For The Love of Travel

My favorite places, photos and stories

September 23, 2017
by Lids
Comments Off on 19/9/17, Lobkowicz Palace, Prague

19/9/17, Lobkowicz Palace, Prague

No-one tells you that the Prague Castle has a precinct that encapsulates a number of palaces, the significant St Vitus Baroque church and….what I was particularly looking for…the Lobkowicz Palace (the no.1 museum in Prague because of its collections).

The Lobkowicz family is among the oldest and most distinguished Bohemian noble families. For more than 700 years they have played a prominent role in Central European history. The successive generations have not only held the titles of Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, but were patrons of artists such as Ludwig von Beethoven and collectors/caretakers of exceptional cultural heritage.

Lobkowicz Palace was built in the second half of the 16th century by the Czech nobleman Jaroslav Pernštejn (1528-1569). The Pernštejns were then the richest and most powerful lordly family of the Czech kingdom.

The Palace came into the Lobkowicz family through the marriage of Polyxena to Zdeněk Vojtěch, 1st Prince Lobkowicz (1568-1628). Polyxena was the daughter of the famous couple, Vratislav Pernstejn and Maria Manrique de Lara.

In the centuries following that marriage, the Palace witnessed some of Bohemia’s most significant historical events. In 1618, the famous Defenestration of Prague took place when Protestant rebels threw the Catholic Imperial Ministers from the windows of the Royal Palace at Prague Castle. Surviving the fall, they took refuge in Lobkowicz Palace, where they were protected from further assault by Polyxena, 1st Princess Lobkowicz.

Following the defeat of the Protestant faction at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, the Catholic Lobkowicz family consolidated its influence and power base for the next three centuries. Lobkowicz Palace took on a more formal, Imperial role and functioned as the Prague residence when the family needed to be present at the seat of Bohemian power for political and ceremonial purposes.

With the exception of the sixty-three years (1939-2002) during which the property was confiscated and held by Nazi and later Communist powers, the Palace has belonged to the Lobkowicz family. This is one of MANY properties owned – they are rich, rich, rich!!! Lovely classical concert for an hour in the Palace precinct. 

Great views over Prague from the Palace Terrace …and yummy fresh fruit/ice-cream shop at the end of the 280 step staircase you climb down to get to transport options.

September 22, 2017
by Lids
Comments Off on 18/9/17, around Prague

18/9/17, around Prague

Pařížská Street is considered the most exclusive – and expensive – street in the whole of Prague. The street links the Old Town Square with the Cechuv Bridge and on both sides it is lined with mainly Art Noveau, beautifully decorated residential buildings, most of them were built in the first decade of the 20th century.

The beautiful St. Nicholas Church at the Old Town Square was completed in 1735, and replaced a parish church mentioned in records dating back to 1273.  St. Nicholas is a Baroque church, the interior of which was inspired by the chapel of St. Louis-des-invalides in Paris. The delicate stucco decoration was executed by Bernardo Spinetti, and the frescos by Peter Adam the Elder. The sculptures are by Antonín Braun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Franz Kafka (lovely statue) was a novelist and short story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20thC literature, exploring themes of alienation, anxiety, guilt and absurdity. 

Delicious mushroom risotto (with gorgonzola foam) lunch – all that I needed to keep me going! 

Lots of walking around today and a leisurely river dinner cruise  tonight.

September 21, 2017
by Lids
Comments Off on 17/9/17, Petrin Lookout Tower, Prague

17/9/17, Petrin Lookout Tower, Prague

Arrived late afternoon and thought I’d capitalise on good weather to get onto the cable car and a view over the city….thwarted by railway officials telling me I needed czech money and no, euros wouldn’t do! Didn’t mention that I could use card machine….I went in search of an ATM, got local currency, came back…and there was a horrible queue.  Lots of muttering under the breath!!!!! Finally got to the top, and lovely views..well worth the angst.

At the foot of Petřín Hill one can find a monument by sculptor Olbram Zoubek in cooperation with the architects Zdeněk Hölzel and Jan Kerel.  The base of this monument is a staircase, on which seven figures descend. However, the farther away the figures are from the lowest stair, the more ruptured their torsos appear, with missing limbs and broken chests. This monument is the Memorial for the Victims of Communism that was unveiled 12 years after the fall of communism, in 2002.