Rick Steves: A good walk, a good way to get to know historic Prague

Known as the “Golden City of 100 Towers,” Prague boasts a fairy-tale medieval old town, historic churches and synagogues, and perhaps the largest castle in Europe. A good way to get to know the city, its complex past and its resilient people is to take a walking tour of the city, starting at the bustling urban Wenceslas Square, winding through the atmospheric Old Town and ending at the picturesque Charles Bridge.

The huge Wenceslas Square, lined with grand buildings, was the focus of much of modern Czech history. It is named after King Wenceslaus, the “Good King” of Christmas carols, who sits astride the large equestrian statue at the top of the boulevard-like square. The statue is a popular meeting place among locals, who like to say, “I’ll meet you under the horse’s tail.”

The founding of the Czechoslovak state was celebrated here in 1918. An inspiring memorial commemorates Jan Palach and Jan Zajíc, two college students who set themselves on fire in 1969 to protest the Soviet Union’s invasion of the Czech Republic the year before. Twenty years later, huge crowds gathered in the square, jingling their key chains and chanting, “Now it’s time to go!” in advance of the peaceful overthrow of the communist government.

The Czech people have a rousing enthusiasm for poking fun at authority – they once voted to name a fictional comedic character, Jára Cimrman, “the greatest Czech of all time.” From the 14th-century rebel Jan Hus (who challenged church corruption about a century before Martin Luther) to the uprisings that sparked the Velvet Revolution against communism in 1989, Czechs have maintained a healthy disrespect for those who Wanted to tell them how they should live their lives. (Remembering the mediocre jobs assigned to them by the communists, the Czechs joked, “They pretended to pay us; we pretended to work.”)

From the foot of Wenceslas Square, it’s just a short walk along narrow Melantrichova Street to Prague’s picturesque, compact Old Town. Along the way, you’ll pass the beautiful open-air Havelská Market, a lively exhibition of traditional, if touristy, Czech culture. Here you can browse for handicrafts or eat a vegetable or piece of fruit – traders (often the farmers themselves) will be happy to sell you just one of them.

A few blocks from the market is the Old Town Square, surrounded by colorful buildings in various architectural styles: Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Art Nouveau. The most important of these is the towering Gothic Tyn Church with fanciful towers.

In the middle of the huge square, two monuments face each other: the reformer Jan Hus and a Virgin Mary inspired by Bernini. The original statue of the Virgin Mary, dating from 1652, honored the Virgin as protector of the city during the Thirty Years’ War. But at the beginning of the 20th century, nationalist Czechs viewed this Mary as a symbol of their oppressors, the militantly Catholic Habsburgs. Keyword: Installation of the Jan Hus monument, with Jan’s gaze defiantly directed at Maria. After the Declaration of Independence in 1918, a rebellious mob tore down the “Habsburg” Virgin, to the dismay of many in this predominantly Catholic country. It was only in 2020 that a replica was installed in its original location, sparking controversy and conversation.

A short detour down the unique, tree-lined Parizska (“Paris”) Street leads to the poignant Jewish Quarter with museums, synagogues and cemeteries. For me, this is one of the most impressive collections of Jewish sights in Europe.

Parizka ends at a cliff where a 50-foot-tall stone statue of Stalin once stood. It was demolished in 1962 and replaced in 1991 with a giant ticking metronome, whose concrete base is now favored by skateboarders who like to film themselves “skating the Stalin.”

Back at Old Town Square, Karlova Street zigzags down to the river to one of my favorite places to walk – Charles Bridge. Under the Communists, this pedestrian-only bridge over the Vltava stood empty, its grand Gothic towers and statues of saints covered in black soot. Today it is a celebration of life, with a festival full of glowing statues, artists and musicians along its entire length.

On the other side of the bridge lies the enchanting Small Quarter and behind it the Castle District, crowned by the enormous Prague Castle, which is well worth seeing. A visit to the castle complex, with its quarter-mile stretch of churches, courtyards and palaces reflecting a thousand years of Czech history, can fill most of a day.

The mythical founder of Prague – the beautiful Princess Libuse – called her city “Praha” (“threshold”). The Czechs have always stood at the crossroads of Europe – between the Slavic and Germanic worlds, between Catholicism and Protestantism and between East and West in the Cold War. Despite these strong external influences, Czechs have retained their own culture… and their enviable ability to find humor in life’s challenges.

This article is used with permission from Rick Steves’ Europe (www.ricksteves.com). Rick Steves writes European travel guides, hosts travel programs on public television and radio, and organizes European tours.