Page:Guide to the Bohemian section and to the Kingdom of Bohemia - 1906.djvu/79

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The development of the prince’s power had its origin at any rate at the castle of Vyšehrad on the right bank of the river Vltava (Moldau), but very soon another castle, that of Prague, situated on one of the opposite hills on the left bank became the chief place of Bohemia and a favourite residence of its rulers, and the suburb of this castle, now called the Malá Strana, consequently grew rapidly. Historical notices regarding Prague exist from the ninth century, when the town accepted for ever the Christian religion and the first christian church was erected in the castle. That Prague was a well built town appears from a report by Ibrahim Ibn Jakub, a merchant from Arabia who travelled in Bohemia in the tenth century and described Prague as a great commercial town of stonebuilt houses. Contemporary legends relating to the life and martyrdom of St. Václav (Wenceslaus) the prince, render the town rather famous. Not only the suburb on the left bank grew and flourished, but also the second suburb on the right bank, beyond the ford, was expanding, having already in the tenth century a special central market place, in the Týnský dvůr, which continues to the present time, its architecture dating from the Renaissance period. In the year 973 Prague became the see of a bishop, through the efforts of Boleslav II., who enlarged St. Vitus’ church situated in the neighbourhood of St. Georges rich Abbey of nuns of the order of St. Benedict. At this time both towns were united by a trestle bridge and, being an emporium of central Europe attracted many foreigners so that already in the eleventh century there arose a colony of German traders, especially of drapers. After the destruction of the trestle bridge by floods a new stone bridge was built by Queen Judith, wife of Wladislaus I. (1153—67), some traces of which are to be found near the present Charles bridge. The foundation of the bishopric caused a great development of church institutions all over Bohemia, the most conspicuous of which are the many wealthy monasteries and great churches; thus in Prague there are the chapter church of SS. Peter and Paul at the Vyšehrad, the Premonstratensian abbey at Strahov, the famous residence of the knights of St. John (now the order of the knights of Malta), and near Prague the monastery of Benedictines at Břevnov.