Wonders of Prague

Petr David

[text] Petr David, Vladimír Soukup ; [photography] Zdeněk Thoma

This superb photographic publication presents the most beautiful, significant and interesting architectonic, cultural and natural sights of Prague. The book is conceived as a heritage trail; it leads the reader through the city and the first steps lead to the very heart of the Czech Kingdom, to the Coronation Chamber of the St. Vitus Cathedral. Then we gradually explore the rest of the city on its pages: the gem of Czech gothic - the Prague Castle and its gardens, the charming Royal Summer Palace, built by Ferdinand I as a gift to his beloved wife queen Anna. In the Hradčany Square we stop at the Schwarzenberg Palace, go to Loreta and the New World. On our walk through Prague the ancient Vyšehrad, the pride of our bygone history, must not be left out. We gradually get to know the city, its palaces, churches, monasteries and convents and interesting burgher houses, and from the ancient history we get to the last century, which gave Prague for example the cubist houses below the Vyšehrad Rock. From the busy streets we head to the pretty renaissance building - the Star Summer Palace - set in lush greenery of a game preserve of the same name; another summer residence is one of the architectonic gems of its time - the Troy Castle and its French park built on a low terrace above the Vltava on the northern edge of the city. Prague is surrounded by magnificent nature. Prague gardens are a proof of that, including the Zoological and Botanical ones, and so are the suburbs, where we can admire for example the villas in Baba, the Wild Šárka Valley or the Prokop Valley.