Prague----A Mysterious City of Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche said, “When I sought for a word to express music, I found Vienna; when I sought for a word to express mystery, only Prague came to my mind.”

Architecture museum

It had nothing to do with Jolin Choi’s song Square of Prague that I knew Prague and went there. Actually, had my ex-colleague not mentioned it, I would never have known the song. Maybe I am indeed outdated. I knew the city from Prague Spring and gradually knew about Alexander Dubcek, Milan Kundera, Franz Kafka and Velvet Revolution and Prague was on my mind since then.

The extensive historic centre of Prague by Vltava River including the Prague Castle has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Nietzsche said, “When I sought for a word to express music, I found Vienna; when I sought for a word to express mystery, only Prague came to my mind.”

With a great amount of architecture of different historical periods and styles, Prague is home to Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Art Nouveau and Surrealistic buildings and especially features Baroque and Gothic building styles which emphasize creative designs and sophisticated techniques as well as a number of colorful paintings and sculptures. Ascending the mountains, you will see the red roofs throughout the city interspersed with golden, green and yellow pinnacles of churches. The beautiful view also well illustrates the changes of different eras.

Omnipresence of Charles

A man must be mentioned in the history of Prague, and he is Charles IV, the pride of Prague. Charles IV, the King of Bohemia, King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor, was a scholarly king who strived to build Prague into a cosmopolitan city that can match its position as the capital of the empire. His visits to other countries helped him make the blueprint for the city and he himself participated in the city planning of Prague and had towers, city walls as well as castles built in and around Prague. It is worth mentioning that Charles IV founded the University of Prague, which was the first university in Central Europe. He also engaged famous scholars to teach in the university and by the time of his death, the university had had 110,000 graduates. Charles IV also made Prague an archdiocese and gained autonomy for the church of Bohemia through his teacher Pope Clement VI. Therefore, his name is seen everywhere in Prague like the famous Charles Bridge over Vltava River, Charles Square and Charles University and Charles Castle. If you go farther, you may even find Charles’ Hot Spring in the famous hot spring city in west Czech.

Charming Old Town

The castle area and Old Town are the most attractive areas in Prague which are divided by Vltava River and connected by Charles Bridge. The castle area is the highest place in the city and has been the residence of the royal family. After extensions in several centuries, the place not only houses many majestic buildings and cultural relics but is also home to the president of Czech. A number of architectural styles from the ancient Roman foundation to postmodern buildings in wartime can be found in Prague Castle where each era has left its marks.

Katedrala sv. Vita is the most important landmark in Prague Castle. Besides its rich architectural features, it is also the place where the royal family held coronations and rest. It is indeed magnificent. Not until then did I realize my lens couldn’t take a panorama of the cathedral. Though the square surrounding the cathedral is grand, I just couldn’t make it for the cathedral is too high. How I regret not taking my wide angle one. After trying several times, I finally gave up. Visitors need to buy a ticket to visit the interior of the cathedral. Without a ticket, one could only see one third of it and would miss its large amount of exquisite stained glass. Mounting the cathedral, you will get a bird’s-eye view of Prague. Most of the buildings in Prague are characterized with red roofs. A few days later when I remounted the cathedral after snow, I found the whole city is blanketed with white snow, giving off a special flavor.

Standing on the flagstone path of Charles Bridge and leaning against the old railing, you will find it a great pleasure watching the flowing Vltava River while enjoying the breeze and bathed in the sunshine. What’s more, the fine sculptures and stately castle are a feast for the eyes. A flock of gulls hovering around and screaming and swans flying over or swimming in water form such a beautiful picture. They were so close to people that I was amazed by the harmony between man and wildlife in the city. For a moment, I felt as if everything had been in a dreamlike world.

Walk through the city

I find the best way to tour Prague is by walking. Despite the developed public transport system that connects every corner of the city with subway andbus, the cost is a little bit high. Prague is actually not large and it doesn’t take you much time to go somewhere by foot. Besides, you can also feel the cultural ambience of the city better without missing out on something valuable.

The Old Town Square, not so majestic as the Castle Square, is more crowded than the latter especially after nightfall. It was one of the most important fairs in the 11th and 12th centuries in Central Europe. Rich merchants from different areas of Europe built gorgeous Baroque mansions around Old Town Square. Despite the same style, these buildings vary from one another. The hotel I lived was converted from such a luxurious mansion.

A clock tower built in 1410 stands on the square. Though the exterior layer of the tower wall has peeled off partially, the exquisite astronomical clock in it is well known all over the world. On the hour, the windows above the clock open, the clock rings and the Twelve Apostles appear in the windows one after another. This sophisticated and amazing clock built by a bench worker in the middle of the 15th century still works well and has become a precious work of art today.

The clock consists of three components: "The Walk of the Apostles", a calendar dial and the astronomical dial. On the hour, the skeleton flanking the clock signifying the lapse of time rings the bell and keeps nodding and immediately all the other figures flanking the clock shake their heads, side to side, signifying their unreadiness "to go". After the Twelve Apostles passed the windows above the clock one by one, the golden rooster above crows and flutters its wings to declare the end of the strike. The astronomical dial represents the position and movement of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displays various astronomical details. Twelve pictures depicting the scenes of farm work in twelve months are below the clock. An angel and three citizens stand on the two sides of the calendar plate. This clock with unique artistic characters has attracted tourists throughout the world.

Tyn Cathedral is the most eye-catching building in Old Town Square and it is in almost every photo of mine taken at the square. If high Gothic buildings were to create a majestic air, then Tyn Cathedral perfectly illustrates such a concept.

It is a simple pleasure to have a glass of beer at an alfresco café bar in the Old Town Square. The surrounding historical buildings make you feel as if you were in a museum. You would be easily intoxicated by the vibe created by beer, BBQ and ancient buildings.

Prague actually has no special natural scenery but the cultures of East Slav and Latin as well as in North Germany and West France have been integrated to form the multiculture of Prague and to show its special characteristics to the world.

Words & Photos / Wu Qiang