Attractions in Prague 1 (Prague)

Prazske Panoptikum (Prague Wax Museum)

Some of the backdrops here are as entertaining as the wax figures themselves: Franz Kafka stands beside convincing reconstructions of a shop and inn of his time; Emperor Rudolf II and his court alchemist - the Englishman Edward Kelley - stand watching an experiment in Kelley's dim laboratory. There are many figures from Czech history here, from Austrian emperors to the first Czech Communist President Klement Gottwald as well as cultural figures such as Antonin Dvorak, movie director Milos Forman and playwright-turned-president Vaclav Havel. The only thing that seems to be lacking is information which puts the characters in the context of their time. A short multimedia projection entitled "Love through Seven Centuries" explores the romantic nature of Prague.

Archiepiscopal Palace

This palace has been the home of the Archbishops since 1564. It is only open to the public on a couple of occasions a year.

Sternberg Palace

At present, this palace (situated within the castle grounds), houses the art collection of the National Gallery and old European art as well as French art from the 19th and 20th Centuries.

Spartakiad

Within a short walk of the Strahov Monastery, lies the Spartakiad stadium where the Communists used to hold their huge youth displays featuring gymnastics and marching. Reputed at one time to have been the largest stadium in the world holding some 250,000 people, it is now best know for the large outdoor concerts, such as The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd performing there. Overgrown and rutted, it is also used as a location for agricultural trade fairs and exhibitions. Nearby is the Stadion Evzena Rosickeho, which used to be the national soccer stadium and across the road is a small athletics track where many of the leading Czech athletes train today. Try one of several bars in the complex, where the walls are covered with photographs and souvenirs of great players and matches.

Pinkas Synagogue (Pinkasova Synagoga)

As one of the Jewish quarter's restored Renaissance monuments, this synagogue dates back to the early sixteenth century. The Jewish Museum has turned it into a heartbreaking memorial to the 78,000 Czech Jews who died in the Holocaust. Their names are calligraphed on the inner walls. Upstairs is a selection of drawings by children who were imprisoned in the ghetto at Terezin, or Theresienstadt, north of Prague.

Ledeburg Gardens

This is the ideal place to pass a lazy summer afternoon, with romantic views of the red-tiled houses of the Lesser Side (Mala Strana) below and the Vltava River in the distance. These terrace-like gardens were originally the Royal vineyards and were created by I J Palliardy in the early 18th century. Extensive reconstruction took place in the latter half of the 20th century but the gardens have now been re-opened to the public. They are accessible either from the castle above or from a new entrance on Valdstejnska street below.

Havelska Street Market

In the heart of the Old Town, around 100 meters from Old Town Square, stands the Havelska Street Market. Here, traders sell art, fruit, vegetables, jewellry, toys and anything else small enough to pack on to their open-air wooden stands. On either side of the street are shops that sell virtually everything else, including a herbal store that sells herbs and teas.

Saint Martin-in-the-Wall Church

Fans of organ music can visit this battered-looking Gothic church three or four times a week at 5pm for concerts featuring J. S. Bach, Purcell, Pergolesi, Handel et al. The accompaniment could consist of anything from a soprano soloist or trumpet to even a saxophone. Communion was first administered to the congregation in this church in 1414. The Hussite religious reformers' practice of serving sacramental wine to lay people was then considered scandalous by the Catholic establishment. The following year Jan Hus, considered a leading figure in the reformist movement, was burnt at the stake as a heretic.

Kampa Island

Separated from the left bank, just to the left of Charles Bridge by a narrow stream called Certovka (Devil's Brook), is Kampa, a little island on the Vltava River. Washerwomen would gather here to wash their laundry using the water from several flour mill wheels which still worked until the mid 1930's. One of the best places to spend a lazy summer day, this attracts a wide range of visitors from elderly, morning dog-walkers to dread-locked frisbee throwers to romantics relaxing on the spacious lawn. There are a number of bars and restaurants in this small area for a quiet reflective time.

Petrin Hill Funicular

The charming Victorian Funicular is one of Prague's most popular sights. It offers a slow, but enjoyable trip to the top of Petrin Hill where there are splendid panoramic views of the city, a replica Eiffel Tower, and a strange Mirror Maze. The funicular, tower and maze date from an exhibition in 1891. Although the small train was out of service for two decades, it was beautifully restored and reopened in 1985.

Premiant City Tours

In addition to the main Wenceslas Square office, there is a mobile office on Na Prikope (on the left hand side coming from the bottom of Wenceslas Square) from where the tour buses depart. Free pickups can be arranged from central hotels (usually at a day's notice), all coaches are air-conditioned and there is a guide on each one - unless otherwise stated (check prior to booking). Tours are conducted in and around Prague and to places of interest outside the city, with lunch and admission prices included (again, please check).

The Loretto

Opposite the Cernin Palace is the Santa Casa, built between 1626 and 1631 by the architect G B Orsi, commissioned by Catherine of Lobkovic.Inside is a silver altar and a statue of Our Lady of Loretto, one of fifty identical shrines built in the Czech lands. The Loretto treasury, constructed in 1699, comprises many valuable objects from the 16th-18th centuries, and on the Church Tower is a clock that chimes out the hymn "We Greet Thee a Thousand Times" on the hour, every hour.