Posts Tagged ‘City Charter’
The capital of the Czech Republic is one of the most important historical preservation sites in central Europe. Prague’s one of-a-kind urban centre has been a UN world cultural and natural heritage site since 1992.
Prague is a great city for romantics. Traces of the city’s history are found on nearly every corner.
A stroll through the Old City past Powder Tower (1475), the old town hall and other equally marvellous baroque architectural masterpieces leads to the Charles Bridge, one of the most photographed bridges in the world.
Prague Castle was erected on the Hradshin River by a landowner named Premysl around 870, and Prague soon became the seat of the House of Premysl.
Vratislav I, the first Bohemian king, transfered the royal household to Vysehrad Castle in 1085, probably due to a fight for power with his brother, Bishop Jaromir.
Prague Castle remained the seat of the bishops of Prague for decades. The Cathedral of St. Vitus, another early building, is also located on the castle grounds.
Prague expands.
Protected by the two castles, an influx of German and Jewish merchants and local craftsmen led to rapid expansion on both sides of the Muldau River. The largest fortified section was near the already ancient Prague Castle. Prague received its city charter in 1234 from King Wenceslas I, who made it his primary residence.
Shortly thereafter, the “New Town” districts of Mala Strana and Hradshin were ffounded. The fourteenth century brought yet more prosperity to Prague. In 1348 the first university in central Europe was founded here, Charles University, named after Emperor Charles IV.
In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Prague was torn by two religious wars. The Hussite Wars (1419-1437) and the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) left deep scars.
The events that set off both of these wars started in Prague. These include the famous “defenestrations”, in which Catholic clerics and dignitaries were thrown out of windows by dissenters, the first time by Hussites, followers of rebel reformer Jan Hus, and later by Protestants, setting off the Thirty Years War.
The victims of the first defenestration did not fall far, but luckily landed in the arms of a mob waiting outside to lynch them. The second time was from an upper story, but the Catholics were saved because they fell into a heap of manure. From the Catholic point of view, divine intervention prevailed. The two long, debilitating wars killed hundreds of thousands, setting back growth for generations. Like other afflicted cities, Prague lost most of its international prominence during this time.
Prague Spring.
In 1945, Prague became the capital of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Czechoslovakia. Communist leadership caused a deep-seated financial crisis: the Soviet central planning bureau contributed to nearly complete economic stagnation.
In the spring of 1968, public criticism grew and much of the population became increasingly disenchanted. Street demonstrations of the “Prague Spring” were news all over the earth.
Ultimately, power struggles within the ruling party led to the invasion of Prague by Warsaw Pact troops on 21 August 1968, and the brief period of expression was ruthlessly terminated.
It would be 1989 before Prague broke away from Russian control, and in 1993 was named capital of an independent Czech Republic.
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Reykjavik is one of Europe’s “hot” cities, thanks to its music scene and famed nightlife, with bubbling geysers and thermal springs nearby. Reykjavik’s special energy draws on its unique physical and cultural landscape.
The northernmost national capital on Earth is a city of breathtaking contrasts. Small wooden houses with corrugated-iron roofs stand alongside futuristic glass buildings. Sophisticated cultural centres are just minutes away from newly created lava fields. Reykjavik is also a city where international influences blend seamlessly with Icelandic traditions, creating a unique European culture with roots that are ancient, but an outlook that is supremely modern.
The founders.
In 874, Ingolfur Aranson became the first settler to step onto Icelandic soil. He called the place where he settled “Smoky Bay” because ghostly vapours rose out of the earth near his home. Where they came from and why, no one knew, Over the next thousand years, very few people settled along the widely spaced inlets leading into Smoky Bay.
Reykjavik would not prosper until well into the eighteenth century, when Governor Skiili Magnusson revitalized Iceland’s economy by promoting wool manufacturing, fishing and shipbuilding. In 1749, he ordered that new harbours and shipyards be constructed on Smoky Bay, making Magnusson the city’s founding father. Reykjavik received its city charter in 1786.
Independence.
Once under way, Reykjavik thrived. Nevertheless, Iceland was still under Danish sovereignty and subject to the ups and downs of political and economic decisions made in distant Scandinavia. Iceland danced to the tune of the Danes until 1944, when everything changed. British and American troops stationed in Reykjavik during World War II brought Iceland a level of prosperity it had never known, leaving Reykjavik poised to become an important commercial centre. On 17 June 1944, the city finally gained independence from Denmark. Since then, Reykjavik has continued to thrive, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.
Not just for the scenery.
Many visitors to this far-flung island in the North Atlantic come for the amazing, unique scenery, but there are many sights to see in Reykjavik itself. The Old City, located on a small plot of land between Tjornin Pond and the sea, has a number of eighteenth-century buildings, and Tjornin Pond is a bird watchers’ paradise. The new city hall (1992) is located on its northern bank.
The relief map of Iceland on display in its exhibition hall is a must-see. The Fogetinn (1751) is the oldest building in Reykjavik, and currently houses a restaurant serving traditional Icelandic food. Across the street is the newly restored monumental statue of Ingolfur Aranson, built in part with basalt columns said to be similar to those from his original homestead.
Hallgrimskirkja church.
The modern Hallgrimskirkja is the symbol of Reykjavik, and a great place to begin a tour of the city. It was built on a hill and looks down over the entire city. Rising 73 metres, the church’s central spire offers the best view of Reykjavik with the wide expanse of ocean in the background. A statue of Leif Ericson stands in front of the church’s main portal.
It was a gift from the United States in honour of the 1,000-year anniversary of the founding of Iceland’s parliament, the Althing, the first democratic assembly in Europe. Valley of the hot springs. The Laugardalur hot springs are just 3 km outside the city. Nearby are a huge camping site, a youth hostel, large open-air baths, a botanical Garden, a zoo and a sculpture garden. Hot water is pumped from numerous holes drilled in the earth. The steaming water is then circulated to heat the turf of Reykjavik’s football stadium, among other things. Geothermal heat is the basis of nearly every heating system in Iceland. For centuries, Reykjavik’s residents have derived their hot water and winter heat from the Earth.
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