After its recent emergence from the stifling shadow of the defunct Soviet Union, Prague has become one of the most popular holiday destinations of Europe. Offering historic sites, architectural marvels, charming gardens, classical concerts, art galleries and museums, the city is a great educational experience Once the proud epicentre of Europe, the Czech Republic, which borders Slovakia, Austria, Germany, and Poland, has some unique records to its credit — the world’s largest number of marked walking paths aggregating 37,000 km; the largest stone bridge; maximum number of castles per square mile worldwide; the highest per capita beer consumption and the heaviest concentration of Unesco heritage sites. Add to that its magical capital Prague, arguably the world’s most beautiful and romantic city. With its heritage architecture untouched by natural disaster or war, few other cities in Europe are as eye-pleasing as Prague (pop. 1.3 million) which straddles the winding River Vltava. Boasting thousands of domes, cupolas, spires, and pinnacles, which speckle its unique skyline, Prague is the revered capital of the independent Czech Republic (pop. 10 million), freed from Nazi (1938-45) and Soviet (1945-89) yoke. Despite its turbulent history, Prague retains much of its medieval grandeur with streets enriched with gothic, baroque and renaissance buildings, and monuments which have escaped the vanities and excesses of post-war redevelopment and invest this 1,140-years-old city with its distinctive character. Little wonder that after its emergence from the stifling shadow of the former communist regime of the Soviet Union, Prague has become one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe abounding in historical sites, architectural marvels, winding cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, old-fashioned street lamps, charming gardens, classical concerts, intimate cafes and restaurants, and splendid art galleries and museums. Especially for students of history, architecture, art and music, Prague is a great education experience. Student tourists have an added advantage since they get sizeable entry fee discounts in tourist hotspots, public transport and students’ hostels. Until 300 BC, the area that is now the Czech Republic was inhabited by Celtic tribes and later by Germans who were pushed west to Germany by Slavonic tribes. Subsequently the Great Moravian Empire of 800-900 AD was centred in this region. In the 14th century began the biggest expansion of the state under the reign of Charles IV of Bohemia, when Prague was declared the capital city of the Holy Roman Empire. In the 16th century, the kingdom of Bohemia fell under the rule of the Hapsburgs. Their AustroHungarian Empire lasted until the end of World War I when in 1918, the independent Republic of Czecho-Slovakia was established. However, the independence of Czecho-Slovakia was shortlived. In 1938 following the infamous Munich Pact signed by Germany’s Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and British prime minister Neville Chamberlain, Czechoslovakia was annexed by Nazi Germany. The defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II brought little respite for this landlocked country in the heart of Europe. Nazi rule was replaced by the iron hand of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when…
