Rick Steves Tours Prague at Night
 

Did You Know?

About 60% of the Czech population claim to be atheist, agnostic, non-believer or no-organized believer. The largest denomination is Czechs' traditional faith, Roman Catholicism, estimated at 1/4 of the population .
 
 
 
"It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to."
 
~J.R.R. Tolkien~
 
 
 

Prague Guide

The Rick Steves' tour is fantastic, I highly recommend it! But for those of you who prefer independent travel, arm yourself with the latest Rick Steves' Prague guidebook (it's PACKED with useful information). And hire a private guide for a few hours to breathe life into the historic sites you'll be seeing.
 
Praguewalker

 
 

Day 4

Wednesday, September 26: Jewish Prague & the Velvet Revolution

The day at a glance: A fascinating day of sightseeing today. In the morning we toured the Jewish Town of Prague, with a truly interesting and poignant collection of Jewish heritage sights. In the afternoon we took a walk back in time to the fall of the Iron Curtain that took place in Wenceslas Square in 1989.  This period of time is known as the "Velvet Revolution". In the evening we went to a performance of "Faust" at one of Prague's famous (and somewhat absurd) Black Light Theatres.

 

Legend of Golem

One of the most famous legends of Prague is about Golem, a large clay figure made by a Rabbi in the 16th century to protect Jews from hostile attacks. The Rabbi brought Golem to life, but Golem had a mind of his own and turned more & more violent - attacking Christians, then Jews, then his creator himself. Some say the Golem is still "protecting" Prague to this day although... having a Golem around is at best a mixed blessing.

 
Pebbles & Prayers on Jewish Tombstones
 
Kafka Statue Our Jewish Quarter Guide Barbara Dustin With a Beanie in the Jewish Quarter Heather Shopping in the Jewish Quarter
The Jewish Museum is not a museum housed in a building like you would expect. Instead, it is a series of sights spread out over several blocks. The Old Jewish Cemetery with its stacked graves is a moving sight, as is the Pinkas Synagogue. The Synagogue has the names of all 77,000 Czech Jews who were sent to concentration camps in WWII written on the walls. The statue in the picture on the left is Franz Kafka, famous Jewish author from Prague. Above is Barbara, a colleague of Katka's, who took us through the Jewish Museum sights. Dustin is wearing a beanie above, which is required for men as a sign of respect. Below you can see some street vendor booths in the Jewish Quarter on the left and the stacked graves at the cemetery on the right.
Jewish Museum & Vendors Stacked Graves at the Jewish Cemetery
Dustin & Heather at Tea House We visited Dobra Čajovna tea house in Wenceslas Square in the afternoon. It's a little piece of heaven. Serene "tea monks" bring you tea when you ring the bell at your table. We loved this place. Buddha at Tea House
Tea From the Tea Monks!
National Museum & St Wenceslas Statue   Wenceslas Square
Wenceslas Square in New Town. A very brief timeline:
  • 1968: Soviets invade Prague with tanks
  • 1989: Velvet Revolution ends Communist rule
  • 1993: Czechoslovakia splits into two countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia
Video Clip (01:46)
Wenceslas Square & The Velvet Revolution
Victory!