Gothic churches and soaring spires, menacing gargoyles watching from cathedral roofs. Tales of witches casting spells and a street of alchemists searching for the philoshers stone. Kings, queens, and castles. Bridges, bridges and more bridges. Humming Christmas carols in August ? and multiple cases of major and minor defenistration (I know, I know, super shocking) now if that hasn’t got you enthralled I don’t know what would. 🙂
A snap of the fingers (or was it a click of the ruby red slippers… slash… hiking sandals) and we were magically transported into Czech Republic. One minute we were on a train leaving Austria. The next we were stepping into a fairytale Prague. The train was so fast and luxurious from Vienna. We scored first class tickets – cheaper than regular price 40 euro for both of us. Actually we didn’t really want to get off!! (tsk tsk I know we are never happy!)
Walking about the old town and that’s me posing with a Franz Kafka memorial. I thanked him for “Metamorphosis” which I studied with my students who had very mixed reactions. Give it a go – Its like marmite…you either love it or hate it.
And why the humming of the the Christmas carol? good King Wencelas (the guy …who last looked out oe’r the feast of Stephen.) yes him, the very same founded the first church in 930. This patron saint Vitrus was chosen because Wenceslaus had acquired a holy relic ( the arm of St. Vitus from Emperor Henry I.) yes I did say the arm yes the whole thing all dried up and wizened all ready to keep in the church. I guess it was the thing in those days.
It is also possible that Wenceslaus, wanting to convert his subjects to Christianity more easily, chose a saint whose name sounds very much like the name of Slavic god Svantevit. Two religious populations, the increasing Christian and decreasing pagan community, lived simultaneously in Prague castle at least until the 11th century.
I am aware that my pics of churches could be starting to get a teensy weensy bit tedious. Seen one seen them all… just doesn’t apply. Even Lancelot came in to this one and he was wowed, most beautiful stained glass we have seen on this trip. And the gargoyles so cool.
So what about this defenestration business?
In the early 15th century, Bohemia (the modern-day Czech Republic) was in something of a crisis. The peasants had got understandably fed up with the catholic church and nobility treating them so badly. And a group called the Hussites formed lead by Jan Hus. To make a long story short, Hus was executed in 1415. The Hussites were furious. They got themselves a new leader, Jan Zelivsky who took up the cause. Tensions in Prague grew. Finally, in 1419 when town councillors refused to release Hussite prisoners. The Hussites stormed the town hall, seized 7 councillors and…defenestrated them. OH YES THEY DID – (And what does that mean…they threw those councillors out of the window and to their deaths). Then followed a series of conflicts for 17 years known as the Hussite Wars.
Throwing city officials out of windows became a relatively common occurrence in Prague. Called a major defenestration if a war was started minor defenestration if not! *Note to selves only argue with a Czech on the ground floor.
Jewish Quarter (Josefov) The Jewish Quarter in Prague. Its violent history dates from the 13th century. Over the centuries, Jews were banned from living anywhere else in Prague, and new Jews expelled from Moravia, Germany, Austria and Spain joined them here in the Prague Jewish Ghetto as it also became known,
The Jewish Quarter has six synagogues, including the Spanish Synagogue and Old-New Synagogue, the Jewish Ceremonial Hall, and the Old Jewish Cemetery, the most remarkable of its kind in Europe.They form the best preserved complex of historical Jewish monuments in the whole of Europe.
The Jewish Quarter is also the birthplace of Franz Kafka.
Raised high about the streets a quiet sobering place we stayed for only a short while. Many people praying and honouring their dead. Like a stone forest. The 300 year old Jewish cemetery struggled with the lack of space. Often a new layer of soil was heaped up on an existing grave. For this reason, there are places where as many as twelve layers now exist. As new levels were added it was necessary to build retaining walls to hold the soil and the graves in place. This explains why the surface of the cemetery is raised several meters higher than the surrounding streets; 120,000 people rest here
The synagogues survived the Nazi occupation in the 20th century. Hitler decided to preserve the Jewish Quarter as a “Museum of an Extinct Race”. How twisted is that? The Nazis gathered all the stolen Jewish artefacts from other occupied countries, and transported them to Prague to form the museum here in the Spanish Synagogue.
The story of Jewish persecution is loud here. It has affected it deeply and from here we changed our plan. We are now going to Poland to Auschwitz Birkenhau to pay our respects.