"Ahoj" from Prague

Raphael and I have just visited Prague in the Czech Republic for a short break. It is without doubt the most beautiful medieval city we have ever visited. Hitler loved Prague so much that he wanted to save it for himself. And for this reason, Prague was not bombed during World War Two. When the Communists took over Czechoslovakia in 1948, the city remained untouched for another forty years, although its buildings were crumbling by the time the velvet revolution came along in 1989.

Walking along the Vltava River at night is a magical experience. In the distance are the lights of the famous Prague Castle overlooking the city and ahead is the beautiful Charles Bridge. The city becomes an enchanted time warp, full of little alleys and cobble-stone streets. The history of this plucky little country is incredible and sadly full of bloodshed and religious wars. The 30-year war started in Prague in 1618 which plunged Europe towards an economic and spiritual abyss and reshaped the political map of Europe for centuries to come.

We visited the Jewish Quarter, which contains many beautiful synagogues – the most famous of them is the “Old New Synagogue” (‘Alt-Neu Shul’), which was completed in 1270 and remains a house of worship to this day. It is said that the body of Golem, created by Rabbi Judah Loew, lies in the attic (it’s a fascinating story and you can easily Google it). The Nazis wanted to make the Jewish Quarter into a “monument of an extinct race”, which is why no synagogues were destroyed. They collected Jewish artefacts (e.g. Torah scrolls, Menorah’s, Prayer Books etc.) from all over Bohemia and Moravia and stored them in the synagogues. In the synagogue where I used to worship, we had one of those Torah scrolls, which I often carried around the congregation on Shabbat morning – a moving experience.

We took a guided tour around the city and became aware just how significant Prague was during the Middle Ages – one of the leading capitals of Europe, long before London or Berlin.  Our tour guide stopped at the “Rudolfinum”, a neo-renaissance building, which houses the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra – it overlooks the Vltava River and is simply magnificent. During WW2 it was also the Headquarters of the SS under Reinhard Heydrich (he chaired the infamous “Wannsee Conference” in Berlin in 1942, which ushered in the “Final Solution” of the Jews across Europe). Heydrich instigated the “Reichskristallnacht” (night of the crystal glass 9/10^th November 1938) in which virtually all synagogues in German-controlled territories were torched (the Jewish authorities then had to pay the German government One Billion Reichsmark in restoration funds). He was considered one of the most evil Nazis, which is quite a statement – and was known as “The Butcher from Prague”.

And there we stood on a warm autumn day, outside this beautiful building. What struck me was the colour – everywhere. When you look at WW2 photos, they are all invariably black and white, but the Rudolfinum radiated in the sunshine. As I stood there, I could almost see the giant Swastika flags outside the building, as it must have looked back then. No doubt, there would have been armed guards in front – for the local Czech population surely a terrifying sight. Above the building all the famous European composers are cut in stone. At the time, Heydrich ordered his staff to remove Mendelsohn (a Jew) – but not knowing what he looked like, they measured each of the composers’ noses – the one with the longest nose was removed from the building. The name of the composer? Richard Wagner, Hitler’s favourite and an arch anti-semite!

The Czech people are incredibly friendly and almost everyone below the age of 40 speaks English. The local drink is beer and it is without doubt one of the best beers in the world. They take their beer drinking seriously and the Czech Republic has the highest beer consumption per capita in the world – way ahead of Belgium, Germany or even the USA. We visited a few local beer halls (one of them had a picture of Bill Clinton visiting it with the then Czech President) and the atmosphere and noise was terrific.

Incidentally, if you are a Mozart fan (as we are), Prague has much to offer. The Academy award-winning movie "Amadeus" was filmed exclusively in Prague. And Mozart loved Prague - we even visited the home where he stayed while performing in the city. The famous "Don Giovanni" opera had its world premiere in Prague in 1787 and the theatre still stands to this day. Mozart often fled to Prague as the Salzburg and Vienna audiences were not so receptive to his new works. He often said "only the people of Prague understand me".

 

In 2011 the Czech Republic hosted its first Pride march in Prague. Compared to other Eastern European cities, the Czech GLBT community enjoys much greater freedom. Civil Partnerships were adopted by the Senate in 2006.

We were in Prague for four days and, apart from our arrival day, enjoyed fabulous autumn weather. As our plane lifted into the sky, homeward bound, we took with us some wonderful memories – “Sbohem” and “Ahoj” from this beautiful city.