Erotic Supermarkets, 'Night Gyms' and the Butcher of Prague

Having both been to Prague before we were excited to re-discover the beautifully preserved Staré Město, spared by the uprising in May 1945 that avoided Prague becoming a battle site like so many other European cities .  The old town offers a beautiful stroll through its eclectic architectural styles, winding streets and numerous bridges that span the Vltava River.  As strange gargoyles hang from the roof tops and beautiful frescos adorn the renaissance style buildings it is impossible not to become captivated with the city.    Rather than entering the castle and museums we therefore spent our few days in Prague on a couple of walking tours, making the most of the autumn sunshine and learning about the often gloomy history of the city.

 

In need of breakfast having arrived late into the city Hannah set off for the supermarket opposite to get some butter and eggs. She returned slightly flushed having visited (the not so subtle) ‘Erotic City’ Supermarket which only stocked a different kind of lubricant and eggs .  We headed off into Prague on our standard free walking tour, learning about general Czech history and getting our bearings in an often confusing city.  Our guide was very charismatic and talked us through the major sites in Prague; from the Old Town Square with the iconic Astrological Clock through to the Jewish quarter of the city (as well as the fantastically named 'Night Gym' complete with red lights and lewd sign).  The tour lasted for around 3 and a half hours and so we were happy to be able to recharge our battery’s and drink hot wine to keep us going for the duration.  The majority of our time was spent leaning about the old town square and some of the stories behind the statues and symbols dotted about the area.  One of the largest statues in the square depicts a Czech hero, Jan Hus, the former dean of the Charles University who played a major role in changing religion in Europe.   It was interesting to learn that a hundred years before the Protestant Reformation was started by Martin Luther, Jan Hus was burnt as a heretic for reformist ideas in the old town square.  We also enjoyed discovering what all of the different dials on the Astrological clock actually do, from showing the “Babylonian Time” to pointing out the name to be celebrated on each day of the year in Czechoslovakia.  We then walked back to our accommodation via the Charles Bridge and past the John Lennon wall (it used to be daubed with political messages and beetles lyrics following his assassination despite the best attempts of the secret police to stop it) that still provides people (mainly crusty hippies strumming on guitars and handing out flowers) with an opportunity to graffiti the wall with peace symbols and messages.

The John Lennon Wall

On the second day we spent the morning roaming the hill above Prague before walking through the now scarlet and gold wood to the Prague Castle complex.   The views from the walk were well worth the climb to the top and we were able to look out across the Charles Bridge into the old town as well as seeing the new sprawling city beyond.  We then headed to the Powder Tower to go on a tour of Prague that highlighted the city during WW2.  The tour described the terror of the Nazi occupation and we explored the last hideout of the Prague resistance beneath the city.  The tour explained how the city was saved by the resistance as the Nazi’s in Prague agreed to leave with no more fighting and surrender to the Americans across the demarcation line, rather than surrender to the advancing red army.  Sadly the leader of the resistance and German army both ended up serving a prison sentence in the cellars under the city during the Soviet occupation with the German receiving better treatment and a more lenient sentence than a national hero deemed to be a threat to communism.  The guide was very knowledgeable and finished by describing in detail the assassination of the highest ranking Nazi to be killed during the war, Reinhard Heydrich (the architect of the final solution to the Jewish question).  Although the tour was a sobering end to our time in Prague it was a good way to learn about Heydrich as we headed off to Krakow to visit Auschwitz and Schindler's Factory.