Czech Republic Praha Charles Bridge & Prague
Castle
Карлов мост - мост в Праге через реку Влтава, соединяет районы
Праги Малая Страна, и Старе Место. Построен в эпоху
Средневековья. На мосту расположены 30 скульптур. Длина моста
520 м, ширина — 9,5 м. Мост опирается на 16 мощных арок,
облицованных тёсаными квадрами из песчаника. На сегодняшний день
является единственным в своём роде произведением средневекового
искусства. Первый камень в основание моста был заложен Карлом IV
9 июля 1357 года. Каменный мост изначально назывался Пражским, в
1870 году получил название в честь основателя
The Charles Bridge - is a famous historical bridge that crosses
the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction
started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and
finished in the beginning of the 15th century. As the only means
of crossing the river Vltava (Moldau), the Charles Bridge was
the most important connection between the Old Town, Prague
Castle and adjacent areas until 1841. This "solid-land"
connection made Prague important as a trade route between
Eastern and Western Europe. The bridge was originally called the
Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or the Prague Bridge (Pražský most)
but has been the "Charles Bridge" since 1870. The bridge is 516
meters long and nearly 10 meters wide, resting on 16 arches
shielded by ice guards. It is protected by three bridge towers,
two of them on the Lesser Quarter side and the third one on the
Old Town side. The Old Town bridge tower is often considered to
be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in
the world. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30
statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, erected
around 1700. During the night the Charles Bridge is a quiet
place. But during the day it changes its face into a very busy
place, with painters, owners of kiosks and other traders
alongside numerous tourists crossing the bridge.
Градчаны - один из четырёх исторических районов Праги,
сохранявших до 1784 г. право на самоуправление. Старая
императорская резиденция Пражский град и примыкающий к нему
крепостной город Градчаны расположены на просторном скалистом
холме левого берега реки Влтавы. Название района произошло от
слова «hrad», что на чешском языке означает «замок, крепость,
укрепленное поселение». Приблизительно до начала XIX столетия к
западной части Пражского Града подступал лес, через который
проходила дорога до Бржевновского, а позже и Страговского
монастыря, и вела далее в сторону северо-западной Богемии. У
этой дороги, возле Града (на месте современной Градчанской
площади) основал около 1320 года бургграф Хинек Берка их Дубэ
небольшой городок, самый маленький из пражских городов и третий
по времени после Старе Место и Мала Страны. Фактически весь
город состоял из пространства для проведения рыночных торгов и
двух улиц. Это поселение во времена правления чешского короля
Карла IV (1375 год) было расширено далее на запад до современных
площади Погоржелец, Лоретанской площади и района Новый Свет, а
также защищено системой крепостных стен (Голодная стена). Как и
расположенный рядом город Мала Страна, Градчаны стали жертвой
разрушений гуситских войн в 1420 году и в 1541 выгорели
полностью вместе с территорией Пражского Града. После этого
пожара освободившуюся от прежних застроек площадь начали
выкупать дворяне и представители церкви, стали выростать дворцы
в стиле ренессанс и канонические дома. Престиж города возрос в
1598 году, когда император Рудольф II Габсбург присвоил ему
статус «Королевского города», приблизительно к этому же времени
(1588 год) относится строение здания Градчанской ратуши, на
дверях которой до сегодняшнего дня находится металлический
«пражский локоть» - официальная мера длины того времени. До
первой половины XVIII столетия Градчаны от комплекса Пражского
Града были отделены глубоким искусственным рвом с откидным
мостом. В 1784 году в ходе реформы Иосифа II Градчаны был в
составе других трех городов объединены в Королевский город
Прага. В настоящее время Градчаны входят в состав
административных районов Прага 1 и Прага 6.
Hradсany - the Castle District, is the district of the city of
Prague, Czech Republic, surrounding the Prague Castle. The
castle is said to be the biggest castle in the world at about
570 meters in length and an average of about 130 meters wide.
Its history stretches back to the 9th century. St Vitus
Cathedral is located in the castle area.
Most of the district consists of noble historical palaces.
But there are also many other attractions for visitors: romantic
nooks, peaceful places and beautiful lookouts.Hradčany was an independent borough until 1784, when the
four independent boroughs that had formerly constituted Prague
were proclaimed a single city.
Пражский град - крепость города Праги, административный район
города, резиденция президента Чехии (ранее - чешских королей,
некоторых императоров Священной Римской империи)Самая большая по площади президентская резиденция в мире,
возможно, также самый большой в мире замок. Расположен в
Градчанах на высоком холме, возвышающемся над Прагой.
Исключительно богат архитектурными, художественными и
историческими сокровищами. Архитектурная доминанта
- собор святого Вита, кафедральный собор города.
Несколько древних дворцов, сады. В Граде имеется немало жилых
домов, в нём расположена и Золотая улочка.
Prague Castle - is a castle in Prague
where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents
of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices.The Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept here. According to the
Guinness Book of World Records, the Prague Castle is the largest
coherent castle complex in the world with an area of almost
70000 m², being 570 meters in length and an average of about 130
meters wide. The history of the castle stretches back to the 9th
century (870). The first walled building was the Church of the
Virgin Mary. The Basilica of Saint George and the Basilica of St.
Vitus were founded in the first half of the 10th century. The
first convent in Bohemia was founded in the castle, next to the
church of St. George. A Romanesque palace was erected here
during the 12th century. In the 14th century, under the reign of
Charles IV the royal palace was rebuilt in Gothic style and the
castle fortifications were strengthened. As a replacement of the
previous rotunda and later basilica of St. Vitus, a vast Gothic
church was initiated, the construction of which would span
almost six centuries. During the Hussite Wars and the following
decades the Castle was not inhabited. In 1485, King Ladislaus II
Jagello began to rebuild the castle. The massive Vladislav Hall
(built by Benedikt Rejt) was added to the Royal Palace. There
were also built new defence towers on the northern side of the
castle. A large fire in 1541 destroyed large parts of the castle.
Under the Habsburgs some new buildings in renaissance style
appeared here. Ferdinand I built Belvedere, summer palace for
his wife Anne. Rudolph II used Prague Castle as his main
residence. He founded the northern wing of the palace, with the
Spanish Hall, where his precious artistic collections were
exhibited. The Second Prague defenestration in 1618 began the
Bohemian Revolt. During the subsequent wars the Castle was
damaged and dilapidated. Many works from the collection of
Rudolph II were looted by Swedes in 1648, in the course of the
Thirty Years' War. The last major rebuilding of the castle was
carried out by Queen Maria Theresa in the second half of the
18th century. Ferdinand V, after abdication in 1848, chose
Prague Castle as his home. Vladislav HallIn 1918 the castle
became the seat of the president of the new Czechoslovak
Republic. The New Royal Palace and the gardens were renovated by
Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik. Renovations continued in 1936
under Plečnik's successor Pavel Janák. During the Nazi
occupation of Czechoslovakia during World War II, Prague Castle
became the headquarters of the "Reich Protector of Bohemia and
Moravia" Konstantin von Neurath and his deputy, Reinhard
Heydrich. It is said that Heydrich placed the Bohemian crown on
his head; old legends say that a usurper who places the crown on
his head is doomed to die within a year. Less than a year after
assuming power, Heydrich was assassinated. After the liberation
of Czechoslovakia, it housed the offices of the communist
Czechoslovak government. After Czechoslovakia split into the
Czech Republic and Slovakia, the castle became the seat of the
Head of State of the new Czech Republic. Similar to what Masaryk
did with Plečnik, president Václav Havel commissioned Bořek
Šípek to be the architect of post-communism Prague Castle's
necessary improvements in particular of the facelift of the
Castle's Gallery of paintings.