The Yin and Yang of the Czech Republic

Roberta Sotonoff

Old Town Square

The Czech Republic has two distinctly different vibes to it and they alternate depending on where you go. Seeing modern art galleries and young people filling lively nightclubs makes it hard to believe that this country is also home to Kaftka, a horrible World War II concentration camp and a church with an interior decorated with human bones.

A bit smaller than South Carolina and wedged in central Europe between Germany, Austria and Slovakia, the hilly Czech Republic has a landscape that changes from the crowded, bustling Prague to tiny hamlets and verdant countryside.

Wandering Prague’s cobblestone streets, I am amazed by the architecture. It goes from one extreme to the other–Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and the more modern like cubist and art deco. Old Town Square, the 1,000-year-old Charles Bridge and the Prague Castle complex with its domed and sharp, coned chapel steeples all look like scenes that have been plucked from the pages of a fairy tale.

Prague Castle

One cannot help but be awed by the gardens, churches and small palaces that surround Prague Castle. The castle, a former home to kings and still the seat of power, has been dubbed the Czech “White House.” Perched atop a hill, it commands a sweeping panorama of 10th to 21st-century buildings.

Prague Castle’s neighbor, the Romanesque St. George’s Basilica, dates back to the16th century. But, St. Vitus Cathedral and its soaring towers dominate the area. Originally founded in the 10th century by Prince Wenceslas, the country’s patron saint, this Gothic behemoth was finally completed in 1929 after 600 years of construction. Inside, shimmering light from a multitude of stain glass windows accentuate tombs of former kings. The crypt of St. John of Nepomuk is so ornate you almost need a pair of sunglasses to look at it.

For some of Prague’s best souvenir shopping, visit the Charles Bridge. It teems with people, vendors selling art, jewelry plus every kind of chotchke imaginable. Just beneath the bridge, on the Prague Castle side by the Three Ostriches hotel, discover a hidden gem. Hanging from the walls and ceilings at Truhiar marionette shop are a dazzling array of puppets–everything from a huge Avatar to a small, matronly lady whose glasses move with the jerk of a string. They will make unique souvenirs for children.

Astrological Clock

On the other side of the bridge, Old Town pulsates with people. Classic architecture and the Church of St. Nicholas border the Old Town Square. Centuries old buildings house modern franchises like McDonalds and Hard Rock Café. Just off the square, there is a building that looks like a blue china Wedgewood plate. That’s the former home of Franz Kafka. It houses a small exhibition and pictures of the great philosopher.

But Old Town Square’s big attraction is the 15th century Astrological Clock at Old City Hall. Just before the hour, it is a sea of tourists (and sometimes pickpockets, so be careful). The clock begins its amazing performance with a skeleton turning an hourglass upside-down. Next the 12 Apostles come marching out. A cockerel flaps its wings and screeches and finally the bells toll. An interesting note: The clockmaster who designed it was blinded so that the clock could never be duplicated.
Old Town’s north end, Wenceslas Square, the place to find hotels, shops, strip clubs and often ladies-of-the-evening, is actually a boulevard. It has a huge statue of St. Wenceslas and the Czech National Museum at the end of the street.
That is the upbeat part but Old Town’s Josefov (the Jewish Quarter) reflects the tragedy and doom of World War II. Hitler’s made the Prague Jewish Museum a repository for Jewish treasures. Der Führer planned to use it to display belongings of the “extinct” Jewish race. On the upside, the museum has a stunning collection of Jewish art, textiles, silver and books.

Terezin Cemetery

Most tourist come to Josefov to see the synagogues and the tiny Old Jewish Cemetery. Oddly enough, the cemetery has over 12,000 graves piled atop one another in 12 layers. At Pinkas Synagogue, names of 80,000 Bohemian and Moravian Jews that were victims of Hitler’s ‘Final Solution” and the artwork from the children of Terezin Concentration Camp cover the walls. It is extremely depressing to learn about one of Europe’s darkest hours, but well worth the visit.
Terezin, about 30 miles northwest of Prague, was originally a fortress. At first, the For Red Cross inspections, Nazis used it as a model town to disseminate international criticism of the concentration camps. Later, it became a holding area for 32,000 Jews on their way to Auschwitz. Because of its miserable conditions, over 36,000 people perished at Terezin.
Forty-four miles east of Prague, Kutná Hora has a much brighter past. Now a UNESCO Heritage Site, the former silver mining town is also the site of the 14th-century, Gothic -style St. Barbara’s Cathedral and its huge, soaring spires. (Babs is the patron saint of miners). The path to the church takes about 10 minutes to walk if you don’t get bogged down ogling the panoramic view of the town or the baroque statuary. Inside, St. Barbara’s angels and mining symbols abound but most impressive is the church’s vaulting. It effortlessly leads the eye skyward.

Kutna Hora

Once home to the Royal Mint, Kutná Hora celebrates its legacy at the Czech Museum of Silver. Housed in a former fortress that surrounds lovely gardens, it displays coins dating back to the 1300s as well as an early 15th century chapel. The longer museum tours include a trip into the mine tunnel. Dark, and confining, medieval miners went down as much as 1,650 feet. Even today, with all the modern equipment miners have going into the belly of the earth, it is risky. Then, it must have been life-threatening.

Just up the road from Kutná Hora is an example of the country’s macabre side- Sedlac’s Ossuary. Once, devoted parishioners believed that if your bones were part of this church’s décor, you would be closer to God. So in 1870, František Rint used 44,000 different human bones to fashion eerie creations like chandeliers, garlands of human skulls and a copy of the Schwarzenberg coat of arms (the family who commissioned the work). A boney replica of Rint’s name and the date 1870 hang on the wall as you enter. And even weirder? Tourists flock to have their picture taken under the chandelier with a baby holding a skull.

The Czech Republic is filled with vibrancy and sadness, the bizarre and the beautiful. No matter how much time you spend there, you will never see enough.