Prague

The Czech capital was first established over 1000 years ago on the river Vltava, at the crossing of ancient trade routes. Medieval Prague originally grew up as four separate towns, which were united into a single city in 1784. In the mid-14th century, Bohemia’s “Golden Age,” the Czech King and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV made Prague his Imperial capital after adding the New Town, which transformed Prague into one of Europe’s largest cities. Prague flourished during this time, as Gothic churches and monasteries were built, the first university in Central Europe was established in its capital and monuments such as the Charles Bridge were erected. Since this “Golden Age,” Prague has endured a turbulent history fraught with religious wars and cultural and economic decline. It was under the rule of the Hapsburgs on and off from 1526— 1620 and then continuously from 1620—1918. During World War II, the Nazis occupied Prague and after the war, until 1989, it endured Soviet occupation.



The Prague of today stands as a living monument to the overthrow of Communism in the eastern bloc countries. From 1946 to 1989, the Czechs found ways to oppose Soviet domination. Dissenters rallied in 1968 under the leadership of Alexander Dubček, who restored freedom of speech and rehabilitated political prisoners. This time of rebirth and independence was known as the Prague Spring. Within a year, the Soviet leadership manifested its staunch opposition to the Czech reform. In August of 1968, Soviet tanks rolled into Prague and clamped down on protesters; eight months later, Dubček was removed from office in favor of Gustav Husák, a leader sympathetic to Moscow. For the next twenty years, the dissident movement existed underground. Samizdat (underground) literature, theatre, and music circulated privately. Shows of public protest were few but remarkably effective. In 1969, Jan Palach, a student at Charles University, set himself on fire as a sign of opposition to the government. In 1977, Václav Havel led a group of dissidents in signing Charter 77, a statement protesting the violations of human rights by Czech authorities; by 1989, over 1,500 individuals had signed the charter. Throughout the 1980s, signs of dissent grew stronger. And in 1989, following Gorbachev’s rise to power, the dismantling of the Berlin wall, and the revolution in Poland, Czechoslovakia staged its own revolution, led by Václav Havel and his party, the Civic Forum. This virtually bloodless revolution was overwhelmingly supported by the Czechs and was appropriately named the Velvet Revolution. Havel was made president, a position that he has held since. The Czech Republic today is a country in transition. It joined NATO in 1999 and is a candidate for “first wave” acceptance into the European Union.

The climate in Prague is similar to that in New York City. Summers are pleasantly warm but can be extremely hot at times; winters are cold but usually not bitter. Spring and fall are usually moderate and lovely, but springtime can be quite rainy.

Related links:
Czech Foreign Ministry
Czech Castle
Delegation of the European Commision to the CR
Euro-Czech Forum