Individual Days - Czechia
First Official Day of Tour
September 7, 2025
Sunrise
I went out early (around 6:30 am) to Old Town & St. Charles’ Bridge before the crowds.
Breakfast
Good start to the day… Then we met with Katerina to start our second day of guided tours.
Věrni zůstaneme
Czech phrase meaning “We shall remain faithful” or “We remain faithful”. It is the motto of the Czech Republic Army and a phrase associated with Czech resistance during World War II, appearing on memorials around Prague.
Old Town
Info about:
- Different architecture
- Gothic style
- Powder tower
- Old New Synagogue
- St. Vitas Cathedral
- Old Town Bridge Tower
- Church of Our Lady Before Týe
- Art Nouveau style
- Municipal House
- Hotel Central
- Imperial Cafe
- Renaissance style
- Wallenstein Gardens
- Schwarzenberský Paláce
- Baroque style
- Church of St. Nicholas
- Obvodni Soud (Courthouse) wood doors
- Cubism style
- House of the Black Madonna
- Functionalism style
- Czech National Bank
- Genius and Lion by Antonín Popp in 1898
- Reminiscent of statue of liberty – holding torch – halo
- Classical style
- Estates Theatre
- Fancy fire escape
- Because W.A.Mozart conducted the 1787 premiere of Don Giovanni in the Estates Theatre, the ghost statue outside the theatre represents the opera’s character Il Commendatore
- Gothic style
Astronomical Clock
The oldest part of the Orloj, the mechanical clock and astronomical dial, dates back to 1410, when it was created by horologist Mikuláš of Kadaň and Charles University professor of mathematics and astronomy Jan Šindel. The first recorded mention of the clock was on 9 October 1410.
- Old Bohemian time – outside ring of numbers, shows the hours since the last sunset
- Central European Time – Roman numerals inside the black ring, shows current time, but does not allow for daylight savings time, so the clock was an hour off.
- Babylonian time – this is the oldest system on the clock – divides daylight into 12 equal “hours” which means that hours in the summer are longer than hours in the winter.
Position of sun, moon, north star. Phases of the moon. Zodiac signs.
Later, presumably around 1490, the calendar dial was added and the clock facade was decorated with gothic sculptures.
Explain about “puppet show” at top of the hour – add video. The Prague Astronomical Clock features allegorical figures such as Death (a skeleton with an hourglass), Greed (a miser with a money bag), Vanity (a vain man with a mirror), and a Turk (representing extravagance) that perform on the hour, accompanied by a procession of the Twelve Apostles and a final Golden Rooster crow.
The calendar dial shows the agricultural seasons and zodiac signs. The very inside show the symbol of Prague. The outer edge shows the current date (gold arrow at top of dial), day of week, and list of name for each corresponding Czech name day.
Czech celebrate both their birthday and their name day. My name day is… Jana & Marie… check card from Katka.
Street Mosaic & Tiles
The Prague manhole lids, called poklop od šachty, contain the symbol of Prague’s Lesser Town which was also seen in the center of the clock’s calendar dial. The three towers represent the Powder Tower, the Clock Tower, and the Old Bridge Tower. In 1648, after the Thirty Years War, the arm holding sword was added to the crest. It symbolizes the fact that the Lesser Town held ground and did not fall to Swedish forces.
While the old streets are mostly cobblestones, the sidewalks and plazas are filled with intricate, geometric mosaic patterns. Not all designs are cosmetic – some have political significance.
In the Old Town Square, there are 28 white crosses which symbolize the 28 Bohemian leaders who died in 1621. They participated in the Bohemian Revolt. On June 21, 1621, 27 Bohemian leaders were executed in Prague’s Old Town Square by the Habsburgs as punishment for their participation in the Bohemian Revolt. These leaders included nobles, knights, and burghers who had opposed the Emperor. In addition to the 27, the 28th cross was added in 2011 to honor Martin Fruwein, a figure who may have committed suicide before his execution but was still beheaded on that day.
Stolpersteines, stumbling stones, can be found throughout Europe. The Stolpersteine project, initiated by the German artist Gunter Demnig in 1992, aims to commemorate persons at the last place that they chose freely to reside, work or study before they fell victim to Nazi terror, forced euthanasia, eugenics, deportation to a concentration or extermination camp, or escaped persecution by emigration or suicide. As of June 2023, 100,000 Stolpersteine have been laid, making the Stolpersteine project the world’s largest decentralized memorial.
The last picture shows a mosaic of the Golem of Prague. He is a figure from a Jewish legend about a clay creature brought to life by Rabbi Loew (also known as the Maharal of Prague) in the 16th century to protect the Jewish community from persecution. The golem, created by reciting mystical Hebrew letters, possessed immense strength but became uncontrollable, so the Rabbi deactivated and stored it in the attic of the Old-New Synagogue, where it is said to remain.
Pinkas Synagogue
The Pinkas Synagogue is the second oldest preserved synagogue in Prague.
Built in the late Gothic style in 1535, it was founded by Aaron Meshulam Horowitz, a prominent member of the Prague Jewish Community, and probably named after his grandson, Rabbi Pinkas Horowitz. It was originally a place of prayer for the Horowitz family and was located near a ritual bath (mikveh). It was restored to its original form in 1950-54.
In 1955-60 the Pinkas Synagogue was turned into a memorial to the nearly 80,000 Jewish victims of the Shoah from the Czech lands. One of the earliest memorials of its kind in Europe, it is the work of two painters, Václav Boštík and Jiří John. After the Soviet invasion of 1968, the memorial was closed to the public for more than 20 years. It was fully reconstructed and reopened to the public in 1995 after the fall of the Communist regime.
Located on the first floor, this exhibition focuses on the fate of Jewish children who were incarcerated in the Terezín ghetto during the Second World War. It is based on the now world famous children’s drawings that were made in the ghetto between 1942 and 1944 under the supervision of the artist Friedl Dicker-Brandeis.
These emotionally powerful drawings bear testimony to the persecution of Jews during the Nazi occupation of the Bohemian lands in 1939–45. They document the transports to Terezín and daily life in the ghetto, as well as the dreams of returning home and of life in the Jewish homeland of Palestine. The vast majority of the children perished in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Old Jewish Cemetary
The Old Jewish Cemetery is among the oldest surviving Jewish burial grounds in the world.
It was founded in the first half of the 15th century. The earliest tombstone dates back to 1439; the last burial took place 348 years later. Although the cemetery was expanded several times over the centuries, it was still not big enough to meet the needs of the Jewish Town. As space was scarce, bodies were buried on top of each other, with graves layered up to 10 deep.
There are about 12,000 tombstones in the cemetery, many decorated with animal and plant motifs.
Maisel Synagogue
The Maisel synagogue was erected in 1592 on the basis of a privilege granted by Emperor Rudolf II. Its founder was Mordecai Maisel, the Mayor of the Prague Jewish Town.
Built by Judah Tzoref de Herz and Josef Wahl, it was originally a Renaissance temple with three naves, which was unusual for its day.
The synagogue burnt down in the ghetto fire of 1689 and was rebuilt several times. It acquired its current Neo-Gothic form by Prof. A Grotte in 1893-1905.
Old New Synagogue
The Old-New Synagogue is the oldest site of Prague’s Jewish Town and the oldest extant synagogue in Europe. It has been the main synagogue of the Prague Jewish community for more than 700 years.
Built in the last third of the thirteenth century by stone-masons from the royal workshop who were working on the nearby Convent of St. Agnes, it is a testimony to the important status of the then Jewish community of Prague. Originally it was called the New or Great Shul. After other synagogues were established in the late 16th century it became known as the Old-New (Altneuschul). Legend has it, however, that its foundation stones were brought by angels from the destroyed Temple of Jerusalem “on condition” (Heb. Al-tenai) of their return upon restoration of the Temple.
The Old-New Synagogue enjoyed tremendous respect in Prague’s Jewish Town and in Jewish communities abroad. It also became enveloped in numerous legends and tales. According to one legend, the synagogue was protected against fire in the ghetto by the wings of angels transformed into doves, which is why it has remained miraculously intact to this day. Another legend has it that the attic of the synagogue is the home to the remains of the Golem, the artificial creature made of clay that was animated by the Rabbi Loew in order to protect the Prague community.
NOTE: Ceiling – there is always a 5th rib added so that it does not resemble a cross.
NOTE: Entry arch matches the arch on the ceremonial tapestry. Research meaning (although maybe tree represents tree of life, crossing to the promised land?)
Spanish Synagogue
The Spanish Synagogue is the most recent synagogue in the Prague Jewish Town.
Built in 1868 for the local Reform congregation on the site of the 12th-century Altschul, which was the oldest synagogue in the Prague ghetto.
It was called the Spanish Synagogue for its impressive Moorish interior design, influenced by the famous Alhambra. The building was designed by Josef Niklas and Jan Bělský, the remarkable interior (from 1882–83) by Antonín Baum and Bedřich Münzberger.
František Škroup, the composer of the Czech national anthem, served as organist here in 1836-45
Last moments with Katarina
Statue of Franz Kafka
Wenceslas Square
Light lunch & relaxing drinks with our new friend
Jerusalem Synagogue
The synagogue was built between 1905–1906 by a Viennese architect and an Imperial construction supervisor Wilhelm Stiassny, as a replacement for three Synagogues (the Zigeiner, the Velkodvorská, and the New) destroyed in the years 1898-1906 during the redevelopment. Although the association which took up the challenge of building the Synagogue was founded in 1896, it took ten years before the Synagogue was inaugurated on 16 September 1906. Initially it bore the name of the Jubilee Temple of Emperor Franz Joseph to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his reign, in 1898.
After WWI, the present name, the Jerusalem Synagogue, based on the street name where it stands, slowly gained ground. The street name has nothing to do with the Synagogue, however: the street is named after the Church of Jerusalem former chapel of St Henry, nearby.
The Jerusalem Synagogue is distinctive in that it is one of only eight Synagogues built to W. Stiassny’s design, where services are still held. The only interlude was during the war years 1941–1945, when it acted as a repository of seized Jewish property.
Crazy Photo Shoot
It is commonplace to encounter social media influencers or photo shoots, but this one definitely caught our eye.
Dressed in mystical attire, they blocked the entrance to the Jerusalem Synagogue.
Walking Path
Update with actual walking path when at home.
Meet the Group
Our RS guide is Katerina (Katka) Svobodova.
Old Town Square Walking Tour
Municipal House (talk about painting)
Better view of statue on new architecture
Closeup of Black Madonna (Cubist architecture building)
Door with art installations – closeup of heads which face north, south, east, or west.
Mark high-fiving the Kašna se Lvy – Lion statue outside Charles University
Estates theater
Brick/artwork fundraiser
Wenceslas Square
Astrological clock
Church of Our Lady before Týn
Iron Knight Statue (Socha Železného rytíře) – at New City Hall
Statues on St. Charles Bridge
Restaurace U Mecenáše
Dinner…
Green salad with bread
“Svíčková” traditional braised beef in cream sauce with dumplings and cranberries
Apple strudel with plum and molasses puree
End with local musicians… add video later
Evening Views
Prague at night
A total lunar eclipse was visible in Prague on Sunday, September 7, 2025, appearing as a “blood moon” above the eastern horizon after 8:00 PM, with the total phase beginning around 8:30 p.m. and lasting for over an hour. The event was one of the longest total lunar eclipses of the decade, with the moon reaching its maximum eclipse around 8:11 p.m.
We walked 10.4 miles today.