Visit Prague- The Past Becomes the Origin of its Culture Of the great cities in Europe I have had

a chance to visit; one that I would most highly suggest will be Prague, the largest city and capital in the Czech Republic. They have warm summers in addition to chilly, but not particularly cold winters, and in 2011 had been the sixth city most visited anywhere in Europe. The Vltava River has been the city's focal point, and the principal attractions are its history and culture, having ten major museums, theaters and historical exhibits. Fortunately much of the old architecture survived the wars in Europe during the previous century. Being a key capital in Eastern Europe, it has been at the center of history in that area for 1000 years. At that point it became a center of trade for Europe, and with the prosperity that trade brings it became a seat of control for what would turn out to be the Kingdom of Bohemia. A large Jewish community was established, and the Old New synagogue, built in 1270 even now stands. Over the centuries Prague has had their ups and downs. The city flourished under the King of Bohemia Charles IV, who ruled from 1346-1378. A good deal of the architecture you will see in the city comes from this time, such as Charles University (the oldest university in Central Europe), the Charles Bridge (the important thoroughfare connecting the right bank district to the castle area), the gothic St. Vitus Cathedral, in addition to New Town (which would be a charming district adjacent to Old Town). At this time Prague had been the third biggest city in Europe, with only Rome and Constantinople larger. Following Charles death the city went through roughly 200 years of turmoil, brought on mostly by differences attributable to religious beliefs and religious persecutions. Things settled down with Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, who had been chosen King of Bohemia in 1576 and procured residence in the Prague Castle. Rudolf had been a forward thinker and a lover of fine art, and Prague became the cultural capital of Europe. The year 1618 marked the beginning of one more tumultuous time in Prague, as the devastating Thirty Years' War had been fought particularly during the first seven years inside Bohemia. Famine and plague caused by the war caused the population of Prague to plunge. Prague was to recover later on in the 17th century, and by the mid-1800s factories spurred by the Industrial Revolution were to give it an additional revival time. Together World Wars I and II profoundly affected the city, as had been communism in the last half of the Twentieth Century. As we are able to understand, Prague has had a explosive past, and I devote the vast majority of this article to their past. That is certainly since much of what you will observe there has a historical backdrop, and to essentially appreciate this impressive city is to have a very good grasp of what Prague will have went through in the preceding 700 years. If you go, for me an incredible dining experience was eating the native cooking and having the local beer. They are both in fact exceptional. There are literally hundreds of bars and pubs, and the native food we believed had been more Slovak with some German characteristics. Like most tourist cities, go to the out-of-theway places (the locals will point you following the correct direction) and stay clear of the touristy spots.