PRAHA- Česká Republika

Transcription

1 - Česká Republika FROM THE SERIES: CITIES OF EUROPE Video: DVD, 11 minutes, 2004 Addressees: pupils from the age of 10 at senior schools, elementary schools and grammar schools Keywords: EU extension, the capital of Czech Republic, cultural and political centre, flourishing under Charles IV, Charles Bridge, Hradčany, St Vitus Cathedral, Old Town, Josefov(Joseph Town) - the Old Jewish Quarter, synagogues, Old Town Hall, Astronomic Clock, Václav Square, Prague Spring 1968, democratic revolution Chapters: 1. Charles Bridge 2. Prague Castle, St Vitus Cathedral 3. Žižkov, TV Tower 4. Josefov 5. Old Town, Town Hall 6. Prague by Night In the same series appeared:bratislava Slovensko; Warszawa Polska; Kraków Polska; Budapest Magyarország; Wien Österreich Ein Film von Rainer Hahn Assistance: Simona Bachledová, Jana Bryjová, Conni Goldstein, Annerose Hahn, Sigrid Hoge-Körnig, Meggi Kölzer, Jakub Ľudma, Natalia Mervartová, Rastislav Pjontek, Wibke Seifert, Miroslava Suchánová, Katarína Frečková Speaker: Ted Norris Content: The film introduces the capital of the Czech Republic, which lies on the banks of the river Vltava and belongs to the most beautiful cities in the world. It presents a city rich in religious and secular buildings, built by the best European architects at requests of kings and emperors. The landmark of the city - the Town of Hradčany - looms over the river Vltava. It used to be the residence of Bohemian rulers; at the present time it is a presidential residence. The film gives an account of the golden era of Prague s history under the reign of Charles IV, but also remembers the dark times during World War II, when the former lively and prosperous Jewish community of the city was almost completely destroyed. Today, we experience Prague in its previous beauty and as a modern political and cultural centre in the heart of Central Europe. Solution suggestions to the worksheet: 1a) golden city, the hundred-spired, the city of legends,stone dream, Vltava 1b) 22 1c) Charles Bridge, 30 statues 1d) Prague Castle,St. Vitus Cathedral etc 1e) St.Vitus Cathedral, 600 years 1f) in 10 th century, presidential seat 2a) Jozefov/Josephtown, 13 th century, two Jewish districts already in b) Charles University, CharlesIV. 2c) Powder tower, ceremonial building 2d) gunpowder storage 2e) astronomic clock with puppet apostles 2f) alchemists tried to make gold 3a) Charles IV. 3b) Rudolf II. 3c) throwing of the city councillors out of the town hall windows, 30-years-war 3d) Marie Therese, Joseph II, abolition of servitude, manufactures 3e) a) 1.January b) Jan Hus, Kafka,Kisch, Brod,Neruda, Hašek, Němcová, Havel 4c) plastic babies 4e) 10 years, two terms Praxis Unterrichtsfilm Draisendorf Wiesenttal 1

2 Film text to PRAXIS EDUCATIONAL FILM Film text: Prague, the Golden City, the city of a hundred towers, the city of legends, the city of literature, of Kafka and Švejk and the capital of the Czech Republic. Prague is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. An advantageous geographical location in a valley crossed by the river Vltava helped the place to become a metropolis. The oldest bridge in the world, the Charles Bridge. A place for sightseeing, admiring paintings, listening to the street musicians or marvelling at the 30 sculptures of Saints on both sides of the bridge. Those who have already experienced the atmosphere of the bridge understand the saying: It is as lively there as on the Charles Bridge! The Charles Bridge. It was built in 1357 in Gothic style, named after its builder Charles IV. It connects the Old Town with Malá Strana the Small Quarter, the city district below Prague Castle. The road up to the Town of Hradčany. The bridge towers of Malá Strana served as the Charles Bridge fortification. And the Baroque St Nicolas Church in Malá Strana. Prague Castle in the Town of Hradčany the residence of the Bohemian rulers. It is the largest castle in the world with its foundations on an area of 7.2 hectares. St Vitus Cathedral in the Town of Hradčany a monumental Gothic structure. Bohemian kings were crowned as well as buried here. The Bohemian Crown jewels are kept in the Crown chambers. The seven locks to the chamber door can only be opened by the seven key owners together, one of them being, for example, the Czech President or the Secretary of State. When the sun lightens the inside of the Cathedral, it glows with a wonderful light. The highest tower of the Cathedral. It carries the biggest church bell of Bohemia, and the famous golden gate with its mosaic. Having been the political centre of the country for more than a thousand years, the castle has survived many battles the last one was nonviolent: during the democratic revolution of 1989, thousands of demonstrators requested the election of Václav Havel for the President of the state with a shout Havel to the Castle. Nowadays, the Castle is the presidential residence. Opposite Malá Strana and the Town of Hradčany lies the Prague Old Town. In the background the city district Žižkov with a modern television tower. Enormous plastic babies on the tower remind of the year Prague was the European cultural capital for one year. The plastic dolls were brought to the tower as a part of a skilful artistic action. At the present time, Prague, a city of millions, is again a significant European metropolis with important conferences and congresses taking place in its buildings. The Old Town its streets and alleys have been reconstructed by restorers and builders with a lot of skill and artisan craft. More than a thousand years ago, Jewish businessmen lived in Prague and were part of a lively trade. The first Jewish settlement was founded in the 13th century. Later the settlement turned into a city with its own government, schools and synagogues. During World War II, German fascists almost completely destroyed the formerly prosperous Jewish community. Today, the Jewish community counts only a few members. The Old-new Synagogue in Josefov, the Old Jewish Quarter, and the Old and New Jewish Cemetery remind us of the Prague s Jews. The Powder Tower, the former gunpowder storage, the monumental entrance gate to the Old Town and the beginning of the Royal Walk. 2

3 Film text to PRAXIS EDUCATIONAL FILM (continuation) Film text (continuation): Next to it there is a representative house, the so called Community House an Art Noveau building standing on the site of the former royal court. Nowadays, it is the venue of international music festivals such as the Prague Spring and important public events. The Prague Old Town, the oldest city district and one of the most beautiful ones. The history of the city on the river Vltava was in constant change. Between the World Wars, Czechoslovakia was an independent democratic state, whose gross domestic product was higher than that of its neighbour Austria. After the end of World War II, the shadows of the Communist dictatorship covered the country and its population for 40 long years. The Old Town Square with the Baroque St.Nicolas Church. The emperors and kings have brought the best European architects to their court and let them build the lavish religious and secular buildings. The historical centre of such complexity cannot be found anywhere else in the world apart from this metropolis on the river Vltava. The Old Town Hall at every even hour a lot of tourists gather here in order to see the change of the puppet apostles on the Astronomic Clock, which begins with the appearance of Death, holding a sandglass and funeral bells. For 500 years every day at even hours the apostles have been passing the narrow clock windows. At the end there is a cock s crow. Prague by night. The old beauty shines in a new glitter. Everything seems completely different. The streets are vibrant. From the political point of view Prague as well as the Czech Republic is considered to be on its way back to Europe. Due to its location in the heart of Central Europe, the Czech Republic has got good relationships not only with its former Central and Eastern European partner states but also with its new Western European ones. Again, Prague is an important political and cultural focus in Europe. The Václav Square in the New Town with the equestrian statue of the Duke of Václav, the son of Charles IV. In the background, at the end of the square, is the National Museum built in Everything is reminded from Charles IV, to whom the city owes a lot. Towards the end of his reign, Prague was the third largest city after Rome and Constantinople. The National Theatre on the bank of the river Vltava called the Golden Little Chapel by the citizens of Prague. The Town of Hradčany. Busy life on the Old Town Square also by night: The audience applauds the thrilling performance at the Town Hall Astronomic Clock. 3

4 Supplementary material to PRAXIS EDUCATIONAL FILM HISTORY OF PRAGUE: 8. cent. - foundation of Prague can be traced back to Libuše, the first legendary Bohemian duchess 9. cent. - the first settlements of the Western Slavic tribes of Bohemia and the Hradčany Castle on the Vltava riverbanks 10. cent. - building of Vyšehrad Castle Tradesmen and craftsmen of diverse nations settled here and participated in the commercial development in a decisive way the first written reference to the City of stone and lime by the Arabic-Jewish merchant Ibrahim Ibn Jacob appeared foundation of the Prague episcopate Around two Jewish townships already existed Under Přemysl, Luxemburg, Jagiellonian and Habsburg rulers Prague attracted scientists, scholars and artists. The city developed steadily, although political and religious situation in Prague was not always favourable. Prague significantly developed under the reign of: Přemysl dynasty Vladislav II - connection to Friedrich Barbarossa, commercial development, reconstruction of Prague Castle and Jewish Bridge, today the Charles Bridge Václav I. (Wenceslas I.) - building of the Prague Old Town, city rights Přemysl Otakar II. - also known as the King of iron and gold, Malá Strana built, Magdeburg Law introduced Václav II. (Wenceslas II.) - cultural policy, plans to establish a university His plans were taken into effect by his grandson Charles IV. Luxemburg dynasty Johannes of Luxemburg - the father of Charles IV. Charles IV, Prague s most significant ruler, founded Prague University, New Town, churches and monasteries, church treasures gathered, archbishopric founded Under the reign of his son Václav IV, (Wenceslas IV.) Prague became the centre of the revolutionary Husit Movement; Prague lost its former status of the imperial capital. His successor Jiří (George) of Podĕbrady tried to emancipate church denominations in Bohemia and initiated cooperation of european rulers, a forerunner of European Union 4

5 Jagiellonian dynasty Under Vladislav Jagiellonian, a weak ruler, there were problems with defiant bourgeoisie. Habsburg dynasty after the battle of Mohács (Hungary), the Habsburg Monarchy restored, including the Hungarian Kingdom Ferdinand von Habsburg - a strict ruler Rudolf II. supported philosophy, science and commerce. (Legend has it that he favoured Rabbi Löw, who built Golem and Laterna Magica. In turn, he was allowed to build a palace for himself and a new synagogue. Besides, the king supported alchemists, who lived in Golden Lane in Prague Castle, and tried to produce artificial gold and searched for the philosophers stone). Under Ferdinand II. Prague returned to Catholicism; commerce and culture could not develop, the population of the city decreased. Royal residence was moved to Vienna. (In Hradčany, an uprising began, when the Emperor s vice-regent was thrown out from the Eastern window of the Bohemian office - it was the so-called Prague Defenestration, which triggered the Thirty Years War.) The Czech Republic Capital: Praha (Prague) Citizens: 10,3 mil. Area: km 2 Official language: Czech (Western branch of tsslavonic languages) Minorities: Slovaks, Polish, Germans, Roma (Gypsies) Political power: 1. government 2. bicameral parliament 3. president Political parties: ODS, ČSSD, KDU-ČSL, US, ODA Currency: Czech Crown The last important rulers, who revived Prague, were Marie Therese and her son Joseph II. By means of his reforms, he greatly contributed to the general advancement of the country. Reforms of these enlightened rulers also influenced the life in the capital. After the abolition of servitude in 1783, many peasants from the country moved to Prague. They looked for jobs in the new industries and manufactures. The first suburbs arose outside the city walls. The first railway was built in 1843, the first swimming pool in 1830, and many other purpose-built edifices followed termination of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy Prague became the capital of the independent Czechoslovak Republic WW II - Prague occupied by German troops origin of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic Prague Spring - demonstrations against the Communist regime, Warsaw pact troops occupy Czechoslovakia; street skirmishes turn into bloody fights the first line of the Prague underground in operation 17. Nov thousands of students and Prague citizens gather in Národní třída (National Street) to protest against Communist totalitarianism. The beginning of the so-called Velvet Revolution, a non-violent coup d'état 12. March Czech Republic joined NATO 1. May Czech Republic joined EU Prague became the capital of the independent Czech Republic Citizens: Administrative division: 22 districts Area: 496 km 2 5

6 Prague The capital of the Czech Republic is one of the most significant areas of monument conservation. Since 1992, the historical centre with an area of 866 hectares is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Prague coat of arms bears the inscription Praga caput rei publicae, which means Prague, the capital of the republic. Ever since its founding, Prague has always played a significant role not only in the history of the Czech nation, but also in Europe. In the Middle Ages, Prague enjoyed a reputation of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and its name was adorned with attributes such as golden, the hundred-spired, the crown of the world and the stone dream. Famous personalities paid tribute to the city for centuries. Prague s charm and splendid architectural monuments fascinated many historic and contemporary celebrities: W. A. Mozart, L. van Beethoven, G. Apollinaire, P. I. Tschaikowski, F. N. Dostojewski, A. Rodin, O. Kokoschka, as well as the British queen, Elizabeth II and the pope, John Paul II. The city is also reflected in the works of great Czech poets and novelists such as Jan Neruda, Jaroslav Hašek, Jaroslav Seifert, Franz Kafka, Max Brod and Egon Erwin Kisch. Prague represents a unique complex of architectural monuments. High above the historic city centre looms Prague Castle. It is an example of all architectural styles and trends. The Prague historic centre stretches along the banks of the river Vltava and consists of six parts, which used to be independent towns, united in the 18 th century. These are: the Old Town, Josefov (Josephtown), which is the only preserved part of the former Jewish quarter, the New Town, Malá Strana (the Small Quarter/Lesser Town), Hradčany, which is the castle district, and Vyšehrad. In these areas are concentrated all the best-known sights, museums and galleries. Prague, as one of nine other cities, was in 2000 awarded the title European City of Culture by the EU Council of Culture Ministers. 6

7 Václavské / Wenceslas Square The monument was erected in 1912 and it is work of important Czech sculptor J.V. Myslbek. The bronze equestrian statue of the duke Václav / Wenceslas, the famous Czech king, is surrounded by statues of the four Bohemian saints: St. Ludmila, St. Prokop, St. Aneška, and St. Vojtech. Wenceslas Square Orloj the astronomic clock THE OLD TOWN The old royal walk runs from the Republic Square up to the Castle. A dominant building in the square is the Ceremonial House with a façade in the style of Art Nouveau. Famous Prague designers at the beginning of the 20 th century worked together on the building s final shape. The Old Town pedestrian zone passes Jan Hus Memorial and other historic buildings. Jan Hus ( ) was an important figure of Czech history and an outstanding religious reformer. The mighty memorial, erected in 1915 on the occasion of the 500-years-anniversary of his death, belongs to the most distinguished Art Nouveau sculptures in Prague. It was intended as a symbol of Czech national uniqness. Jan Hus sharply criticised the Catholic Church and therefore, he was burned at the stake in The Stone Bell House is one of the few preserved Gothic apartment houses and it contrasts with the adjacent Baroque Goltz-Kinsky Palace. The Church of Our Lady before Tyn offers a short insight into contemporary Czech artistic skill. The Old Town Hall consists of several buildings. Its story began in 1338, when king John of Luxemburg accorded the increasingly powerful town the right of selfgovernment, and thus to set up a town council. Gradually, the former corner house acquired further buildings. Some of the rooms of the Town Hall are available to public, who have to climb 138 stairs to get a nice view of the city. Every hour, the famous Orloj - astronomic clock from the 15 th century attracts swarms of tourists, who watch and photograph the puppet apostles as they appear in the small windows above the clock. At the end of the square, there is Baroque St. Nicolas Church, in which classical concerts take place. a puppet apostle Ceremonial House 7 St. Nicolas Church and Jan Hus Memorial (right)

8 Charles Bridge Through the the Old Town Bridge Tower opens the view of Charles Bridge, whose origin goes back to the 14 th century. Tourists from all over the world stroll by the thirty sculptures standing on top of the bridge walls. Various merchants, musicians and street painters vie each other in order to win the passers-by attention. The Old Town Square As early as in the 12 th century, there were wooden and stone houses in the Old Town Square, in which lived probably the first generations of Czech merchants. Even then, there was a market place here, which was the centre of everyday life. Today, the square is still a focal point of the city. The façades of houses and churches in the Old Town represent a colourful mix of architectural styles from several centuries. Numerous cafés and restaurants offer a refreshing break during a long sightseeing tour. The Old Town Bridge Tower A foundation stone of the Powder Tower was laid in 1475, under the reign of Vladislav II Jagiellonian, on the place of one of the thirteen Old Town fortification towers. The tower was designed by a master builder of the time, Matthias Rejsek. From the beginning, it mostly served for ceremonial purposes because it stood next to the royal court - where there is the Ceremonial House now - and there were other defensive devices in the town. However, after the commission of the royal court at the end of the 15 th century, the tower remained unfinished for years. A provisional use as a gunpowder storage gave the tower its present name. It was as late as in the 19 th century, when the formerly late- Gothic tower gained its present shape in Neo-Gothic style. The tower is 65m high and there are 180 stairs to climb to reach a gallery. Powder Tower 8

9 MALÁ STRANA Malá Strana (Small Quarter or Lesser Town), with numerous fine residential houses, has got a noble image, which it gained during the reign of Rudolf II, when Prague was the imperial seat. St.Nicolas Church, a Baroque masterpiece, adorns the Malá Strana square. The façades of the houses offer an outline of architectural history. HRADČANY Hradčany, the Castle district, is a vast complex of historical sights such as the old Royal Palace, St. George Basilica and St. George Monastery. In the third courtyard, stands St. Vitus Cathedral. Its building started in the middle of the 14 th century and handwriting of the many designers can still be recognised. In Golden Lane, the small buildings look like toy houses huddling together up the castle hill. Franz Kafka used to live in one of them. The Castle The Old Royal Palace is supposedly the largest tenanted castle in the world. From the 9 th century, with the exception of short breaks, it has been the centre of politics and power in the whole of Bohemia. Even today, the president of the Czech Republic resides here and receives international visits. Numerous kings and queens left behind a lasting architectural legacy. St. Vitus Cathedral When Charles IV commissioned the building of a cathedral, several Romanesque buildings stood in its place. A French master Matthias von Arras led the building works, which began in Twelve years later, the works were taken over by Peter Parler from Germany. He was followed by many others. Eventually, 600 years later, this monumental tabernacle was completely finished. It is 124m long; the transept is 60m wide and 33m high. The main spire is almost 100m high. The main point of interest is Svatováclavská (St.Wenceslas) Chapel with priceless frescoes, inlaid with plates of gemstones. 9

10 Golden Lane The famous picturesque little street, also called Alchemist lane, has developed into a tourist attraction perhaps due to a legend. Supposedly, under the auspices of King Rudolf II, alchemists worked here to produce artificial gold. Although this does not correspond to reality, it did not destroy the reputation of this place. Originally, royal guards used to live in the lane with tiny little houses directly at the city walls. Later, it became a home for the poor people of the town. In some parts, the lane was only one meter wide and the sanitation was extremely poor. Franz Kafka used to live in one of the houses. At the present time, the tiny houses have been turned into souvenir stalls, and they profit from tourism. Theatre Prague has got a rich cultural and nightlife. Apart from the National Theatre and State Opera, there are plenty of smaller but not less popular theatres, e.g. Laterna Magica, Divadlo na provázku (Theatre on a string), Semafor, etc. with European repute. There is also an avant-garde theatre and the New Stage within the National Theatre, which introduced an imaginative mixture of film, ballet, light effects and pantomime. Franz Kafka Prague men of letters Music The Czech Philharmonic orchestra (Česká Filharmonie) from Prague enjoys an excellent international reputation. Due to its musical artistry and brilliant performances, it is easily recognisable and highly valued. Božena Nĕmcová Literature from and about Prague is, among others, connected to the name of Franz Kafka ( ), whose gloomy depictions of hopelessness of an individual in discord with his social circumstances, gained worldwide recognition. However, there is a great amount of other Czech authors, who are at times pushed into oblivion by this great figure of Czech literature. One of them was Egon Erwin Kisch ( ), a vigorous reporter. He is known not only for his social criticism of Prague every day life, in which he exposed the reality of unemployment, poverty and underworld, but also for his travel coverage of Europe, the USA, the former Soviet Union and even China. His reports and stories, striving for authenticity, have set a high standard for later generations of journalists, although today, as it seems, it is not of a great value for many. A precursor of this tradition - to expose the life of ordinary people - was Jan Neruda ( ). His renowned work, The Small Quarter Stories, offers a depiction of small-town life in this part of Prague in the late 19 th century by means of detailed portraits of typical characters. While Neruda s fame did not cross the Czech borders, a contemporary of Kisch and Kafka achieved a similar international repute: Jaroslav Hašek ( ). His most famous character of the brave private Shveik, whose naiveté ridiculed bureaucratic gratuitousness and rigorous military discipline, found a large audience not only due to translations into several languages, but it was also set to music, film and theatre. One of the most widely read Czech woman authors is Božena Nĕmcová ( ). Her main work, the novel Grandmother, has lived to see 350 Czech reeditions. 10

11 Geography Prague lies in the North-West of the Czech republic, between nothern latitude, and eastern longitude. The average altitude is 235 m ASL. Most of the city is located in a wide valley of the river Vltava, and the rest sprawls over nine hillocks surrounding the valley: Letná, Vítkov, Opyš, Vìtrov, Skalka, Emauzy, Vyšehrad, Karlov and the highest of them Petřín. The part of Vltava directly crossing the city is 23 km long, with an average depth of 2.75m, but it can also be up to 10.5m deep. The river makes a big turn in the city and flows around eight small islands. Five tributaries debouch into Vltava on the left bank and four of them on the right. Population Approximately 1, people live in Prague, which is more than one tenth of the entire population of the Czech Republic. However, the majority is dispersed in the numerous suburbs and new housing estates in the outskirts of the city. The historic inner city has just got 40, 000 citizens. There are about 20,000 unemployed, which represent 3.4% of the Prague population (survey of 2002). Public administration The city of Prague is divided into 57 wards and 22 districts of administration. Every ward has got a mayor, a council and a local government. The highest office is served by primátor, in English the city mayor, who tends to the affairs in Prague with the help of a council. Altogether, they form a municipal government, in Czech called magistrát. The city budget, all decrees and regulations have to be approved by the Prague municipal government, which is also called a city parliament. It deals with issues of communal self-government and partly of the city government, as well. The local authority is in charge of management of individual wards. The 22 local authority units cooperate with magistrát on the government of the whole city. Economy Big businesses and industries include: machine engineering, electrical engineering, chemical and pharmaceutical industry, vehicle engineering; clothing and food industry, consumer goods and building materials, as well as film industry. There are a lot of real estates for office buildings, trades, logistics and production. The industrial areas are predominantly located in the North and South-East of Prague. However, the most substantial source of income for the city is tourism. Minorities Prague has always been a multicultural place. Apart from the Czechs, a great portion of the population were also Germans. Thus, for centuries, it was a German-Czech city. There were even two similar universities; one of them was German and the other Czech. There was also a lively Jewish community, which contributed to cultural diversity of the city. Prague Jewish synagogue has remained preserved until the present time. Nowadays, Prague can rightly be called a cosmopolitan city. Many students from all over the world read at Charles University and foreign business owners have also moved into the city. 11

12 Education At the present time, the modern in Prague is intermingled with the historical. The TV tower (left) in Mahler Gardens of Žižkov, was built between With climbing figures of babies, a work of art by David Černý, it is visible from a great distance. Being 474 metres high, it is the tallest structure in Prague. Modern lifts, which move at the speed of four meters per second, take visitors to a lookout positioned at the height of 97 metres offering a breathtaking view of up to 100 kilometres in diameter. The transmitter broadcasts the signal of 3 TV channels, radio signal of 6 UHF programmes and telecommunication signal including mobile operators. The tower also serves for meteorological and environmental monitoring. Apart from the oldest university in Central Europe, Charles University - founded in 1348, there was also the first Technical College in Bohemia. Today, there are six more universities here, especially for studying art or music and other state and private educational institutions. The Czech Academy of Science, whose beginnings go back to 1784, has its seat in Prague, too, as well as a lot of other research institutes. Museums The oldest, largest and also most famous is the National Museum in Wenceslas Square, with additional rooms in Lobkowitz Palace, Lapidarium, Antonín Dvořák Museum and Bedřich Smetana Museum. History of Prague illustrates the Museum of the Capital City of Prague. Prague is a European transport junction. In the West, there is a motorway connection, which runs through Plzeň to Nuremberg, Germany; and in the East, the motorway, in the direction of Brno, links Prague with Bratislava. Important railway stations are: the Main Station, Holešovice and Smíchov. The airport is in Ruzyně in the Northwest of the city. Over 200 flights a day depart from the airport to more than 70 destinations. Apart from that, Prague has also got a port on the river Vltava. Czech cuisine Typical elements of the Czech cuisine are dumplings, or knedlíky in Czech. They can be served to every meat or sauce. Leavened dough is also used to make popular buchty, which are special sweet cakes with jam, cheese or ground poppy seed filling. Can you say Bon appetite in Czech? Dobrou chuť! 12 Venison with dumplings

13 Worksheet to PRAXIS EDUCATIONAL FILM 1a) What are Prague s attributes and which river runs through it? 1b) How many districts has Prague got? 1c) What is the name of the Prague s oldest bridge and how many statues adorn it? 1d) What is in Hradčany? 1e) In which church were Bohemian kings crowned? How long did it take to build it? 1f) When was the Prague Castle errected and what is its purpose today? 2a) When did the oldest Jewish settlement originate and what was its name? 2b) What is the name of the oldest university in central Europe and who founded it? 2c) What buildings form an entrance to the Old Town? 2d) What was the function of the Powder Tower in the past? 2e) What is the Old Town Hall famous for? 2f) What did the dwellers of the Golden Lane produce? 3a) What is the name of the most famous Prague ruler? What was his contribution to the development of the city? 3b) Which Habsburg king supported philosophy, science and commerce? 3c) What was the Prague defenestration and what followed it? 3d) Which two Habsburgs introduced great reforms and what was their effect on the life in the city. 3e) When did the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy terminate? 4a) When did Prague become the capital of Czech republic? 4b) What personalities of literary and political life are connected to Prague? 4c) What is the Prague TV tower famous for? 4d) Can you name any Czech dishes? 4e) How long was the well-known dramatist and politician of the Velvet Revolution, Václav Havel, Czech president? 13

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