Cultural sightseeing in Czech Republic. What to visit - museums, temples, castles and palaces

» Archbishop's Palace is a four-story historic building built at the beginning of 16th century in the Baroque style. The venue is situated in the center of Prague, and serves as the residence of the Archbishop of Prague.
» Today, the palace is one of the most beautiful architectural landmarks of Prague.
» The palace was rebuilt and restored several times. Thus, the Renaissance-style palace was completely redesigned in the Baroque style in the 18th century.
» There is an amazing garden next to the palace, which, unfortunately, is closed to visitors.
» Special attention should be paid to the interior. The Throne Hall features beautiful tapestry work, and the dining room is decorated with portraits of the Archbishop of Prague, as well as other works by famous artists.

Location on the map:   Interesting facts: » Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul is the Catholic Church in Vysehrad (Prague) designed in the Gothic Revival style.
» The church is a kind of exhibition. History is the dominant element of its themed interior. Here you can see the history of art and the history of Christianity and the Czech lands.
» Bas-reliefs on the main portal are depicting scenes of the Last Judgment.
» The facade of the church has a memorial plaque in memory of the baptism of 14 Czech princes in Regensburg in 845 year.
» The main attraction of the basilica is stored in the third chapel. That’s the Virgin Mary of the Rain panel. The legend tells that the image of Mary was painted by St. Luke himself. In times of drought believers ask the Virgin Mary of rain and an abundant harvest.

» The National Museum was built in the early 19th century. To the date, the museum is the largest in Prague.
» National Museum is divided into several sections. The building on Wenceslas Square houses only the Museum of Natural Science and History and the Library.
» The historic room is located on the second floor of the building. It exhibits particularly valuable materials from archaeological sites, as well as coins and medals. The science department is situated on the third floor of the building.
» Collections of the Ethnographic Museum, the Museum of Musical Instruments, the Naprstek Museum and the Museum of Physical Culture and Sports are placed in other showrooms.
» Vaclav Hanka, who served as the first librarian of the National Museum of Prague, is famous for faking historical texts, passing them off as originals, thereby distorting Czech history. However, even after disclosure of Hanka’s crimes his works were placed in the museum, though not as historical documents, but as examples of romantic literature emphasizing the increase in consciousness of the Czechs.

» 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.

» 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.

» Tyn Church is one of the most famous symbols of the Czech capital. It’s called the Church of Our Lady of Tyn.
» Tyn Church can boast the oldest organ in Prague made by master Mundt in 1673.
» The temple is notable, as about 60 remains of great and unknown people lie there.
» Some gravestones in the church are damaged because many residents believe that they can get rid of toothache by stepping on the gravestone.
» At the beginning of the 15th century the main statue Tyn Cathedral lose its golden cup; one legend is associated with that. They say that once storks made a nest in this bowl. Birds need to be fed, so the storks took frogs into the nest; and sometimes amphibias fell out of the beak. Once a frog fell on some important person, and the latter was ridiculed by people. After this incident, the storks were evicted, and the cup was removed.