A Tour Of Mala Strana And Petrin Hill With Prague's Mini Eiffel Tower
As the late afternoon sun had come out, I was continuing my action-packed day in Prague
. After a guided tour through Pragues Jewish Quarter, a savory and informative lunch in Pragues oldest kosher restaurant, followed by a tour of Municipal House, Pragues Art Nouveau masterpiece, I had just finished a boat tour on the Vltava River that gave me a completely different view of Prague from the water. Our knowledgeable captain had shared many stories about Prague and enriched us with countless historical tidbits about this fascinating city.During my last few hours in Prague I was planning to explore Mala Strana, one of the main historical areas on the west side of the river. Crossing the famous Charles Bridge, I passed by the 30 baroque religious statues that line the bridge. My stroll continued past various street artists, painters and souvenir vendors who were displaying their merchandise right on top of this historic river crossing. One of the bridges statues had attracted a large crowd of people lining up. I was wondering what the big commotion was all about, so I joined the queue myself. As I moved along I realized that everyone wanted to rub the plaques on the statue of St. John Nepomuk, the Czech martyr saint who was executed in the 14th century when he was thrown into the Vlatava. The plaques have been polished to a shine by the thousands of people hoping for good luck.
On the west side of the Charles Bridge I had arrived in Mala Strana, which is translated in English as the Little Quarter or the Lesser Quarter. This part of town was mostly settled by ethnic German residents during the Middle Ages. Mala Strana was created in 1257 when several villages were amalgamated. One of the well-known landmarks in this part of town is the Church of Saint Nicholas, a baroque masterpiece created by the father-and-son team of Christoph and Killian Dientzenhofer. Starting in 1703, this impressive church took almost 60 years to build.
Another popular sight in the Little Quarter is the Palace of Albrecht von Wallenstein, a Catholic general who was responsible for a string of victories over the Protestants in the Thirty Years War (1618 to 1648). Wallensteins intention was to overshadow even Prague Castle, and to this end the general demolished 25 houses, three gardens and a city gate and built the citys first baroque palace. Today Wallenstein Palace is home to the Czech senate and can be visited only on weekends.
On cobble-stoned streets I walked southwards to reach another popular attraction in Prague: the funicular railway that has been carrying passengers up Petrin Hill for almost 120 years. Built in 1891 for the Jubilee Exhibition, this inclined railway was closed for almost 20 years in 1965 after a hillside collapsed as a result of coal mining that had taken place here in the 19th century. Finally in 1985 the funicular reopened and continues to be one of Pragues popular landmarks.
Having arrived at the top after the 510 metre ride, I exited into the rose garden that surrounds the hilltop station on Petrin Hill. After a quick stroll I arrived at another famous Prague landmark: the Petrin Lookout Tower, essentially a miniature version of the Eiffel Tower which was also built in 1891, two years after the Parisian original. Apart from the height, a key difference between the two structures is that the Petrin Tower has an octagonal cross-section while the Eiffel Tower has a square base. The tower offers a great view of the Prague skyline.
Petrin Hill is covered by a sizeable forest that is criss-crossed by numerous walking paths. A long defensive wall called the Hunger Wall snakes its way through the forest. Originally built from 1360 to 1362, it was part of an extensive fortification system surrounding Prague Castle. The wall was indeed constructed during a period of intense famine, and its construction helped to provide a livelihood for the citys poor residents.
Once I came out of the forest on a walking path below Strahov Monastery, I sat down on a bench and enjoyed the magnificent view over the City of Prague and Prague Castle. The city was stretching out below the gardens and orchards of Petrin Hill, and the curved ribbon of the Vltava River was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
After a brief rest I walked one more time through the Prague Castle Complex, the worlds largest castle. A mountain bike race was taking place on the road at the southern edge of the castle. Hundreds of people were standing behind the roped off areas, cheering on the hard-driving athletes. After taking in a bit of the excitement of the race, I continued my exploration of the worlds biggest castle.
Prague Castle was started around 870 AD. The first Czech rulers, the Premyslids, ordered the construction of the castle. It was extensively transformed in the late 16th century when Renaissance style elements were introduced to the castles architecture.
The castle complex contains a multitude of historical buildings such as the Lobkowicz Palace, the Martinic Palace and the Cernin Palace. The Royal Palace itself contains Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque influences. One of the most popular destinations at Prague Castle is the Saint Vitus Cathedral whose spires have towered over the city for more than 600 years. The west side of the cathedral was built at the turn of the 19th and 20th century whereas the east side dates back to medieval times. One of the most well-known areas in the church is the richly decorated St. Wenceslas Chapel that was created in the 13th century.
The cathedral was already locked as it was the end of the day now. Things were noticeably quieting down. At the eastern gate of the castle I was able to catch the hourly routine of the Changing of the Guards. Walking further down the hill, which is covered by a vineyard, I found my dinner destination for the evening: Villa Richter, a fine dining restaurant surrounded by one of the oldest vineyards in Bohemia, just steps away from Prague Castle.
Villa Richter has a great outdoor terrace with a wonderful southerly view over Old Town Prague, the Little Quarter, the Vlatava River and Petrin Hill. At its elevated location, this restaurant offers one of the best panoramic views over the city. I sat down on the outdoor terrace to enjoy a delicious salad with baby greens, and a special Czech dessert: strawberry dumplings whose fruity sweetness just melted inside my mouth. This was the perfect touch to end a long and eventful day of sightseeing in Prague.
As the sun started to go down I continued my walk down the flanks of the vineyards to the Malostranska subway station and took the subway back to Wenceslas Square. I walked back to the Hotel Jalta where I was going to comfortably spend my last night in Prague.
After a two-and-a-half day whirlwind tour of Prague I relaxed on my bed, watched a bit of satellite television, checked the Internet and recollected some of the images of these past few days in my mind. Prague is definitely one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited; no wonder it is among Europes most popular tourist destinations.
I simply fell in love with Old Town Square, with Petrin Hill and the Prague Castle complex, not to mention the beautiful Art Nouveau buildings and interesting history in Pragues Jewish Quarter. There was so much more I did not get to see, including some of the easy day trips from Prague to places like Karlstein Castle, Kutna Hora and the spa towns of Karlsbad and Marienbad. Those are definitely on the list for next time
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