Gothic Ghosts

Czech Republic and Slovakia

November 2009 marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism, and since then, the Czech Republic has become one of the most stable and prosperous countries of the former communist bloc. The origins of the Czech state can be traced back to the 9th century when it emerged as the kingdom of Bohemia but for most of their history, Czechs were under foreign dominion: from 1526, Bohemia was under Habsburg control until the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire after WWI led to the creation of the Republic of Czechoslovakia. Independence was short-lived though as the country was occupied by Nazis in 1939. German occupation ended in 1945, but in 1948, the Soviets backed a coup d’état that established an all-communist government that would lead the country for the next 41 years. With the fall of communism in 1989, Czechoslovakia embraced democracy, but Slovak national aspirations grew until the country peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Prague, the Czech Republic’s capital, is deservedly one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. You can’t help but become enchanted by the city – its cobbled streets lined with pastel buildings, its churches and bridges in varying styles, its horse-drawn carriages make Prague a quintessential fairy-tale city with hardly a rival in the world. Prague has been called “The Mother of Cities”, “The Golden City” and “City of A Hundred Spires”, but I’m surprised it’s never been called “City of A Hundred Bridges” since it reputedly has more than 300 of them. Undoubtedly, the Charles Bridge is the most famous, built in the 14th century and at the time the only crossing between the Old Town and Prague Castle. The bridge is flanked by three towers in gothic style and dotted with 30 baroque statues representing saints, all of them looking duly pious and martyred, though somewhat soot-black.

Throughout its 650+ year history, the bridge has withstood floods, wars, cannonades, and some say that the bridge’s longevity has to do with the laying of its foundation stone. Legend has it that King Charles IV had royal astrologers and numerologists determine the most auspicious moment, which turned out to be in 1357 on the 9th day of the 7th month at 5:31 am. This moment is written as 135797531, a sequence of ascending and descending odd digits, believed to be a magical combination that protects the bridge (cue Harry Potter theme song).

That’s not the only myth associated with the bridge. The most famous statue there is that of John of Nepomuk, a vicar and the confessor of the queen of Bohemia. The king, suspecting that his queen had a lover, ordered John to reveal her confessions. When the vicar refused, the king had him tortured and thrown into the river. There is now a small cross on that spot, and supposedly if you touch it and make a wish, it will come true within a year and one day, by which time, of course, you’ll have completely forgotten that you ever did this.

One of Prague’s most iconic symbols soars over the city – Prague Castle, the biggest ancient castle in the world, with an area of ~750,000 sq. ft. (~70,000 sq. meters). Founded in the 9th century, the castle includes palaces and ecclesiastical buildings that span every architectural style of the past millennium. The most prominent structure is the gothic St Vitus Cathedral, the tallest in the complex. Now, I did mention in the Milan post that God, the Overachiever, must have pulled His hair out watching the 579-year construction of the Duomo. Amazingly, St. Vitus took even longer: construction began in 1344 and did not end until 1929, merely 585 years later. I have two hypotheses: either all these gothic architects and engineers were a bunch of feet draggers or their bosses didn’t know what they wanted and kept changing their minds. Which one do you think it was?

There’s a legend surrounding Prague Castle too: it is said that any usurper who places the Crown of Saint Wenceslas on his head will die within a year. During the Nazi occupation, Reinhard Heydrich was named the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia and made Prague Castle his headquarters. Rumor has it that he placed the Bohemian crown on his head, and, lo and behold, he was assassinated less than a year later (cue horror theme).

On the other side of the river, the Old Town (Staré Mĕsto) is a tourist hub. It is Prague’s historic core dating from the 9th century, centered on the Old Town Square. Its most popular feature is the Astronomical Clock, which attracts crowds with the parade of characters that glide by as the clock strikes the hour: the Twelve Apostles and the “evils” of life per 15th century –Vanity, Greed, Death and Lust. To be honest, I find the “parade” very underwhelming but throngs gather to watch it every hour so feel free to join. Just don’t forget to check the most interesting piece, which is the clock itself, showing not only the time, but also the month, the zodiac, and the positions of sun and moon. I found it way more appealing than the “parade”.

As you’d expect, there’s a legend associated with the clock: rumor has it that the nice people of the Municipal Council gouged clock artist Hanus’s eyes to prevent him from making a similar one elsewhere. Hanus then threw himself into the clock mechanism and died, after which the clock stopped working and remained out of order for almost a century (cue ghastly ghost sounds). With stories like that, it’s no wonder that Prague is known as the most haunted city in the world!