Europe day 10

Astronomic clock

          During our morning walk we passed by the astronomic clock on the Old Town Hall Tower, one of Europe’s best known tourist attractions.  The mechanism in the clock was refined in 1490, and it apparently has been performing every day since then.  Crowds gather each hour to watch the four figures beside the clock (Death, Vanity, Greed, and Pagan Invasion) and the other figures above it.  On the striking of each hour, Death rings a bell and inverts his hourglass as the twelve Apostles walk past the windows above the clock.  The performance lasts less than a minute, but hundreds of tourists are there to watch it.

 

Just another Prague street along a morning walk

Entrance to Charles Bridge

          We also crossed over the Charles Bridge, commissioned by Charles IV in 1357 to replace a bridge that had been destroyed by floods.  It has lasted more than 600 years, but was not named for Charles until the 1800’s.  makes you wonder why they waited so long to use such a wonderful, historic name.  Since World War II, it has been used for pedestrian traffic only, and the crowds are so thick, you can’t take a decent photo of the structure except from a distance.  30 statues have been erected along the sides of the cobblestone pavement; it’s worth a trip, for sure.

Facade of Dvorak Hall

 The Rudolfinum during intermission

          Later, we attended a morning symphony at Dvorak Hall, named obviously for the famous composer and home to the world-renowned Czech Philharmonic Orchestra since 1946.  Completed in 1885, this Renaissance building houses the Rudolfinum, a magnificent music auditorium.  Here we heard Jan Dusik’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G minor and Mozart’s Symphony No. 38 in D Major, performed by accomplished musicians.  The applause lasted for several minutes.

 Some of the 80,000 Prague Jews executed by the Nazis

          The afternoon was taken up by a visit to the old Jewish Cemetery and grounds in the northwestern part of the old city.  Prague was once the home to 120,000 Jews in a thriving community, but nearly all of them were forcibly removed by the Nazis and 80,000 killed by Hitler’s minions.  Today less than 5,000 Jews live in this city.  But we did notice that here, unlike Istanbul, for example, there are no guards protecting the synagogues and entrance is open to the public.  The cemetery itself holds tens of thousands who were buried peaceably centuries before the German horror.  On the inside walls of a nearby synagogue are inscribed the names, birth dates, and dates of death of every Prague Jew who could be identified as having been killed by the Nazis.  It was a quiet afternoon for our group, one of sadness, anger, and reflection.

Charlie & Tricia

©2014