The main architectural landmark of Prague is considered to be the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul. Every year, millions of tourists visit the Czech capital, and none of them will pass by their attention. Visegrad- an ancient fortress, which was once an independent city, and over time became part of Prague.
The history of the Church of Peter and Paul dates back to 1070. ancient legend says that King Vratislav I personally took out 12 baskets of earth from the foundation pit dug for the construction of the temple, and then laid 12 stones in its foundation. Thus, Vratislav intended to repeat the deeds of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine.
Almost nothing remains of the ancient temple now. Ever since the 15th century Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul was destroyed by the Hussites, its endless restructuring and change began architectural styles. The last extensions were erected at the beginning of the 20th century by the architect Josef Motzker.
Prague Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul: 5 reasons to see
How to get to the Church of St. Peter and Paul?
In order to get to the Prague Church of Peter and Paul, you can use numerous excursions offered by almost all tour operators. If you prefer travel alone then take into account a few tips:
- You can use the metro - line "C" to the station Vyšehrad. It's about 2-4 stops from the city center.
- Hikers will love the route along the Vltava embankment from the New Town to Vyshegrad.
Usually, experienced tourists arrive in the following way: come by metro, visit the Church of Saints Peter and Paul and other sights of Vysehrad, and then go on foot to Nove Mesto. This route avoids the tiresome walking up the hill.
Prague is one of the most mystical cities in Europe, and possibly the whole world. G. Mairipk, a writer and financier (according to rumors, who used forbidden occult tricks in the fight against competitors), gives his definition of the uniqueness of Prague: "Other cities, no matter how ancient they may be, seem to me slaves of those who live in them; they are like as if disinfected by some strong sterilizing acid - Prague manages its inhabitants like puppets: pulling their strings from the first to the last breath "... The magical essence of the city is best manifested in the low season, when autumn or spring fogs entering Prague from the rivers Vltava - Moldau, return the full rights of citizenship to the ghosts of different centuries and eras.
The modern capital of the Czech Republic was made up of four cities: Hradcany (which grew up around the royal fortress - Grad), the commercial and university Old Town (Stare Mesto), founded for the German colonists by King Premysl Otakar II, the Mala Strana quarter and, finally, erected by Emperor Charles IV New town(Nove Mesto). Each of these cities had its own laws, rights and privileges. They merged into a single administrative system only in 1784. If we add here the ancient chivalrous Vysehrad and the Old Jewish Town, united with Prague only in 1850, then there are already six Prague cities.
The ancient Slavic city was founded in the 9th century by the prophetess princess Libushe near the town of Melnik, where at the confluence of the waters of the Vltava and Laba, the paths of Cech, Lech and Rus diverged.
The most ancient ghosts surround two Prague strongholds, which acted as anti-sexuals in history - the imperial residence Grad and the disgraced Vysehrad, with which, however, the first events of Czech history are connected. The wise and beautiful princess-prophetress Libuse, the founder of the Vyshegrad fortress on a rock above the Vltava, ordered the hero Přemysl to be brought to her directly from the plow in order to make him her husband. From their marriage came the dynasty of Czech kings. After the death of Libushe, her friends tried to defend the matriarchal order in the famous war of the maidens, but were defeated.
It is believed that even after her death Libuse did not lay down the burden of caring for her people. Her messenger - a headless knight - appears under the walls of Vysehrad. He is instructed to find out how the Czechs live in the Czech lands, and inform his mistress about it. (Folk belief in its poetic vision does not consider the absence of a head an obstacle to this task). If Libuse gets word that the Czechs need her help, she can stand up for her people. It is said that under the cliff on which the Visegrad Castle was erected, the knights of Libuše have been sleeping for more than a thousand years, ready to wake up at the word of their mistress.
The legend tells that Libuse, accompanied by young maidens, often went to the bathhouse under the walls of Vysehrad. It is believed that when twilight falls on Prague, beauties from the past millennium appear at the place where they served their mistress, and their enchanting singing can reach the late traveler. In fact, the romantic Libuse bath on the south side of the fortress is the ruins of a 15th-century watchtower: river boats brought food here and lifted it up through a hollow in the rock.
The gloomy spirits of pagan times swirl, gathering near the City. They come from an era when the ancient gods of the Slavs desperately resisted the advent of a new faith. The founder of the Castle, Prince Boriva (850-895), together with his wife Lyudmila, was converted to Christianity by the creator of the Slavic alphabet Methodius. Borivoi had a son, Vorotislav. He himself was a good Christian, but his wife Dragomir, although she was baptized, followed pagan customs. After the death of Vorotislav, Dragomira became the ruler-regent under her young son Vyacheslav. A pagan not only by faith, but also by character, Dragomira was distinguished by an indefatigable temper. Surrounding herself with like-minded people, she tried to turn the history of the Czech Republic back, reviving the pre-Christian order. Lyudmila tried to make sure that Dragomira was removed from the affairs of government. But the treacherous princess cruelly took revenge on her mother-in-law. The assassins who were sent broke into Lyudmila when she was praying and strangled her. It happened in 927. Popular legend tells of the terrible end of Dragomira.
Once she left the Prague Castle to make a sacrifice to pagan deities. Along the way, Dragomira shouted curses at Christianity. Her blasphemy did not go unpunished - suddenly the earth opened up, a sulfuric flame blazed out of the cleft, and the chariot with the princess was swallowed up by the hellish abyss. Praguers know that Dragomira can appear in our time on a carriage engulfed in hellfire without a coachman. On dark and stormy nights, among the reflections of lightning and the howling of the wind, hellish horses carry her through the streets of Hradcany. Another legend says that once a year the soul of the princess, who has not received rest, appears in the form of a fiery dog at the church of St. Mikulash.
Modern Cathedral of St. Vita (XIV century) includes an ancient chapel dedicated to the patron saint of the Czech lands, the holy martyr Vyacheslav (Wenceslas), the son of Vorotislav and Dragomira, who was killed in September 935. A door with a handle in the shape of a lion's head leads to the luxuriously decorated chapel - it was for this that the prince-martyr grabbed, falling under mortal blows. From the chapel of St. Wenceslas, there is a passage to the treasury where the royal regalia are kept - they are shown to the public only on special occasions. This storeroom also houses the crown of St. Vaclav. The legend claims that anyone who dares to try on the crown of the holy prince will die a terrible death. The last to take the crown was the German protector of Bohemia and Moravia, Heydrich. Shortly thereafter, his car was blown up by Czechoslovak saboteurs.
The Charles Bridge, built by craftsman Peter Parler on the instructions of King Charles IV of the Luxembourg dynasty, connects not only Mala Strana with the Old Town - this bridge seems to have been thrown over the centuries. During the era of the Crusades, the most important strategic crossing was located here on the way, which was supposed to end in Jerusalem. There is evidence that the Charles Bridge was built in accordance with astrological and numerological prescriptions. Its sculpture gallery preserves the memory of the sacred milestones of Czech history. According to legend, the place where the famous Prague knight stands was marked in ancient times by a pagan temple, and the idol that was overthrown from here still lies at the bottom of the river. The island of Kampa, which is bridged, is separated from Malaya Strana by a channel called Chertovka. This name did not arise by chance - mills have stood here since ancient times (and millers, as you know, know evil spirit). One of the houses remained in the Prague history under the name "At the Seven Devils".
But there is also a spirit of holiness on the bridge. Between the sixth and seventh bays there is a statue of the holy Bishop John of Nepomuk (Nepomuk). From this very place in 1393 the Archbishop of Prague was thrown into the river. Tradition says that King Wenceslas IV condemned him to death for refusing to reveal the secret of the queen's confession. Today, not too, in general, religious Czechs come to the statue to entrust Jan Nepomuk with their innermost secrets and make wishes (which they believe will be fulfilled).
We haven't named many more Prague ghosts here. A silver rider appears on Vratislav Street - King Přemysl Otakar II; on Celetnaya, near the University of Carolinum, you can meet the ghosts of a prostitute and a priest (once an angry servant of God killed a harlot here and himself died suddenly from a blow); in the pub "At Ribar" (and they say that in many other pubs too), a late visitor is not immune from meeting with the dreary master Palekh, who once betrayed Jan Hus to death. A large number of ghosts are associated with the medieval community of alchemists and with the Jewish diaspora.
It has been suggested that the abundance of ghosts in Prague is due to some natural phenomenon, for example, the presence of radioactive pollutants in the ground. But Prague itself, with its architectural landscape, remains the strongest factor influencing human consciousness. G. Meyrink, never tired of being surprised by the city on the Vltava, admitted: “This fantastic Gothic style with its sculptures, as if cast from gore! No matter how much I look at her, she never ceases to excite my soul.
edited news Elfin - 1-11-2013, 07:06
Prague is one of my favorite cities, it never ceases to amaze and delight, no matter how much I come here. This year we were in Prague for the third time, but unlike previous trips, this one lasted only one day. A tour of the mystical places of Prague was new for me.
Excursion "Mystical Prague"
This tour is very popular among tourists, but somehow we didn’t have a chance to get on it before, although the tour night Prague we had. Much to my surprise, I discovered a few more unusual places Prague and many interesting stories and legends about Prague ghosts and ghosts. Prague is generally a city associated with mysticism, with all sorts of fantastic and mystical traditions, with the activities of alchemists, magicians, etc.
Of course, the most famous fantastic creature in Prague is the Golem, which, according to legend, was created by the Prague rabbi Lev to protect the Jewish people from pogroms and oppression. The rabbi molded a giant out of clay, in whose mouth a piece of paper with Kabbalistic incantations was placed to revive him. The golem performed its functions properly until one day it got out of control. Then Lev had to hide forever the monster he created in the attic of the synagogue, which today is one of the most famous synagogues in Prague and, for a moment, the oldest operating in Europe. It is located in the Jewish (Joseph) quarter, which is very popular with tourists.
Many Orthodox Jews, and simply fans of old fairy tales, still believe that the Golem exists and is waiting in the wings. This, for example, sometimes explains why in the synagogue the stairs to the attic begin above human height - so that onlookers do not take it into their heads to climb there. By the way, attempts to detect and revive the Golem with enviable regularity are made by representatives of Orthodox Jewish youth. People who want to look under the roof to the attic or break open the door are often removed from the Synagogue at night. So this time we met a company of very enthusiastic young people of a characteristic appearance, preoccupied pacing around the synagogue and looking in all the windows. Have they planned to revive the Golem too?
Of course, Golem is one of the most promoted tourist brands in Prague: tourists willingly buy souvenirs with his image, especially there are a lot of them in shops in the Jewish Quarter. Not far from the synagogue there is also a restaurant, which is called “At the Golem”.
And Rabbi Lev himself remains very revered in Prague, not only among the Jews, but also among the Czechs themselves. His ashes are buried in the famous Jewish cemetery in the Josef Quarter, and many tourists, local residents come, leaving notes with requests and wishes on his grave - the main thing is to clearly and correctly formulate your request.
And the statue of the rabbi was installed in a very unexpected place - it adorns a niche in the corner of the Prague City Hall building. The black monument looks very mysterious and impressive.
The same building is decorated with another interesting sculpture- the legendary Iron or Black Knight. According to legend, he was an alien warrior who fell in love with a beautiful girl. But, tormented by jealousy, he killed her, piercing her with his sword. The girl, dying, cursed him that he would not find peace until another innocent and beautiful girl sincerely pitied him and mourned. Since then, the restless ghost of the Black Knight descends from his pedestal once every hundred years in search of a pure and immaculate maiden who would give him forgiveness and peace. There is another legend, also associated with love, jealousy, death and damnation. According to her, this knight returned from the war, suspected his beloved of treason, but did not kill her, but married another. The beloved drowned herself with grief, and her father cursed the knight, who soon also died. Finally, there is a third version of the development of events - a knight who repented of the death of his beloved, strangled his unloved wife and hanged himself. The way to get rid of the curse is the same as in the first legend. Which legend do you like best?
In general, many legends and ghosts of Prague are somehow connected with love, jealousy and fatal passion. For example, the ghost of a Turk from Ungelt is known. Once on Ungelt Square, located near the Tyn Church, there was a customs office, merchants from different countries came here.
Among them was a young Turk who fell in love with a beautiful Prague woman. He courted the girl for a long time, and her father insisted that the young merchant be engaged to her before leaving for his homeland. And so it happened, the Turk left for his homeland to prepare for the wedding, the girl waited and waited for him, but he still did not go and did not go. All sorts of rumors and gossip have already begun to creep, and as a result, the girl married another. A noisy wedding was walking on a large square, when suddenly a rider in oriental clothes rode through the arch (in the photo below) - the same Turk. He pretended to accept what had happened, but the girl disappeared that same night. And after a long time in the basement of one of the houses they found her severed head. And since then, passers-by often see the ghost of a distraught Turk, who descends into the basement, where he killed and hid his beloved.
A lot of ghosts wander around the Dominican monastery, located right in the heart of old Prague, next to the Old Town Square.
For several centuries, two ghosts have been inseparable: a Dominican monk and a harlot, whose image can be seen on one of the houses. According to legend, once the monks were returning with collected donations, and they met a girl who earned her living by selling love. One of the monks wanted to reason with her, gave her all the money to start new life. But the restless girl began to wait for the monk in this place every day, demanding money from him, otherwise she would tell him that he used her services. The monk hit her on the head with a cross and killed her. Since then, the harlot and her murderer-monk have been wandering around here. Most often they are seen on Tseletnaya Street.
The monastery itself, by the way, is also a very remarkable place. The first church appeared on this site in the 12th century, the current monastery was erected in the 17th-18th century. The central church dates back to the 13th-14th century. Various historical films were filmed on the territory of the monastery, the monks brew beer and cook here ... absinthe - in one of the walls of the monastery there is a small shop - absinthe. This drink is specific, it is considered that many outstanding artists and writers of the late 19th - early 20th century owe their work to him. The store is very atmospheric, but none of us dared to try absinthe.
We go further and see on the wall the image of the "three musketeers". In fact, these are three standard-bearers. This is also very famous legend Prague: Three comrades, being soldiers, went to war, and sitting in a bar below, they vowed not to be separated from each other even in death. One of them died in battle and dreamed of his comrades, recalling the oath.
The surviving two comrades were frightened, abandoned military service and retired to the Monastery of the Virgin Mary of the Snow, in order to atone for their own sins and avoid imminent death. But an oath is an oath, and they died on the same day anyway (under what circumstances, I don't know). So the promise made to the drunken head came true - death took all three of them.
Another ghost associated with the monastery, but already different - Anezsky (I talked about it above), is the ghost of a murdered nun. meek and beautiful girl was killed by her own father - a rich and influential man. and all because she was not lucky enough to fall in love with a poor young man. Her father got angry and sent her to that very monastery. But in the end, the girl decided to see and say goodbye to her lover. The father tracked down the lovers and in a fit of anger killed his daughter. So now the unfortunate bloody nun is wandering around the outskirts of the monastery. But they say that you don’t need to be afraid of her - she is the one who feels bad to say words of support and sympathize.
But who should be feared is a crazy barber running with a razor along Charles Street. No, he didn’t cut anyone’s throat with this razor, but he really annoys passers-by with offers to cut their hair or shave them, especially he sticks to blondes, grabs their hair and can even cut them off. His story is as follows: a barber lived for himself, but this craft did not bring income, and he decided to do alchemy in order to get gold. His venture turned out to be unsuccessful, he lost all his small fortune, lost his family and went crazy.
Walking along the narrow streets of old Prague, pay attention to the so-called "house with bears" (corner of Kozhnaya street). Another mystical and tragic story is connected with him. love story. According to legend, the daughter of a wealthy merchant who lived in this house was the bride of an equally wealthy Italian. The groom, as usual, went home on business, but promised to return. He didn’t return for a very long time, and then one day, the girl screamed in horror: “Bears, bears, bears tore him!”, And fell dead. And after some time, the torn body of the groom was indeed found in the forest.
But as for me, the most chilling legend is the legend of the physician - the executioner. They say that a medical student lived in Prague for a very long time, who fell in love with a fatal beauty who was in a gang of thieves. The girl was caught and sent to prison. The student, in order to get to his beloved, became an apprentice to the executioner in order to learn how to torture. As a result, he was instructed to find out from the thief who her accomplices were. The student in love was not going to torture her and offered to run away. But she only laughed in his face, saying that she had never loved. Then, mad with anger and jealousy, the student applied to her all the torture known to him, torturing her to death. Then, of course, he went crazy.
Of course, these are far from all the legends of old Prague, far from all of its ghosts and ghosts. They say that on the streets of Prague you can meet the ghost of Jan Hus, and his executioner, and the ghost of the famous alchemist Tycho Brahe, and the architect Parler, who built the Charles Bridge, as it is believed, not without the help of dark forces. Very popular with tourists (or tourists with them) is the ghost of a student who sold his skeleton for debts; a crazy pirate who is looking for the girl who robbed him; fire chariot and many others. There are numerous ghosts of alchemists and executioners here. It became such a popular brand of Prague that a special mobile app, similar to the well-known Pokemon hunt. Only instead of Pokemon you catch Prague ghosts in their habitats.
Unfortunately, we did not meet with any of the ghosts of Prague, maybe you can.
What else have you seen
During this day we managed:
- once again (already for the third) time to walk with a walking tour of Prague Castle and the Old Town - it was included in the price of the tour, in addition, each guide leads along his favorite routes and tells his favorite stories, so even walking around familiar places equally interesting. By the way, for the first time we got to the changing of the guard at the entrance to Prague Castle. But those who came to Prague for the first time this year were a little unlucky: famous watch Prague Orloj are closed for restoration, and “the most narrow street in Prague" (next to the Kafka Museum) - there is a restaurant at the end of this street, and a gate has recently been installed at the entrance, which opens only during the restaurant's opening hours;
- again, not the first time to sail on a boat on the Vltava: I really like river walks - on our bus tour this summer there was a set of river boat trips: along the canals of Amsterdam, along the Seine in Paris, and now - along the Vltava in Prague. A river trip in Prague is also notable for the fact that tourists are offered a treat in the form of a buffet and two drinks: slivovitz and beer or non-alcoholic - to choose from. There was a lot of meat on the buffet table, delicious lightly salted herring, salads, from national dishes - ducklings - these are sausages marinated with vinegar and onions, meat balls; a lot of pastries, fruits; national Czech cuisine is very reminiscent of German - hearty, meaty. A very pleasant experience is to see the sights of Prague from the river with delicious Czech food;
- take a walk along the Vltava embankment and go where you haven’t gone in the past times: firstly, we climbed to the famous Prague metronome - it rises above the Chekhov Bridge, in the place where it used to be big monument Stalin; but after the de-Stalinization initiated by Khrushchev, which also affected the then Czechoslovakia, the monument was removed, and in the early 90s a large metronome was placed in that place, designed to symbolize the course and changes of time; from a height there is a beautiful view of the Chekhov Bridge and more modern Prague;
- secondly, we went into the courtyard of the monastery of St. Agnes, or Anezsky monastery, with which many legends and stories are associated, I will tell about one of them later; this monastery was founded in the 13th century by Agnieszka of Czechoslovakia, who was very revered in the country and canonized only in 1989.
She came from the ruling dynasty of the Přemyshlovichs, and devoted her whole life to charity and serving God, but the church could not recognize her as a saint for a long time, because her relics were lost during the Hussite wars. The Czechs for a very long time sought from the Holy See to recognize her as a saint, because the Czechs do not have so many of their own "home-grown" saints; and only in the late 80s, on the wave of the “velvet revolution”, did they achieve this. As for the monastery, it is considered one of the oldest in Prague, it is also notable for the fact that the remains of many Czech kings are buried here.
Currently, the monastery is recognized as a national monument of the Czech Republic, it houses an exposition of medieval art, and in the courtyard, as always happens in Prague - in the most seemingly inappropriate or unexpected place - some samples contemporary art, very specific. But it won't be Prague if there isn't some example of contemporary art next to the historic site.
and finally, at the end of a busy day, we had an excursion called “mystical Prague”.