Czech Republic: The Crossroads of European Culture
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Golden Prague's thousands of literary allusions are unmistakable in the alleys of Mala Strana and Stare Mesto, and throughout the halls of the massive castle that overlooks the Vltava from the hilltop and has long been a symbol of power. Towns like Kutna Hora and Cesky Krumlov, which have been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, are full of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectural treasures. Castles dot the historic regions of Bohemia and Moravia, looking as grim as fortresses high on rocky spurs or as graceful as fairytale palaces, and evoking centuries marked by the onslaughts of different armies. Elegant spas - Marienbad and Carlsbad - still evoke the aura of monarchs, writers and musical giants, like Antonin Dvorak the composer who, with Bedrich Smetana, led the 18th-century "Czech renaissance" in the field of music. The traditions of long-established ethnic minorities that survived attempts at standardization, first at the hands of the Hapsburgs and then of the regimes that ruled during the 20th century, are still very much alive.
This is the difficult cultural heritage that the young little republic - established in 1993 following its "friendly divorce" from Slovakia after 74 years of dramatic events from the decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the Nazi and Soviet invasions - brought with it when it officially joined the European Union on May 1, 2004. And, this is the fascinating challenge that now faces the 10 million people who live in this country that is back in the heart of the Old Continent once more.
Author: Elena Bianchi
Format: Hardback, 128 pages, 235mm x 285mm
Published: 2006, White Star, Italy
Genre: Travel & Holiday Guides: General
Description
Golden Prague's thousands of literary allusions are unmistakable in the alleys of Mala Strana and Stare Mesto, and throughout the halls of the massive castle that overlooks the Vltava from the hilltop and has long been a symbol of power. Towns like Kutna Hora and Cesky Krumlov, which have been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, are full of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectural treasures. Castles dot the historic regions of Bohemia and Moravia, looking as grim as fortresses high on rocky spurs or as graceful as fairytale palaces, and evoking centuries marked by the onslaughts of different armies. Elegant spas - Marienbad and Carlsbad - still evoke the aura of monarchs, writers and musical giants, like Antonin Dvorak the composer who, with Bedrich Smetana, led the 18th-century "Czech renaissance" in the field of music. The traditions of long-established ethnic minorities that survived attempts at standardization, first at the hands of the Hapsburgs and then of the regimes that ruled during the 20th century, are still very much alive.
This is the difficult cultural heritage that the young little republic - established in 1993 following its "friendly divorce" from Slovakia after 74 years of dramatic events from the decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the Nazi and Soviet invasions - brought with it when it officially joined the European Union on May 1, 2004. And, this is the fascinating challenge that now faces the 10 million people who live in this country that is back in the heart of the Old Continent once more.
Czech Republic: The Crossroads of European Culture