Few cities of the central Europe are so full of art and attractions like Prague. This is the capital city of Czech Republic,
and it boasts a long tradition and a particular adventurous past.
Since 1992, the vast
historic centre of the city has been included in the UNESCO list of "world heritage sites". The history of Prague spans thousands of years, during which time the city grew from a castle known as Vyšehrad to the multicultural capital of a modern European state, the Czech Republic.
Huge impact had the reign of the King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV of the new Luxembourg dynasty. This king took the decision to construct a "new city" (Nové Město) which had to be adjacent to the so-called "old city" (Staré Město). The Charles Bridge was erected to connect the new district to Malá Strana.
Charles IV was also the responsible mind of the creation of important monuments like Saint Vitus Cathedral, the oldest gothic cathedral in central Europe, which is actually inside the Castle. He created also the
university which brings his name: the Charles University.
This university is nowadays a famous working institution and it's the oldest university in central Europe. Under Charles, Prague was, from 1355, the actual capital of the Holy Roman Empire, and its rank was elevated to that of archbishopric (1344). It was the crossover of many people of different cultures and origins, who travelled the whole continent for commerce and other affairs. German and Italian merchants met in, and also jewish bankers rooted here their activities.
The social order, however, became more turbulent due to the rising power of the craftsmen's guild, and the presence of rising number of poor people.
During Easter 1389, members of the Prague clergy announced that Jews had desecrated the host (Eucharistic wafer) and the clergy encouraged mobs to pillage, ransack and burn the Jewish quarter.
During the reign of King Wenceslas IV, the theologian Jan Hus became a famous figure of the cultural life. He was theologian and lector at the Charles University, and preached in front of masses of poor people. Inspired by John Wycliffe, Hus's sermons focused on reforming the Church. Having become too dangerous for the political and religious establishment, Hus was summoned to the Council of Constance, put on trial for heresy, and burned in Konstanz in 1415. Four years later Prague experienced its First Defenestration (the act of throwing someone out the window as a political protest), when the people rebelled under the command of the Prague priest Jan Želivský.
Hus death, coupled with Czech proto-nationalism and proto-Protestantism, had spurred the so-called Hussite Wars. In 1420, peasant rebels, led by the general Jan Žižka, along with Hussite troops from Prague, defeated the Bohemian King Sigismund, in the Battle of Vítkov Hill.
In the following two centuries, Prague strengthened its role as a merchant city. Many noteworthy Gothic buildings were erected, including the Vladislav Hall of the Prague Castle.