Prague in Plain Sight #8 - Powder Tower (Prašná brána)

In my previous post I wrote about Jindřišská which is only a few minutes walk from my apartment, but a monument I had never properly visited until relatively recently. The Powder Tower, (Prašná brána) is even closer, and despite having walked around it and under it countless times, I had never been inside this landmark either until a few weeks ago.

The tower is located at the intersection of Celetna and Na příkopě (which literally translates to 'in the ditch', and refers to an old moat long since filled in) and just a few steps away from Náměstí Republiky metro station.

Also known as the Powder Gate, this is one of thirteen original city gates in Prague’s Old Town and this one separates the Old and New Towns. Construction began in 1475. It was inspired by the design of the towers on the Charles Bridge and was intended as a decorative tower rather than as a defensive one, and replaced the old and dilapidated Horská tower and was part of the old King’s Court which was located where the Municipal House now stands. As such it became the passing point through which coronation processions used to pass on the way to the St Vitus Cathedral. In 1485, Prague Castle became the royal residence and the next royal procession through the tower did not take place until 1836. In fact, the Powder Tower remained unfinished until 1592.

The building was used to store gunpowder in the 17th century, hence the name Powder Tower. Today’s appearance dates back to the years 1875 - 1886 when the Powder Gate Tower was restored and completed in a pseudo-Gothic style by the architect Josef Mocker. 

The Powder Tower is 65 m high with an observation gallery at 44 metres above ground level. Inside, the spiral staircase is made of 186 stone steps.

Perhaps waiting until the middle of winter to go up the tower was not one of my brightest ideas! Three days after Christmas, it was cold, grey and quite windy, but my fiancée had come over to join me for Christmas. It was only the second time I had seen her in two years because of Covid restrictions and we were determined to make the most of the time and do as many new things as possible.

Having climbed up most of the towers in the city, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. Cold, clammy, stone-clad walls and an element of dizziness from climbing steep spiral staircases with the ever-present threat of someone coming down the other way! For that reason, we went in the first hour of the tower being open (which also meant a discount on the ticket prices) - and it wasn't too busy, although there was a group of people who seemed more interested in screaming down their phones than being aware of their surroundings!

The views from the gallery were amazing despite the conditions. My real problem was that given the cold and having to wear a mask (which was trying very hard to fly away) I was really struggling to keep my glasses from steaming up. As a result, I couldn't use my DSLR camera and had to rely on my iPhone for my photos.

To be honest, I was quite happy to get back in from the gallery, back down the draughty stairwell and back onto terra firma! And by then it was beer o'clock! 

Prague in Plain Sight #7 - Jindřišská (Henry's Bell Tower)

Many years ago my neighbours, who had by then become great friends, moved to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. From childhood, I’d always been fascinated by the name Kuala Lumpur (although I have no idea why) and I finally had an opportunity to go and visit, which I did on many occasions. Although my friends had been there for a while before I finally made my first trip, they had spent their time setting up their new home, sorting out the children and engaging with members of the extensive ex-pat community. On a visit to the Bata Caves, not far from KL, they let me into a little secret. This was the first time they’d done anything even vaguely touristy since they’d arrived.

Over the last eight years living in Prague I’ve definitely done a lot of touristy things. I’ve written about a lot of them in the seventy articles I’ve written on this blog! Some of them are more mainstream than others, but the great thing about spending a lot of time in a place is that you get to go to places that weekenders and short stay people rarely get to see. And then there are some places that kind of fall between the two - touristy but not quite mainstream! One such place is Jindřišská or Henry’s Bell Tower. 

Jindřišská is a stone’s throw from my apartment and I have walked past it countless times but never been inside. I finally crossed the threshold when some friends came to visit me in the autumn of 2019 and I thought it would be something a little off the beaten track for them to enjoy as well as filling a gap in my compendium of Prague attractions.

The bell tower from Jindřišská street

Situated in the New Town, mid-way between Namesti Republika and Vaclav Namesti, Jindřišská was built between 1472 and 1476 as the bell tower for the Church of St Henry and St Kunhuta (which now sits on the other side of the street). At 65.7m, it is the tallest free-standing bell tower in Prague. It was built from sandstone, with a wooden roof covered in slate tiles. The clock was added in 1577.

The view towards the National Gallery

In 1648, Prague was under siege by the Swedish empire and the tower was used as a military guardhouse. It was largely destroyed by artillery. After the battle of Štěrbohol in 1757, it was shelled again by Prussian forces and suffered again in 1801 from storm damage.

Close-up of the viewing gallery and clock

The tower underwent major reconstruction in 1876-1879 under the supervision of the architect Josef Mocker who used the Neo-Gothic style you see today. In 2001 the tower was modernised internally and fitted with additional floors and an elevator. The viewing platform on the 10th floor was added along with a new carillon by Petr Rudolf Manoušek. This hangs from the original roof and you can choose from 1,152 pre-set melodies to listen to from within the tower.

Looking out to Petrin and Prague Castle from the attic

The three biggest of the ten bells housed in the belfry are Maria, the oldest which was cast in 1518 and weighs 723kg; Jindřich, the largest, weighing in at 3350 kg and Dominik which weighs 1000 kg. The bells ring out every three hours from 9am until 6pm.

Not just a museum, Jindřišská is also an exhibition centre, function centre, and houses a well-stocked whisky bar and a restaurant. Entry to the tower (at the time of writing) is 160Kc and it is open daily between 10 and 6. Of all the towers in Prague, this is one of the most accessible, especially for people who don’t like cramped, dark, cold spiral staircases! 

Prague In Plain Sight #6 - The Royal Gardens (Královská zahrada)

If you take the 22 tram up towards Prague Castle from the centre of town (the most popular way to go) and disembark at the Pražský hrad stop, it is very easy to head straight through the security point and head directly towards the castle buildings via the Powder Bridge. But in doing so, you're likely to miss out on the Royal Gardens, described by some as the most historically valuable of the castle gardens. 

Founded in 1534 by Ferdinand I, who acquired the land which was originally a mediaeval vineyard, the original gardens were inspired by Renaissance designs from Italy. From the very early days, the gardens were planted with exotic botanical specimens from all over the world. The current designs are based on ideas from 19th-century English parks.

The Hercules Fountain

The buildings in the gardens were all built for the express purpose of the pursuit of leisure for the nobility rather than for any functional end. The most exquisite of these is the Ball Game Hall (Míčovna) which is covered in beautiful frescos. Built between 1567 and 1569 by the architects Bonifác Wohlmuth and Oldřich Aostalis, on the south side of the gardens, directly above the Stag Moat, the hall has also served as a riding school and stables and during the reign of Josef II, it was used as a military storage facility.

One of the archways on the Ball Game Hall originally open to the outside

The frescos represent the personification of four elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water), seven main virtues (Forethought, Restraint, Mercy, Hope, Justice, Bravery, Faithfulness), and eight free arts (Theology, Astronomy, Geometry, Music, Arithmetics, Rhetorics, Dialectics, Grammar). In the 1950s an emblem of a Five-Year Plan with a sickle and a hammer were added in the third arch on the left as an allegory of industry and agriculture. (This is the only preserved feature of social realism within the Prague Castle premises).

The hall was burnt down following fighting in May 1945 but the designs were painstakingly restored, first in 1952, and then further between 1971 and 1973.

The fresco representing faith

and the art of Astronomy

The other buildings in the Royal Gardens are the Summer Palace which stands behind the Singing Fountain, the Hercules Fountain, the Lion Court and the newest building, The Orangery.

Looking back to the castle from the Royal Garden

One of the best things about this particular garden is that it offers a completely different view of the castle complex from the one that is most familiar. Additionally, when I made my only visit here in 2016, it was possible to get down to the Stag Moat (Jelení příkop). This is a natural ravine from the Brusnice stream which takes its name from when deer were bred here in the 17th century. Later, even up until the 1960s bears were bred in the moat.

Looking down into the Stag Moat

In 2018, access to the Stag Moat was restricted "for technical reasons", but there has been increased security around the area so I do wonder if this is the real reason behind the restricition.

Unfortunately, the Royal Gardens are also only open during the extended summer season from April until October, but when they are open, entry is free. If you've enjoyed this, I've written about other gardens associated with the castle here.

Prague In Plain Sight #5 - The Wallenstein Gardens

There is a myriad of palaces and gardens on the Malá Strana side of the Vltava. I’ve written about a few of them including the Palace Gardens and Vojanovy sady.

I’d read about the Wallenstein Gardens (Valdštejnská zahrada) but it took me a while to find out where the physical entrance was. As is often the case in Prague, I’d walked past the entrance dozens of times without realising that the doorway set in the long whitewashed wall running the length of Letenská was the portal to the secret garden. It didn’t help that the gardens are only open between April and October, which meant I had to wait for six months before the door was open!

Wallenstein Palace in Malá Strana

Covering over 4 acres (1.7 hectares) the Wallenstein Garden and Palace complex lies sandwiched between Letenská and  Valdštejnská, in the heart of the government district of Prague. It was built by Albrecht of Valdstejn between 1623 and 1630. The general was one of the most influential Catholic commanders in the imperial army of Ferdinand II and was the Commander-in-Chief during the Thirty Years War. Ultimately, Ferdinand had him assassinated in 1634, so he only lived in his palace for a year. However, it remained in the Wallenstein family until 1945. Following the war, it became the property of the Czech state, and now houses the Senate of the Czech Republic.

The Sala Terrana hosts concerts and plays

The palace complex was designed to rival Prague Castle and consists of four main courtyards, a period garden, a riding school, an aviary, a grotto, a pavilion overlooking a fountain and lake, and an Avenue of sculptures.

Looking down the mythological corridor

These sculptures and frescos which adorn the palace and garden buildings are all based on mythological stories and beings, but many of them include depictions of the Duke himself, giving us an indication of his vanity, and why Ferdinand II considered him a threat to his own reign.

The Sala Terrena is used for plays and concerts and shows scenes from the Trojan War. Next to this is the artificial grotto, comprising lime stucco stalactites built using roof ridge tiles.

The Grotto

A nearby, small fountain is a copy of a bronze original of Venus with Cupid and a dolphin, which was taken by the Swedish Army as war booty in 1648. The same fate met the statues of the mythological avenue, created in 1625-26. These are now copies also, as the originals are still located in Castle Drootningholm in Sweden.  The main fountain is a sculpture of Hercules with the Nayades (river nymphs), and the pond in which it stands was used for experiments with a steamship in 1816.

As I mentioned, the gardens are closed during the winter, but if you’re in Prague between late spring and autumn the Wallenstein gardens should be near the top of your bucket list. Aim to go earlier in the morning, as the gardens are popular with large, organised groups and it's best to appreciate the splendour of the surroundings in relative peace and quiet, and easier to take photos of the statues (and the white peacocks) before small children start climbing all over them!

Parks and Recreation - Havlíčkovy sady

In keeping with all the other dichotomies that make Prague such a wonderful place to live and work, the amount of green space in the city means you don't have to go far to find a peaceful park or garden to relax in and get out of the madness of the hubbub. According to the city tourist board, green space accounts for over 20% of the city area. Many of these places are obvious, like the Letná plateau hanging over the city like a backdrop in a theatre or Vítkov hill. Others need to be sought out, like Vojanuvy sady and the Franciscan gardens.

Some of the best green places involve leaving the confines of the Old Town and heading a little further afield. I've written about Vysehrad previously, but in this post, I wanted to write about the first park in Prague that I visited, almost four years ago to the day.

The view from the Pavilion (with my friend Elena)

Having just moved to Prague, I wanted to find somewhere I could go running directly from my flat in Vinohrady, preferably somewhere that didn't involve too much pavement pounding. According to the map, there was a massive park just a couple of hundred yards from my flat, called Havlíčkovy sady (Havlicek Park). So, on my first newbie Sunday, I wandered off in the early chill of an October morning to investigate. There were a few dog walkers around, but the park was mostly empty apart from dozens of red squirrels hiding their stashes ready for the winter. This part of the park was wooded but with plenty of light breaking through the sparse canopy. The paths were wide and well maintained and it was a pleasant walk until suddenly the path appeared to go over a cliff!

From the grotto looking out on the park

Havlíčkovy sady (also known as Grébovka) spans the neighbourhoods of Vinohrady, Vršovice and Nusle. It covers nearly thirty acres (11 ha) of which just over four acres (1.7 h) are vineyards. These vineyards date back to the thirteenth century and give their name to the nearby area now known as Vinohrady. Over the next six hundred years, the vineyards changed hands many times and were owned by Benedictine monks, Jesuits, as well as private landowners. In 1870 the land was acquired by the industrialist Moritz Gröbe who built the Villa Gröbe.

    

This was a monumental summer residence, designed in a neo-Renaissance style, and landscaped into an English style park. Other lavish and self-indulgent features were added for the entertainment of the family and their guests, including an artificial grotto, a casino with a shooting range,  a bowling alley, and chess tables. Gröbe also restored the original vineyards and added an impressive gazebo – which is now protected as a monument. Gröbe’s heirs resented having to maintain the estate and they sold the house and land to the Vinohrady municipality, which opened the park to the public at the beginning of the 20th century, under the name “Havlíčkovy sady”.

The park features over 120 different species of domestic and foreign trees, and 25 species of bird, including 12 which nest in the park. The grotto was constructed by creating artificial rocks from bricks, mortar and cement to resemble stalactites. An observation deck was created and underneath, a fountain and pond, adorned with a statue of Neptune. During the 1970's the area became a shelter for the homeless, drug addicts and underage drinkers and fencing with barbed wire was erected. In 2010 the grotto underwent major reconstruction.

The vineyard still operates on a small commercial basis, producing about 4000 litres of wine each year. The old casino, bowling alley and parts of the pavilion are used for special events, and the gazebo is now a small cafe where you can drink the wine and look out over the vineyards where it originated. And a rather splendid little wine it is!

A splendid little wine! Na zdraví

As for my running - I never did run in Havlíčkovy sady. Going down the steep slopes was one thing but going back up them again wasn't for me! In fact, it was another year before I ran in Prague for anything other than a tram!

Prague Noir - The Seven Day Challenge

I'm not a big fan of the fads that hit Facebook from time to time but when I was nominated to do the Black and White 7 Day Photographic Challenge it appealed to me mainly because I was in the right place at the right time. In Prague. If I'd been at home in the UK I wouldn't have given it another thought.

I was quite pleased with the results so I decided to share them here and include some comments about each photo.

My first photo was taken from my bedroom window which looks out over Anenské náměstí. This little square, just off Smetanovo nábřeží, is only a few hundred metres from the Charles Bridge. It is often used for film shoots, especially in the evenings, and crews can be seen hard a work for several hours during the afternoon just for a few seconds of footage. 

The one-way street leading to the square, Anenská, can get a little noisy in the evenings as partygoers head back into the depths of the Old Town from the Karlovy lázně nightclub, the biggest in Central Europe spreading over five floors (but not my cup of tea I'm afraid!).

The square is also home to a small theatre (Divadlo Na zábradlí) but the largest building is the Palác Pachtů z Rájova. Now reconstructed, it is the site of the former Dominican Convent of St Anne, for whom the square is named.

The Charles Bridge marks the point where Smetanovo nábřeží morphs into Křižovnická. The name is derived from the Order of Knights of the Cross who lived in the former Monastery of the Crossroads. Until 1342 the Knights collected the tolls due from crossing the old Judith Bridge, which was the predecessor of the Charles Bridge. The new name has been in use since 1870, before which it was known as Granátová.

The street is one of the busiest in Prague both for pedestrians and traffic, although this was shot at lunch time in November after a rain storm so it's uncharacteristically quiet.

The dome in the background belongs to the Church of St Francis, which marks the entry point to the Charles Bridge. The building on the left is the Klementinum which now houses the National Library.


In the far distance in the background, you can just make out the short tunnel under the buildings of Křižovnické náměstí. This arcade runs next to the tunnel, underneath the Karlovy lázně nightclub.

This photo was taken late at night before the shutters went down and once again, belies how busy this place is during the day. To get down the two hundred metre arcade really requires you to barge your way through (as politely as possible, of course!)

Don't be conned into purchasing anything down here - it's probably the most expensive place in Prague to buy the tacky souvenirs on sale. Even the bottled water will cost considerably more here than anywhere else, and under no circumstance use the money changers down here unless you really enjoy throwing your hard earned cash away!


No seven day challenge for me in Prague would be complete without this view of the castle taken from the Karlovy lázně tram stop on Smetanovo nábřeží.

I have dozens of similar shots, all taken from the same place over the course of four years, which I've made into a time lapse film showing the view through the seasons (I'll post it on YouTube at some stage in the future).

On this particular occasion I was lucky enough to get a star struck seagull to pose for me. Behind the seagull, at the end of the wooden icebreaker, is the Smetana Museum. The building was converted from an old waterworks to a museum to commemorate the composer Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884), often referred to as the father of Czech music. He became deaf in his older years, and never heard his symphonic poems Má Vlast (My Country).



In this next photo, we're back in Křižovnické náměstí, looking out across the Charles Bridge towards Malá Strana (the Lesser Town).

The 'love lock' craze has hit Prague in a big way as you can see and padlocks have been appearing all over national monuments. They cause huge problems for the authorities with the weight causing damage. Staff are employed to remove the locks from the bridge each week. In 2006, they filled five boxes of locks with each box weighing in at around 50kg


My penultimate photo is from the entrance hall of the Municipal Library in Mariánské náměstí. This column of over 8000 books is called Idiom and was created by the Slovakian artist Matej Krén. The shot was taken through a small aperture in the column, which inside appears as an infinte or bottomless pit thanks to mirrors placed at the top and bottom of the assembly.

Perhaps not the best of subjects for a black and white picture which doesn't really do it justice. I'll publish a better one another time. I did have a back-up photo - also an indoor shot, but everyone knows that a glass of Pilsner Urquell looks much better in colour!

My final photo of the challenge was taken from another popular place down on the river bank, not far from the Malá Strana side of Manesuv Most, on Cihelná. This time we're looking back towards the Charles Bridge and some of the places from the other photos in the collection. If you're a bit nervous about swans snapping at you or if you are just reluctant to get guano all over your shoes, there are benches up on the bank where you can watch the birds without getting too involved.

You can feed the birds, but please take note of the signs telling you what is an isn't suitable. Just because the animals eat it, doesn't mean it's good for them - often quite the opposite, and rotting food will have other adverse effects on the local environment, especially the water.




I hope you've enjoyed this little photographic journey - my special thanks to my friend and former colleague, Olivier, for nominating me. I'm thinking about another challenge for another time - if you've got any suggestions, let me know!

Prague in Plain Sight #3 - Čechův most (Čech Bridge)

Even someone who has never set foot in Prague is probably familiar with the Charles Bridge either from postcards or photos, but if not, from its starting role in a number of films, most famously Mission:Impossible, but also Yentl, Van Helsing and The Omen. Of course, its iconic status and fame mean it is often almost impassable except early in the morning or late at night.

Prague boasts eight other bridges across the Vltava between Florenc in the North-east of the city and Vyšehrad to the South, and of these three are more suitable crossing places for someone on a mission or in a hurry. My personal favourite is Čechův most (Čech Bridge) which provides a link between Pařížská třída and the embankment running under the Letná hill and the steps leading up to the metronome.

View across the Vltava with the metronome in the background

Čechův most was built between 1905 and 1908 based on plans by the architect Jan Koula along with designers George Soukup, Vaclav Trča, Francis Mencl. At 169m in length and 16m wide, it is the shortest bridge in Prague.

It also has a protected status as the only Art Nouveau style bridge in the Czech Republic. It is constructed on stone pillars and the arches are made of iron. The original roadway was wooden but this was replaced in 1961 because it became very slippery in the wet. There have been a number of reconstructions, including a major one in 1971/5. Between 1984 and 87 all the sculptures on the bridge were repaired.

Torchbearer on the west side of the bridge

There are a large number of wonderful ornamental features in bronze and iron including torchbearers, six-headed hydras and at each end of the bridge, a pair of 17.5m tall columns support bronze figures of Victory designed by Antonín Popp.

        

One of the Victory figures

Detail of a ram's head on the bridge

                

The bridge was named after the writer Svatopluk Čech, who died just after construction was completed. During the Nazi occupation between 1940-45, it was renamed the Mendel Bridge (after Gregor Mendel, the German geneticist).

Next time you happen to be crossing the river at that end of the city, take a moment or two to appreciate the amazing attention to detail on Čech most.

Prague in Plain Sight #2 - The Šitka Tower

If you continue walking past the Kranner Fountain towards the Dancing House, you’ll not miss the Šitkovská (Šitka) Water Tower on the right-hand side of the road (Masarykovo Nábřeží). This tower was named for one of the original mill owners that used to crowd the riverfront. It supplied water from the Vltava to the upper New Town.

Šitka Tower from Jiráskův most

The current tower dates back to 1588-1591; other towers existed on the same site but were destroyed by fire. The onion shaped dome was a later addition in 1648, following damage from the Thirty Years’ War. The waterworks went out of operation in 1880 and the tower was threatened with demolition.

Šitka Tower with Prague Castle in the background

Václav Havel, the first democratically elected president of Czechoslovakia, probably wished it had been, as the top floor was a spying spot for the communist Secret Police for many years as it had the perfect view of his house, which was monitored 24 hours a day in the 1970's to see who was visiting, when, and for how long.

Although you can easily get to the tower along the main embankment, a more interesting route is to cross the little bridge onto Slovansky ostrov (Slav Island) and approach the tower through the park. Head right down to the end of the island and you can make your way back up to the road via the staircase under the tower.

The Tower from Slav Island

Inscription on the rear of the tower

The building alongside the tower houses an art gallery (Galerie Mánes) and a little cafe restaurant.

Prague in Plain Sight #1 - The Kranner Fountain

In a city like Prague, there are plenty of things that you often walk past but never give them a second thought. Sometimes it’s because there’s something more interesting on the other side of the road, at other times you may just step over them without realising their significance. In this set of posts, I’m hoping to bring some of these places into a bit more prominence. They don’t really qualify as being hidden because they are in such plain sight, but they do deserve a mention, rather than being taken for granted.

The first of these landmarks is the Kranner Fountain, which is just a few blocks from my usual apartment when I’m in town. I’ve walked past it thousands of times but only have one photograph of it, and until I started writing this, I didn’t even know what it was called.

Reminiscent of the Scott memorial in Edinburgh or the Albert Memorial in London, the Kranner Fountain was built in 1848 by the architect Josef Ondrej Kranner from whom it takes its name. It was unveiled in May 1850 as one of the requirements of a project which included the construction of a chain bridge linking Malá Strana and Smíchov and the creation of the first paved stone embankment in Prague, now Smetanovo Nábřeží.

The Homage to the Bohemian Estates or Kranner Fountain

Whilst it’s Kranner whose name is associated with the fountain, the sculptor was Josef Max, and the primary stonemason was Karel Svoboda.

Officially called “The Homage to the Bohemian Estates” (rolls off the tongue nicely, doesn’t it?), the centrepiece of the monument is an equestrian statue of the Austrian Emperor Franz I. Below this are sixteen figures representing the, then, sixteen Czech regions, with Prague at the head. These are allegorical depictions, representing science, art, peace, abundance, ploughing, mining, industry and commerce. A complex water pumping mechanism is built under the main plinth, connected to an underground corridor leading off to Divadelní.

In May 1919, after the founding of the first Czech Republic, the statue of the emperor was removed but a copy was returned to the platform in 2003 when the monument and pumping system was renovated.

One of the things I need to do on my return to Prague in a few weeks is to spend a bit more time in the little park in which the fountain is situated, maybe have a bit of lunch, and take a few more photos of this exquisite fountain.