| Prague is a history itself. It's a wonderful,
unique and enchanting city where the past and the present, fairy tales
and reality coexist perfectly. The towers, castles, walls and pavements
of Prague have seen and experienced a lot of historical events with
some tragic and dramatic ones as well. But neither the fires nor the
floods could deprive this city of its beauty and charm. Walking through
the narrow and meandering streets of city's historical center is always
a mysterious and enchanting experience.
Since its foundation Prague has always played an important role
in the history of the Czech state and the whole Europe. As early
as in the Middle Ages it has been famous as one of the most beautiful
cities of the world. It also has been attributed such adjectives
as "golden", "hundred-spired", "the crown
of the world", "a stone dream". Throughout centuries
prominent personalities, famous artists, writers and public figures
paid homage to this beautiful city. W. A. Mozart, L. van Beethoven,
F. M. Dostojevsky, A. Rodin, G. Apollinaire, P. I. Tchaikovsky,
O. Kokoschka and also the British Queen Elizabeth II and Pope John
Paul II confessed their love to Prague and delight to its architectural
beauty. The attractiveness and peculiarity of Prague is reflected
in the works of Jan Neruda, Jaroslav Haszek, Jaroslav Seifert, Franz
Kafka, Max Brod and Egon Erwin Kisch.
Historical center of Prague represents a unique collection of historical
monuments dominated by Prazski Hrad (Prague Castle) the Czech rulers'
residence, which towers high above the city. The architectural look
of Prague combines all European artistic styles and movements. The
historical core of the city is situated on both banks of the Vltava
river and consists of 6 parts - formerly independent urban units
unified in the 18th century. They are: Stare Mesto (Old Town), Josefov
(the preserved part of the former Jewish Town - today a part of
the Old Town), Nove Mesto (New Town), Mala Strana (Smaller Town),
Hradcany and Vysehrad. Naturally, most of the historical monuments,
museums and galleries are concentrated in these parts of the city.
Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic. It has been developing
into its present-day shape for eleven centuries. Nowadays it covers
a total area of 496 square kilometers. The whole population of Prague
is about 1,187,000 inhabitants. Almost three million tourists come
to visit this beautiful city every year, making Prague the main
center of tourism in Eastern Europe. The historical center of Prague
including almost 2000 cultural monuments is a monumental record
of the city's thousand-year development. It is given a status of
Urban Memorial Reservation. In 1992 Prague was included into the
UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
Prague is a city with rich cultural life. There are so many cultural
events going on at the same time in city's theatres, museums and
art-galleries that it really hard to track them all. Czech capital
is also one of the economical and educational centers of Eastern
Europe. The University of Prague is one of the oldest and the most
famous one in Eastern Europe. A lot of modern enterprises and banks
are located in city's business districts. The cozy city's cafes
and restaurants with summer terraces offer rest and relaxation after
a day filled with sightseeing and business meetings.
Prague always has something close and attractive to everyone, so
that you won't ever regret visiting this great city. A lot of people
after coming to Prague once then come there again and again.
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