Prague, Czech Republic : the western city in East Europe

Many people think of Prague together with Paris, Vienna and other European cities.  When we visited Praque in late September this year, we could see fashion show in the street, thousands of tourists in every parts of the city and enjoyed the warm weather. 

Prague is the capital city of Czech Republic.  The Vltara River flows through the city and provides it an easy mean of transportation and water. 

(Beautiful mechanical clock tower near the city square)

Many people may still remember the Prague Spring that induced the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Soviet Union and its allies in 1968.  In fact, Prague is also the home of an early church reformer, Jan Hus.  As a priest and a scholar, Hus had voiced out for reform in the Catholic Church early in the 14th century.  His stature in the city square was painted in black when the Soviet tanks entered the city after the Prague Spring.

(Jan Hus stature in the city square)

When you are in Praque, you will not miss the Prague Castle.  It stands close to the Vltara River and overlooks the city.  It was used by the former Habsbury emperors.  Franz Kafka's Le Castle wrote about the stories of its nobles and ordinary people in the Castle.  The President office of Czech Republic is now housed there.

(Local students attending their lesson in the Praque Castle) 

(Tomas Masaryk, the first President of Czechoslovakia)

Walking down the Castle, you will reach the Vltara River.  You can cross the river by the famous Charles Bridge.  There are many beautiful statures along both sides of the bridge.  You can see the city buildings along the river.

(City view from the Charles Bridge)

(Bridge tower of the Charles Bridge)



Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic : a romanic medieval town

On our way to Prague, the capital city of Czech Republic, we stopped over in Cesky Krumlov for one day.  Cesky Krumlov is a small town in the Bohemian region.  Its history can be traced back to the medieval time.  The town has been carefully restored with its original castle and town houses.  We prefer to stay in such lovely small towns when travelling in Europe. 

(Town of Cesky Krumlov surrounded by River Vltava)

(Local vendors in the medieval town center)

(School girls dressed up for performance)

Lords of Krumlov built the Gothic castle in the hill overlooking the town of Cesky Krumlov early in the 13th century.  The castle and the town preserve their original presence in the past centuries. The Czech government has succeeded in listing Cesky Krumlov in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Monuments in 1992.  Tourists from around the world are drawn to this small medieval town.

(Entrance gate to the Castle)

 

(Museum and watch tower in the castle)

(Time clock on the wall)

(Spot lights lighting up the castle at night)

Within an hour ride, we reached Ceske Budejovice.  It is the main city in the South Bohemian region.  It has a beautiful town square and many catholic churches.  Its Budweiser Bier was first made over three centuries ago in 1785.  When you are in Ceske Budejovice, you can try the original Budweiser.

(Water fountain in the town square center)

(St. Nicholas Catheral and the Black Town)

Vienna, Austria : art and architecture

Vienna has been the capital city of the Austria Empire for several centuries.  The city has drawn in a lot of talents around Europe to build up its impressive art and architecture.  Recently, my wife and I visited Vienna.  We were able to see a few of its baroque architecture and modern buildings.   

The Schonbrunn Palace is a good sample of the baroque  architecture. It was originally a royal pleasure and hunting ground.  Under the reign of Empress Maria Theresia in the 18th century, Schonbrunn was transformed into a show piece of baroque architecture.  Its beautiful painting and sculpture inside the palace offer lovely setting for musical events and performing arts.  The grand garden landscaping is ideal for staging of out door festivals, ceremonial occasions and firework displays.  

(One of the two fountains in the entrance courtyard of the Palace)

(Brass casting inside the Palace)

(Lovely garden facade in the Palace)

(Classical sculpture in the garden)

Vienna also has many interesting modern architecture.  The Hundertwasser House is one of them.  It was built by the Viennese artist, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, in 1985 as a public housing.  The building was decorated with artistic facades and roof gardens.
This reminds me of the Gaudi architecture in Barcelona, Spain.

(Exterior decoration of the Hundertwasser House)

(Small fountain in the house entrance)

Vienna is also well known for its musical art. Vienna Boys' Choir and the Vienna Orchestra are world famous.  That is why Vienna has many great musical halls.  The Vienna state opera house, Staatsoper, is located in the city center.  Next time you are in Vienna, you should visit it and enjoy one of its musical shows.

Budapest, Hungary : search for Hungarians' ancestors

River Danube flows through the beautiful Budapest, which is the capital city of Hungary and a gateway to Eastern Europe.  This ancient city has many interesting spots waiting for tourists to explore. 

More than two thousand years ago, this was the frontier city of Roman Empire in the Lower Pannonia region.  Romans stayed in the west bank of River Danube.  "Barbarians" were kept in the east of the river. 

Hungarians do not take these Romans as their ancestors.  Instead, they trace their roots to the Magyars who came from northeast and settled in Hungary in the ninth century.

(Leaders of the seven tribes in the Heroes Square)

(Hungarian parliament building in the east bank of River Danube)

(Bridge across the River Danube joining the former cities of Buda and Pest) 

(Hungarian Royal Palace overlooking the river cruises)

King Stephen I who had unified the country in the 10th century was recognized as the first king of Hungary.  He also led his country in conversion to Christianity.  His right arm (the Holy Right) was kept in the St. Stephen's Basilica.  There are organ concerts held in the basilica during summer .

(St. Stephen's Basilica)

Budapest was not only the frontier city of the Roman Empire, it also stood between the Austrian and the Ottoman empires.  In the fifteenth century, Budapest was under the rule of Ottoman Turks for about ninety years. 

(Monument in the Hungarian Royal Palace commemorating the defeat of Turks)

There is an interesting question for historians.  Were Huns related to Hungarians?  Huns, the horse riding nomads from central Asia, moved into eastern Europe in the fourth century.  It was a general belief that Huns induced the eventual downfall of the Western Roman Empire.  If you are interested in history, you can read more in Maenchen-Helfen, Otto. The world of the Huns: studies in their history and culture. London: University of California Press, 1973.