Prague

Prague merits the superlative words that are showered upon it - it is indeed supremely beautiful, exquisitely lovely and deliciously baroque, few visitors leave the city without having fallen for its graceful majesty.

It was its position at the crossroads of Central Europe, and the presence of silver mines, that brought Prague wealth throughout the centuries. An early golden era in the 14th century gave it prestige and medieval institutions as the city grew to be bigger than Paris and London, but it was the over 400 year rule by the Austrian Habsburgs that gave the city its greatest glory – initially with fine Renaissance buildings but most spectacularly with a wealth of Baroque buildings of quite spectacular beauty as the Roman church furiously repulsed the Protestant heresy.

Just for its glorious buildings alone Prague would merit a visit but the magic of the place, the charm and that seductive allure that so enchants visitors is the way the city seems to almost repose on the banks of the River Vltava. On the one side, the gorgeous Mala Strana section, featuring the richest of the baroque monuments, rises up to a castle that seems to float high above the city. This in turn is linked by the supremely beautiful Charles V to the Old Town with its narrow lanes clustered around the attractive main square and rich in period town mansions.

Restored after the ravages of Communism had left the city to crumble, Prague today has re-found its former glory, enhanced by the lively spirit of the people - for this is the capital of Bohemia after all!