Explore Prage
According to legend, Prague was founded by the Princess Libuse and her husband, Přemysl, founder of the dynasty with the same name. Whether this legend is true or not, Prague’s first nucleus was founded in the latter part of the 9th century as a castle on a hill commanding the right bank of the Vltava: this is known as Vyšehrad (”high castle”) to differentiate from another castle which was later erected on the opposite bank, the future Prague blog Castle. The area on which Prague was founded was settled in ancient times since the Paleolithic Age. Around 200 BCE the Celts had a settlement in the south, called Závist, but later they were replaced by Germanic tribes. The Slaves conquered the site from the 4th century CE onward, though for a period were subdued by the Eurasian Avars. Soon the city became the seat of the dukes and kings of Bohemia. It was an important seat for trading where merchants coming from all Europe settled, including many Jews, as recalled in 965 by the Jewish merchant and traveller Ibrahim ibn Ya’qub. The Old New Synagogue of 1270 survives. The city became a bishopric in 973.
Let’s now talk about the landmark of voyage Prague: Charles’ Bridge. The Charles Bridge was built on the foundations of another Brigde. King Vladislav II had a first bridge on the Vltava built in 1170, the Judith Bridge, which crumbled down in 1342 and Charles Bridge was built after. . Prague in the 10th century was an imposing, large metropolis. Ibrahim Ibn Jakob, the Arabian traveller and entrepreneur, described Prague as a rich “stone city”. Unfortunately, not much is left from his time; the following epoch of Romanesque art was more generous. In 1257, under King Otakar II, Malá Strana (which means Lesser Quarter) was founded in Prague in the future Hradčany area: it used to be the district of the German people. These had the right to administrate the law autonomously, in regards to Magdeburg Rights. The new district was on the opposite bank of the Staré Město (”Old Town”), which had a borough status and was defended by a line of walls and fortifications Monuments at Prague Castle, numerous temples, fragments of the Judita’s stone bridge and wholly unique Romanesque city houses support the extraordinary significance and wealth of Prague in the 11th and 12th centuries. I hope to see you soon in Prague!