***

History of Prague through the Centuries

9th century
- The Prague Castle is founded around 880 by prince Bo;ivoj of the Premyslid dynasty.
- Prague is established.
- Some members of the Premyslid dynasty embrace Christianity brought to the Czech lands by Cyril
- and Methodius, the "apostles of the Slavs".

10th century
- Foundations are laid to St. Vitus Rotunda and the Vy;ehrad Castle.
- The Prague bishopric is founded in 973.

11th century
- Vratislav II becomes the first Czech king in 1085 but remains subordinate to the Holy Roman Empire
- and the German king.

12th century
- The first stone bridge over the Vltava, Judith Bridge, is built in 1172.

13th century
- The Old Town (Star; m;sto) is founded in 1231.
- The Lesser Town (Mal; Strana) is founded in 1257.

14th century - Prague's Golden Age
- John of Luxembourg rules the country (1310-1346).
- The Prague Castle Area (Hrad;any) is founded around 1320.
- The Old Town Hall is founded in 1338.
- Judith Bridge collapses in a flood in 1342.
- Charles IV rules the country (1346-1378) and will be remembered as the most beloved Czech king.
- Prague becomes one of the most prosperous cities in Europe and the cultural capital of Central
- Europe.
- The Prague bishopric is upgraded to an archbishopric.
- Construction of St. Vitus cathedral begins.
- The New Town (Nov; m;sto) is founded in 1348.
- Charles University is established in 1348 and becomes the first university in Central Europe.
- Charles IV elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1355; Prague becomes the capital of the Holy Roman
- Empire.
- Construction of Charles Bridge begins in 1357.

15th century
- The Hussite wars are sweeping the country from 1419 to 1437 as a result of the religious conflicts
- between the Hussites and the Roman Catholic Church. Many historical artifacts are destroyed and
- the Prague Castle deteriorates.

16th century and Prague's Second Golden Age
- The reign of the Habsburg dynasty begins in 1526 and the seat of power moves to Vienna.
- Prague Castle is reconstructed in the Renaissance style and a number of recreational sites are added
- (the Royal Garden, the Belvedere, the Ballgame Hall, etc.)
- Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, is crowned the Czech king in 1575 and moves his court back to
- Prague in 1583. Prague becomes the center of science and alchemy and earns the nickname "Magic
- Prague". Many famous scientists are attracted to Prague, such as astronomers Tycho de Brahe and
- Johannes Kepler.

17th century
- The Protestant uprising begins in 1618.
- Protestants are severely defeated in the Battle of the White Mountain (bitva na B;l; ho;e) in 1620.
- The Dark Age of the Czech history (doba temna) begins.
- Prague loses importance and the Prague Castle deteriorates.

18th century
- The four independent urban areas of Prague (Old Town, Mal; Strana, Hrad;any, New Town) are
- united by Joseph II in 1784.
- A Czech nationalist movement called the National Revival (n;rodn; obrozen;) begins in 1784.
- The Czech language, culture and national identity are being brought back to life.
- Joseph II issues the Edict of Tolerance in 1781, granting political and religious rights to religious
- minorities.

19th century
- The Industrial Revolution begins.
- A railway between Vienna and Prague opens in 1845.
- The growing industry results in an increase of Prague's Czech population as people move to the city
- from the countryside.
- Josefov is added to Prague's historical center in 1850.
- The National Revival continues. Czech institutions are established to celebrate the Czech history
- and culture: the National Theater opens in 1868, the National Museum opens in 1890.

20th century
- The Austro-Hungarian empire falls in 1918 and Prague becomes the capital of independent
- Czechoslovakia.
- Prague Castle becomes the seat of the first president of Czechoslovakia, Tom;; Garrigue Masaryk.
- Prague becomes close with Paris between WWI and WWII.
- Prague and the rest of the country are occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II (1939-1945).
- The Prague Uprising and liberation by the Soviet Red Army end World War II in 1945.
- The Communist Party seizes power after the February 25, 1948 coup d'etat.
- Alexander Dub;ek, secretary of the Communist Party, attempts to create "socialism with a human
- face", culminating in the spring of 1968 ("Prague Spring").
- "Prague Spring" fails and five Warsaw Pact member countries invade Czechoslovakia on August 21,
- 1968.
- The Velvet Revolution starts in Prague on November 17, 1989 and brings an end to communism.
- Czechoslovakia becomes a democratic country.
- V;clav Havel, former dissident, is elected president in the country's first democratic elections
- in January 1990.
- Czechoslovakia splits into two independent countries, Czech Republic and Slovakia on January 1,
- 1993. Prague becomes the capital of the Czech Republic.
- V;clav Havel is elected first president of the Czech Republic in January 1993.
- The Czech Republic joins NATO in 1999.
- In 2002, the Czech Republic is approved to become a member of the European Union.
- The Czech Republic is accepted into the European Union on May 1, 2004.

Czech Legends

The Origin of Prague

The origin of Prague goes back to the 7th century and the Slavic princess Libu;e, a woman of great beauty and wisdom who possessed prophetic powers. Libu;e and her husband, prince P;emysl, ruled peacefully over the Czech lands from the hill of Vy;ehrad. A legend says that one day Libu;e had a vision. She stood on a cliff overlooking the Vltava, pointed to a forested hill across the river, and proclaimed: "I see a great city whose glory will touch the stars." ("Vid;m m;sto velik;, jeho; sl;va hv;zd se dot;kati bude."). She instructed her people to go and build a castle where a man was building the threshold (in Czech pr;h) of a house. "And because even the great noblemen must bow low before a threshold, you shall give it the name Praha". Her words were obeyed and some two hundred years later, the city of Prague became the seat of the Premyslid dynasty.
The Story of Horym;r and ;em;k

When the Czech lands were ruled by prince K;esomysl, a farmer named Horym;r lived in the village of Neum;tely. He had a white horse of extraordinary intelligence called ;em;k. Due to K;esomysl's obsession to find treasures that were said to be hidden underground, people were encouraged to abandon farming and to become miners. Horym;r was unhappy with K;esomysl's rule and warned that neglecting farming would result in famine. His protests were not liked by the miners who one day set Horym;r's property on fire. Horym;r and his followers in turn burned down the miners' village. Horym;r was punished and sentenced for execution. When he was asked his last wish, he requested one last ride around the castle grounds on his beloved horse ;em;k. His wish was granted. When Horym;r got on his white horse, he whispered something in his ear. ;em;k ran to the ramparts, jumped over them and slid down the cliff. When the on-lookers got to the ramparts, they were astonished to see Horym;r and ;em;k on the other side of the Vltava, galloping towards Neum;tely.

The miraculous jump exhausted ;em;k. The dying horse spoke to Horym;r in a human voice and asked for a tomb to be built for him. Horym;r did as the horse wished. The tomb has since disappeared but ;em;k is said to be sleeping in the Vy;ehrad rock, ready to come out when his help is needed again.


The Golem of Prague

In the 16th century, during the reign of Rudolf II, an old Jewish man named Rabbi Judah Loew lived in Prague. During that time, the Jewish people of Prague were being attacked and lived their lives in fear. Rabbi Loew decided to protect the Jews against pogroms by creating the Golem, a giant who according to the Cabala could be made of clay from the banks of the Vltava. Following the prescribed rituals, the Rabbi built the Golem and made him come to life by reciting a special incantation in Hebrew. The word "emet", meaning "truth", was placed on the Golem's forehead.

The Golem would obey the Rabbi's every order and would help and protect the people of the Jewish Ghetto. However, as he grew bigger, he also became more violent and started killing people and spreading fear. Rabbi Loew was promised that the violence against the Jews would stop if the Golem was destroyed. The Rabbi agreed. By removing the first letter from the word "emet", thus changing it to "met" (meaning "death"), life was taken out of the Golem. According to legend, the Golem was brought back to life by Rabbi Loew's son, and may still be protecting Prague today.


Prophecies of the Clock

One day a prisoner, looking at the famous astronomical clock, noticed that a sparrow was caught in the mouth of Death. The unlucky man believed that sight to be a bad omen and thought that he would spend the rest of his life in prison. But, as the next hour stroke, the clock started moving again, the jaw of Death opened and, to the prisoner's great relief, the sparrow set itself free and flew away. A few days later the convict was released from prison and was free again.


The Legend of Dalibor (Dalibor's Violin)

The name of the Tower of Dalibor (Daliborka) at the Prague Castle is connected to one of Prague's best-known legends, which was also made into an opera by Bed;ich Smetana in 1868.

According to this legend, a man called Dalibor from Kozojedy, a small town near Litom;;ice, was sentenced to death and imprisoned in this tower for giving shelter to some rebellious peasants. While waiting for the fatal day, Dalibor would play his violin and his music was so beautiful that all the people of Prague were moved and enchanted and the local authorities didn't dare announce the date of the execution. People knew that the generous Dalibor was dead when his violin fell forever silent.


The Silver Fish

A legend says that a wealthy man called Mysl;k was forced to run away from Prague after the battle of the White Mountain. He gathered all his precious silver and melted it in a fish-shaped clay mould. Before leaving his beloved Prague, Mysl;k hid the silver fish inside a wall of his house. Many years later a new tenant was living in that house. One day, this man was ordered by the city counselors to tear down the old building and build a new one. The poor man fell into despair at the news as he didn't have the money to do that. He was about to leave his house when Mysl;k's silver fish fell out of a broken wall. The precious object allowed the man to restore his old house. This legend is still well known in Prague and the moral of this story is that someone's misfortune may always turn into someone else's good luck and so we should never lose our hope.