Deep, Dark and Brilliant

This is Part Two of my Prague journey and as promised in my Part One post, I'm setting the big, ornate stuff aside and focusing on more personal stories and spaces; from the city's underbelly and most persecuted population to one of its most brilliant minds and environmental investments. 

 The City Under the City

The image above is from a private greeting room adjacent to the main entrance of Old Town Hall, first stop on the Prague Underground Tour, the only group tour I joined and boy was it a doozy.   Turns out Old Town Hall has an Older Town Hall directly below.  Dating back to the 13th century, over 70 Romanesque houses have been identified below the current town square, along with miles of water storage and transport systems, some of which are still in use today.  

As the city built and rebuilt Old Town Hall and the square, the original narrow streets - now tunnels - were kept in tact.  In the 1910s during WWI, 30 secret tunnels were used by war deserters to return to Prague.  When the New Town Hall was built, city planners intentionally built tunnels to connect Old to New underground. In WWII and during Communist rule, cages and walls were added to prevent underground movement.  Post-Communist rule?  The cages and walls were removed and the tunnels again renovated.  According to our guide, the superstitious Czechs have a "you never know" attitude about the tunnels and their continued usefulness.  

The Executioner

Turns out, the City Executioner enjoyed bragging rights in the 13th to 15th centuries.  The Older Town Hall included dungeons and torture rooms (again with the torture, yuck).  Above ground, the Executioner lived by specific and very unique rules:  he and his family had to live adjacent to town officials, could only socialize one day each week, and had to sit in a reserved seat at the pub and use a specific glass. Feared and full of bad vibes, he was a powerful outcast.  The pictures below are The Executioner pub where, you guessed it, Prague's executioner could have a beer.  His dedicated cup is no longer hanging on the wall, but visitors can still enjoy a beer in the same spot.

Josefov

The Jewish Quarter in Prague was first established in the 13th century and it's stunning to learn how many times and ways this community was persecuted by various ruling groups.  The quarter was largely a ghetto for the majority of its existence but despite fires, redevelopment, the atrocities of WWII, Jewish citizens were able to advocate for the historical and cultural importance of several structures which kept their community together and remain in tact today.  After WWII when the ghetto was permanently demolished and new housing simultaneously built, the city wanted to reverse past practices.  The streets flanking the quarter today are filled with some of the most opulent Art Deco buildings in the city.

The Maisel Synagogue

The Pinkas Synagogue lists the names of Prague Jews lost in The Shoah:  45,000 from central Prague alone.  The names were erased and the synagogue blocked off by the Communists after WWII; after the fall of Communism, it reopened and the names were rewritten.  The synagogue includes a room dedicated to artwork of Jewish children and their teachers, secretly conducting classes in the concentration camps.  8,000 Prague children were sent to concentration camps.  6,800 lost their lives.  Those who survived were 15 years or older.  This was a difficult place to visit and I didn't feel it appropriate to take a lot of pictures. 

The Jewish Cemetery dates back to the15th century and is another eye-popping bit of Prague's darker history.  What visitors see? 12,000 headstones crammed into an area less than 2 acres.  Below the surface?  10 layers and seven times as many bodies buried.  It's staggering.

The Jewish Ceremonial Hall

The Spanish Synagogue is the most ornate.  The arches are part of the original structure, but the majority was rebuilt for good reason: the synagogue was used for services and education and the community had outgrown the original.  The Moorish decorative style was not out of respect for Spanish Jews, but considered more stylish and meant to display an aspiration for wealth and success.

Kafka

Shifting from dark to brilliant...I read "The Metamorphosis" many ago.  It's one helluva read.  I've always wondered what the heck was going on in Franz Kafka's mind when he wrote it,  When I learned Kafka was born and raised in Prague, I figured I would try to find out.  So I hit the Kafka Museum.  It was very educational, not very photo oppy. The statue at the museum entrance is cheeky and apropos.  What I did learn was that Kafka spent many years in the Jewish Ghetto, was forced by his parents to become an attorney (a profession he then abandoned) and was a member of the Science Society.  This group of intellects included famous philosophers, writers, mathematicians, and scientists including Albert Einstein.  That level of intellect.  My take on Metamorphosis?  Kafka clearly had daddy issues, I'm just saying.

Prague Botanical Gardens

We're going to end on a big, brilliantly cheery note.  The Prague Botanical Gardens were another very pleasant surprise.  Perched on the hillside of the 6th district, it recently expanded with a delightful blend of nature, art, and activity.  The views were once again worth the climb. 

Oversized nut and seed pods like below were scattered around the grounds and the kids loved them.  Interesting way to learn about the different deciduous species in the park.

This small tower is located in one of the biodiversity areas.  Prague has introduced a few Asian plant and tree species that are heat tolerant to help with water absorption and soil health.

The sculpture below is a sensory device.  Each of the metal canisters contains the smell of each grape variety in the vineyard.  Twist the canister, release the smell.  Not a bad way to exit the park!

I hope you've enjoyed a bit of my Prague journey.  It was magical and more than I expected.  Next up?  The Motherland!  Poland, here I come.