“"How oft to Stamboul, golden home of splendour
The marvel of this town fame's voice doeth render
Of this thy, Prague, thy, Capital of gold,
But, by my beard, as hold in wondrous story
Mine eye is powerless to regard its glory,
A fair enchanting garden I behold.“
THE FAMOUS VIEWS OF PRAGUE.
No visitor to Prague should omit to ascend the Petřin hill (tramcar No. 5 from the City and funicular railway), whence can be obtained one of the best and most complete birdseye-views of the “golden“ Prague, the “City of Hundred towers“.
The river Vltava flows through the centre of Prague.
On its right bank are: the Old Town with the Joseph Town (formerly Jewish Quarter), the New Town and the Vyšehrad (the “Acropolis“ of Prague, formerly the seat of the pagan gods; there is here now a magnificent church of St. Peter and Paul and cemetery having a mausoleum and memorials of illustrious Bohemian patriots).
In the backgrounds to the East at the foot of the Žižka hill three independent municipalities are to be seen, that form integral parts of the Capital: Karlín, Žižkov, Královské Vinohrady.
On the left bank of the river are situated: the Small Town (Malá Strana) with numerous old palaces of artistic design; the Hradčany (the “Kremlin“ of Prague and the reputed residence of Libuša, the semimythical foundress of the City):
Further on to the South is an independent suburb Smíchov, the home of industry.
Malá Strana and Hradčany are connected with the Old Town by the historic Charles Bridge, with its ancient towers and open air sculpture gallery of Saints, chiefly in the baroque style. That of St. John of Nepomuk is in the middle of the Bridge.
South of the Charles Bridge a modern bridge: the Francis Bridge can be seen and close to it, the Bohemian National Theatre, a building in the renaissance style.
Next to this a short bridge connects the beautiful Sophia’s Island with the embankment.
The South part of the New Town is connected with the suburb Smíchov by Palacký’s Bridge (named after the greatest Bohemian Historian).
At the foot of the Vyšehrad is a railway steel bridge. Further North of the Charles Bridge is a Foot Bridge, close to which is the “Rudolphinum“, Picture Gallery and Concert Hall.)
Another stone bridge further on to the North East, is named after the greatest Bohemian modern poet: Svatopluk Čech Bridge. There are three other bridges down the stream connecting the suburbs Holešovice and Bubna with the North part of the New Town and with the suburbs Karlín and Libeň.
