The cathedral, which was founded in 1344, is the largest most important cathedral in the Czech Republic. It is a Roman Catholic church and the seat of the Archbishop of Prague, although the building is owned by the Czech government because it is part of the Prague Castle complex. The main tower is an impressive 317 feet tall.
Saint Vitus is the patron saint of entertainers and it is said that he also provides protection from lightening, dog bites, and oversleeping.
The inside of the cathedral has some very impressive high arches and some beautiful stained glass windows that were made by Czech artists.
This famous 100 year old cafe, located near the Prague palace, is noted for its amazing apple strudel. It was the perfect place to stop on our walking tour of the city.
Cafe Imperial had an amazing view of the city below. We enjoyed our strudel on a delightful outdoor terrace which served as a wonderful overlook and a relaxing respite during our walking tour of the city.
The synagogue, built in 1592, was the largest building in the Jewish ghetto of Prague. It was badly damaged in a fire that spread through the ghetto in 1689 and was rebuilt on a smaller scale. After WWII, the synagogue became a Jewish Museum
Walking through the synagogue was a very somber and moving experience. The walls of the building on the entire first floor are inscribed with the names of the 78,000 Czech victims of the holocaust.
The old Jewish Cemetery, which is the largest Jewish cemetery in Europe, was in use for more than three centuries. The oldest known gravestone in the cemetery is dated 1439.
Each time the cemetery was full and need more space, a new layer of soil was added over the top of the old graves. In some areas the graves are 12 layers thick. As a result of the many layers, the gravestones appear to be very densely placed in a helter skelter fashion. In addition, the surrounding streets are about 10 feet lower than the top level of the cemetery.
There were originally three small buildings on this site that included a synagogue and a Talmudic school. After the ghetto fire in 1689, a new synagogue was built and many prominent rabbis served there.
This temple, completed in 1270, is the oldest surviving medieval synagogue.
There were some interesting displays, such as a box of tefillin that had been confiscated from Jews sent to the concentration camps during WWII. There was also a clock with Hebrew letters instead of numbers on the front of the building. We saw an interesting organ on the second floor and a nice display of keter or crowns used to dress the torah.
Legend says that the body of Golem rests in the attic of the building. Notice that the lowest ten feet of stairs leading to the attic have been removed.
Charles Bridge, which is 2,037 feet long and about 33 feet wide, crosses the Vltava River between the Prague Castle and old town square. Construction began in 1357 and ended in 1390. There are towers at each end of the bridge and about 30 statues, mostly of saints and patron saints, that are situated along the parapets of the bridge.
