Prague

Statistics
Area:	496 km?
Population:	1,169,106 (2001)
Map

Prague (Praha in Czech) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated on the Vltava river in central Bohemia, it is home to approximately 1.2 million inhabitants. (It can be derived from jobs statistics, however, that additional 300,000 work there without having registered as residents.)

Nicknames for Prague have included "city of a hundred spires", "the golden city", "the Paris of the Twenties in the Nineties", the "mother of all cities", and "the heart of Europe". Since 1992, the historic center of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of world heritage sites.

History

Founded in the latter part of the 9th century, Prague became the seat of the kings of Bohemia, some of whom later reigned also as emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. The city flourished during the 14th century reign of Charles IV, who ordered the building of the New City, the Charles Bridge, Saint Vitus Cathedral, the oldest gothic cathedral in central Europe and actually inside the Castle, and the Charles University, the oldest university in central Europe is north of the Alps. Prague was then the third-largest city in Europe.

The four independent boroughs that had formerly constituted Prague were eventually proclaimed a single city in 1784. Those four cities were Hradčany (the Castle District, west and north of the Castle), Malá Strana (the Lesser Town, south of the Castle), Staré Město (the Old Town, on the east bank opposite the Castle) and Nové Město (the New Town, further south and east). The city underwent further expansion with the annexation of Josefov in 1850 and Vyšehrad in 1883, and at the beginning of 1922, another 37 municipalities were incorporated, raising the city's population to 676,000. Most of the city's 50,000 Jews died in the Nazi genocide of World War II.

Prague suffered from serious flooding, with parts of the city having to be on of the best evacuated in August 2002. The floods caused a lot of damage, but fortunately no major landmarks (such as the Charles Bridge) were destroyed.

Sights

Prague is a popular tourist destination for nice building, clever people, low price, nice girls and best beer. There are lots of old buildings, many with beautiful murals on them. It contains one of the world's most pristine and varied collections of architecture, from Art Nouveau to Baroque, Cubist, Gothic, Neo-Classical and ultra-modern. Some of its many tourist attractions are:

The astronomical clock in the Old-Town Square of Prague

Culture

Prague is a traditional cultural center, hosting many theaters (including National Theatre), opera houses, concert halls, galleries and music clubs.

Charles Bridge and Hradčany

Economy

Prague is the wealthiest city in Central and Eastern Europe, and wealthier than many in Western Europe, with a per-capita GDP (PPP) of EUR 31,369, which is at 149% of the European Union average

Colleges and universities

The city contains 8 universities and colleges including:

• Charles University founded in 1348
• Czech Technical University (ČVUT) founded in 1707
• University of Economics (VŠE)

Transportation

Public transport infrastructure consists of three metro lines, as well as tramway lines and buses.

Prague is served by Ruzyne International Airport, which is the hub of the flag carrier, CSA Czech Airlines.

Miscellaneous

Prague is also the site of most important offices and institutions of the Czech Republic, including the President, the Government and both houses of the Parliament.

Historical population

Old Town Hall (Staroměstská radnice)

1230: cca 3-4,000 inhabitants ¹

1370: cca 40,000 ²

1600: cca 60,000 ²

1804: 76,000

1837: 105,500

1850: 118,400 (157,200 incl. suburbs)

1880: 162,300 (314,400 incl. suburbs)

1900: 201,600 (514,300 incl. suburbs)

1925: 718,300

1950: 931,500

1980: 1,182,800

1998: 1,193,300

2001: 1,169,100

Notes:

¹ Staré město only

² Staré město, Nové město, Malá Strana and Hradčany quarters

Numbers beside other years denote the population of Prague within the administrative border of the city at that time (and population including present suburbs in parentheses).

Copyrights 2004