Prague (Capital of Bohemia and slope)

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

the capital of Bohemia, and slope situated at the base and on the of the hills which skirt both sides of the highly picisleted Moldau. It offers a turesque appearance from the beauty of towers its site, and the numerous lofty which rise (more than 70 in number) palaces, public above the many noble city. The buildings, and bridges of the , the anroyal Burg, on the Hradschin cient residence of the Dukes of Bohemia, dates mainly now from the 16th and and has 440 rooms. In the neighboring cathedral of St. Vitus mausoleum (1344) are the splendid royal and the shrine (1736) of St. (1589) 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, old and the Teyn Church (1407), the of Tycho Hussite Church, with the grave of the Brahé, and its marble statues Slavonic martyrs, Cyril and Methodius. viaducts Of five bridges and two railway the most striking is the Karlsbrücke gate- (1357-1503), 543 yards long, with of John towers at either end, and statues of Nepomuk and other saints. Other hall noteworthy objects are the town ), (1381-1884), the Pulverturm (1475 monastery of and the Premonstratensian Strahow. Prague has, besides, numerous suburbs public gardens and walks in the , with several royal and noble parks open city. to the public in the vicinity of the , had The university, founded in 1348 the 10,000 students at the beginning of a library of 15th century. It possesses , 195,000 volumes, a fine observatory museums of zoölogy and anatomy, a bomanufactures tanical garden, etc. The leather include machinery, chemicals, , beer, spirits, etc. cotton, linen, gloves, the com- Prague is the great center of seat of an merce of Bohemia, ia, and the important transit trade. History.-Prague was founded by German settlers about 1100. In the 14th century its munificently endowed university brought foreigners to it from was conevery part; but in 1424 Prague the quered and almost destroyed by Hussites. In the Thirty Years' War it in 1620 the battle suffered severely, and was fought at the Weissenberg, near the Elector-Palatine, Fredcity, in which the erick V., was completely defeated, and assumed compelled to renounce his crown. Swedes and Imperialists successively gained possession of the town during the war; and a century later it of different again fell into the hands victors, having been compelled in 1744 , who to capitulate to Frederick the Great here on May 6, 1757, defeated 60,000 Austrians under Prince Charles of Lorraine. From Napoleon's downfall, , and en- Prague has made rapid strides in joyed prosperity and quiet, except Slavonic 1848, when the meeting of the forth Congress within its walls called demonsuch strongly marked democratic supporters strations on the part of the Austrian Govof Pan-Slavism that the and bomernment dissolved the conclave barded the town to restore quiet. In 1866 Prague was occupied bloodlessly by , conthe Prussians, who here on Aug. 23 a treaty with Austria. The Recluded was proclaimed public of Czecho-Slovakia became its Oct. 28, 1918, and Prague capital. Pop. about 650,000.