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Prague (Capital of Bohemia)

the capital of Bohemia, and situated at the base and on the slope of the hills which skirt both sides of the isleted Moldau. It offers a highly picturesque appearance from the beauty of its site, and the numerous lofty towers (more than 70 in number) which rise above the many noble palaces, public buildings, and bridges of the city. The royal Burg, on the Hradschin, the ancient residence of the Dukes of Bohemia, dates mainly now from the 16th and and has 440 rooms. In the neighboring cathedral of St. Vitus (1344) are the splendid royal mausoleum (1589) and the shrine (1736) of St.

John of Nepomuk containing 1½ tons of silver. Of 47 other Catholic churches the chief are the domed Jesuit church of St. Nicholas, with its lavish decorations, and the Teyn Church (1407), the old Hussite Church, with the grave of Tycho Brahé, and its marble statues of the Slavonic martyrs, Cyril and Methodius.

Of five bridges and two railway viaducts the most striking is the Karlsbrücke (1357-1503), 543 yards long, with gatetowers at either end, and statues of John of Nepomuk and other saints. Other noteworthy objects are the town hall (1381-1884), the Pulverturm (1475 ), and the Premonstratensian monastery of Strahow. Prague has, besides, numerous public gardens and walks in the suburbs , with several royal and noble parks open to the public in the vicinity of the city.

The university, founded in 1348 , had 10,000 students at the beginning of the 15th century. It possesses a library of 195,000 volumes, a fine observatory , museums of zoölogy and anatomy, a botanical garden, etc. The manufactures include machinery, chemicals, leather , cotton, linen, gloves, beer, spirits, etc.

Prague is the great center of the commerce of Bohemia, ia, and the seat of an important transit trade.

History.-Prague was founded by Ger- PRAGUE UNIVERSITY man settlers about 1100. In the 14th century its munificently endowed university brought foreigners to it from every part; but in 1424 Prague was conquered and almost destroyed by Hussites. In the Thirty Years' War it suffered severely, and in 1620 the battle was fought at the Weissenberg, near the city, in which the Elector-Palatine, Frederick V., was completely defeated, and compelled to renounce his assumed crown. Swedes and Imperialists successively gained possession of the town during the war; and a century later it again fell into the hands of different victors, having been compelled in 1744 to capitulate to Frederick the Great , who here on May 6, 1757, defeated 60,000 Austrians under Prince Charles of Lorraine. From Napoleon's downfall, Prague has made rapid strides, and enjoyed prosperity and quiet, except in 1848, when the meeting of the Slavonic Congress within its walls called forth such strongly marked democratic demonstrations on the part of the supporters of Pan-Slavism that the Austrian Government dissolved the conclave and bombarded the town to restore quiet. In 1866 Prague was occupied bloodlessly by the Prussians, who here on Aug. 23 , concluded a treaty with Austria. The Republic of Czecho-Slovakia was proclaimed Oct. 28, 1918, and Prague became its capital. Pop. about 650,000.