Top architectural sightseeing and landmarks of Prague - ideas on city exploration routes

» St. Vitus Cathedral was the burial place for Czech kings and archbishops of Prague. The cathedral also houses medieval Czech Crown Jewels.
» The main tower of St. Vitus Cathedral is 96.5 meters high, so it can be seen from anywhere in Prague.
» That’s the largest church in Prague. It is so large that it can accommodate thousands of visitors.
» The largest in the Czech Republic Sigismund bell is kept in the tower of the cathedral.
» The most valuable among chapels of the temple is Vitus Chapel. It was erected on the site, where once stood the rotunda with the relics of St. Vitus, after whom the temple was named.

» St. Nicholas Church is the temple on Old Town Square built in the first half of the 18th century by architect Dientzenhofer.
» It’s known that the building was reconstructed for several times; it stands on the site of the oldest religious building in Prague.
» St. Nicholas Church is famous for its large crystal crown-shaped chandelier given by Russian Tsar Nicholas II.
» On Orthodox Christmas and Easter a procession around the temple is held in Prague.
» The building is reasonably considered one of the most beautiful places in Prague because of its facade decorated with statues and stucco.

» Loreta is the short name of Prague Kostel of Narozeni Pane.
» The church includes a monastery, the Holy Hut of Our Lady of Loreto and Loreto treasury.
» There is a legend telling that there was a hut in the Italian town of Loreto, in which the archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she will soon become a mother. The hut was moved to Prague Loreta from Nazareth by angels to protect the baby from pagans.
» The Treasury of Loreta contains a variety of liturgical objects, monstrance and art works of 16-18th centuries, donated by the church.
» Prague Loreta surpasses Italian one, as it turned to be a complex of buildings around Holy Hut. The complex has being expanded, remodeled and repaired for two centuries.

» National Theatre is the main theater of Czech Republic. It hosts opera, ballet and drama performances.
» National Theatre helps to maintain and develop the most important features of the country, the Czech language, the essence of the Czech music and dramatic way of thinking.
» On August 12, 1881 there was a fire at the National Theatre, which destroyed the copper dome, the auditory and the stage of the theater. This event was treated by people as a national tragedy.
» Thanks to donations from people for the restoration of the theater it became possible to collect more than a million zlotys just in 47 days. After the restoration the famous inscription on the scene: ‘A nation - itself’ appeared at the scene.
»  The National Theatre is one of the most beautiful buildings in Prague. The main facade is decorated with statues of Apollo and Muses; winged bronze statues of Victory managing frantic horses are seen at both sides.

» The Dancing House or Fred and Ginger is the nickname given to an office building in Prague.
» Dancing House consists of two cylindrical towers: normal and decostructivist; that’s an architectural metaphor of a dancing couple of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.
» The cylindrical portion extending upward symbolizes the figure of a man, and the second part of the building is visually reminiscent of a female figure with a slim waist and a flowing skirt.
» The building was designed by Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunic in collaboration with renowned Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. The building was designed in 1992 and completed in 1996.
» Dancing house is built on the site of a house destroyed by the American bombing of Prague in 1945.

» The Petrin Lookout Tower is the observation tower in Prague that is 60 meters high. It’s located on the Petrin Hill.
» The Petrin Lookout Tower is the Czech prototype of the Eiffel Tower.
» Construction of the tower lasted only 4 months.
» Despite its 60-meter height, the Petrin Tower is yet higher than the Eiffel, as it’s built on a hill.
» There is a gift shop and a small cafe at the lower level of the Petrin Lookout Tower, and a small museum of the literary character of Jara Cimrman on the underground floor.

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Facts: » Lesser Town Bridge Tower is the complex of two towers on the western, Malá end of the Charles Bridge.
» Towers were built at different times. They differ from each other in height and architectural style, but are joined together by a double arch.
» The lower one is called the Judith Tower, as it once was part of the Judith Bridge, standing on the site of the current Charles Bridge. The tower was originally built in the Romanesque style, but later it was rebuilt in the spirit of Renaissance.
» The second tower owes its appearance to the King George Podebrady, who ordered the construction of the second, higher tower in 1464.
» A long time towers on both sides of the Charles bridge have been its main attractions, before sculptures appeared on the bridge.