holy Roman
emperor and king of Germany (1378-1400) and, as Wenceslas IV, king of Bohemia
(1378-1419). His weak, ineffectual reign was marked by religious disorder,
civil strife, and near anarchy.
The son and successor of
Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, Wenceslas made his capital in Prague and largely
ignored his German territories, which were rent with wars between the towns and
the nobles; the German princes finally deposed him for drunkenness and
incompetence in 1400, choosing Rupert of the Palatinate in his stead. In
Bohemia Wenceslas fared little better. Harried by relatives and rebellious
nobles, he was imprisoned in 1394 by his cousin Jobst, margrave of Moravia, who
compelled the king to name him regent in Bohemia. In 1402 he was again imprisoned
and temporarily deposed, this time by his younger brother Sigismund. Wenceslas
was an early supporter of the Czech religious reformer John Huss (Jan Hus) but
did nothing to save him from the stake in 1415 and subsequently turned upon his
followers
Microsoft® Encarta®
Encyclopedia 2002. © 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
On our way back to the train
station, we passed this beautiful view of the
National Museum on the south
end of Wenceslas Square.
Within 2
hours, we were back in Plzen.
Hope you enjoyed Prague!
For
more information on the Czech Republic, click on:
(If the page appears in a
foreign language,
click on ENGLISH in the
upper right corner)