Visiting Prague

Summary: history of the legend of Slavic princess Libuše integrating the history of the Vyšehrad and Prague itself.

Prague, the cosmopolitan capital of the Czech Republic, located along the Vltava River, in the middle of the Czech basin. Today, about 1.2 million people live in Prague, which is about 12% of the population of our country. Its populated area (about 500 km2) make it the largest city in the Czech Republic. Because of its prosperity and beauty of its monuments, the historical heart of Prague was placed on UNESCO’s list of protected monuments in 1992. Fairly, it is said that Prague is the most beautiful capital city in Europe.

The origin of the city of Prague goes back to the 7th century and the Slavic princess Libuše, the mother of the Přemysl dynasty. She was a great, intelligent woman and with extraordinary prophecy powers that gave her some visions about the way Prague took until it become the magnificent city that it is now.
Together with her husband, a humble ploughman by the name of Premysl they ruled peacefully over the Czech lands from the hill of Vyšehrad, a beautiful place where you can find Prague hotels, close to nature and history. One day, while facing the river Vltava pointed to a forested hill she spoke her vision:

“ . . . I see a large city, whose fame touches the stars . . . There in the woods by the Vltava River you will find a person who is hewing the threshold (práh) of his home and in accordance with this, you will name the city Praha (Prague) . . . ”
The princesses ordered her populace to build a castle where a man was building the threshold of a house. Her prophecy was follow and some two hundred years later, the city of Prague became the seat of the Premyslid dynasty.
It is thought that maybe because of the princess Libuše’s prophecies in the in the 11th century the first Bohemian King Vratislav II ordered to build in Vyšehrad the Capitular Church of St. Peter and Paul. Over the years the Church was rebuild but Charles IV.  sgave it a high-Gothic form in the 14th century. The Styled Baroque reconstructed came in 1720s and finally the church gained its neo-Gothic features in the 19th century. Both towers high pseudo-Gothic were added between 1902 and 1903. The present appearance come from Mocker Neo-gothic changeover which starts in 1885 and was finished in 1903.
You can compare spires of Church of St. Peter and Paul with Prague Castle St. Vitus Cathedral spires that comes from the equivalent time.
The inside of the church is adorned mostly with Art Noveau wall paintings. Inside of the church is the picture of Virgin Mary from the 14th century, an excellent Gothic painting, it is the most valuable one.
In Vyšehrad you can’t miss the cemetery. It is an significant resting place for many important people of the Czech Republic like composers, artists, sculptors, writers, scientists and politicians. Wonderfully ornamented and arranged with great care and respect towards names like A. Mucha, B. Smetana, A. Dvorak, it is nowadays more of an art object itself. In the graveyard rest common vaults of the most deserving men and women of the nation - Slavin - the group most responsible was the Svatobor Association. That’s why the name Slavin.
Once in Prague you can’t miss Vyšehrad (in the red line of the subway), a rich place with great park when you can play with your children, make a picnic, do joking or walk your dog, simply enjoying the nature.

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