This day started out early with a visit to a church very close to our hotel,
St. Nicholas Church.
Outside the church is a fountain with cute little angles surrounding the water.
St. Nicholas is a Baroque church, the interior of which was inspired
by the chapel of St. Louis-des-Invalides in Paris.
There are so many items in the church to see it is hard to focus - one of the many
statues.
During the second World War Czech army units stationed at St. Nicholas were set to
work restoring the church, working alongside professional artists.
Another interesting statue
Church ceiling frescoes by Peter Adam the Elder.
Just behind the Church of Our Lady before Tyn is a small courtyard where artisans would
gather after selling wares in the Old Town Square.
Unique paintings can be seen on the second floor walls surrounding the courtyard.
Just beyond the artist courtyard is the Basilica of St James. It is a baroque style church.
Unfortunately it was closed so just a shot from the church door windows.
Gary Moore "hams" it up.
The House of the Black Madonna is a cubist house built in 1911-12 as a department store.
Church of Our Lady before Tyn is on the Old Town Square.
Construction of the present church began in the 14th century in the late Gothic
style. By the
beginning of the 15th century construction was almost complete.
In the afternoon we toured the Jewish section of Prague. We started with the Maisel Synagogue.
The Maisel Synagogue was erected in 1592 on the basis of a privilege granted by
Emperor Rudolf II. Its founder was Mordecai Maisel, the Mayor of the Prague Jewish Town.
During the Nazi occupation of the Czech lands, properties of the Czech Jewish communities
were stored in Maisel Synagogue. After World War II the synagogue became a depository
for the Jewish Museum in Prague.
The Pinkas Synagogue was the next stop on our tour.
It is the second oldest surviving synagogue in Prague.
Pinkas Synagogue with names of the concentration camps placed on the walls.
the reticulated vault is made in the late Gothic style but its ornaments have Renaissance
features and the portal is pure Renaissance.
The walls of the synagogue were covered with names of about 78,000 Czech and Moravian
Jewish victims of Holocaust. The names are arranged by communities where
the victims came from and complemented with their birth and death date.
We were told by the guide that the Russians wiped the hand painted names off the wall during
the communist occupation. This section was left as an example.
Just behind the Pinkas Synagogue is the cemetery. The Old Jewish Cemetery is the largest
Jewish cemetery in Europe and was active from 1439 to 1786.
There is very little space and by adding new dirt there are as many as 12 layers of burial.
On the far side of the cemetery is the Klausen synagogue, the biggest synagogue
in the Prague Jewish Town.
A short walk takes you to the Old New Synagogue - which is the oldest operating synagogue in Europe.
An unusual feature found in the nave of this synagogue is a large red flag near the west pillar.
In the center of the flag is a Star of David and in the center of the star is a
hat in the style typically worn by Jews of the 15th century.
Both the hat and star are stitched in gold. Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor awarded the Jewish
community their own banner in recognition for their services in the defence of Prague
during the Thirty Years War.
Our last stop on the tour was The Spanish Synagogue built in 1868.
The name, Spanish Synagogue, may refer to the style in which it was built, Moorish Revival style.
The organ in the Spanish Synagogue.
In the two story building there is a great dome from which
a round stained glass window with a chandelier of
the Star of David hangs, installed in 1882-1883
The oldest statue on the Charles Bridge is of St. John of Nepomuk.
In 1393, St. John of Nepomuk was thrown from the bridge into the river where he drowned.
In modern times it has become traditional to touch the bridge at this location as it is believed
to bring good
fortune and to ensure that the visitor will return to the city of Prague.
Headed back to the hotel we passed over the Charles Bridge and looked down on the
mill stream called the Devil's Stream with some water traffic.