A bit of Russia . . .

One day Michael and I decided to walk up a street near our apartment called Manesova.  It is a tree-lined street with colourful Art Nouveau buildings, many of which have been restored.  (Manesova is named in tribute to Josef Manes, a 19th-century Czech painter of the images of the twelve months on the Prague Astronomical Clock.)

What a surprise to find a window front with signs written in Russian.  Peeking inside I saw what looked to be a small deli.  With delight and curiosity we decided to go in and see if we might find something fun to take home and eat later on. 

Well, it was more than just a small deli.  There was also a tiny coffee shop and in a back narrow room the walls were lined with book shelves, and racks of DVD’s.  It was a lending library. . .shop for Russians on Manesova street in Prague

books in Russian in shop in Prague

 

 

Also in this hallway were stairs going down into the basement where some very delicious smells were wafting in the air!  Suddenly we felt hungry.  Following our noses, we discovered a small restaurant with about 6 tables.

 

The young waitress was very friendly and could speak some English.  She showed us the menu with items we recognized but many we had no clue about . . . so we inquired about them.  We decided to stay and asked what she would recommend for a light lunch.Menu of Russian restaurant in Vinohady, Prague

 

I chose borscht soup and Michael had a meat pie.  Both were exceptionally delicious!!Russian meat pie

Michael &Karin with Pilsner in Russian restaurant, Prague

 

 

Even though we were eating totally Russian, we still chose Pilsner Urquell, my all time favourite Czech beer!

After our meal we went into the deli section and looked at the large display of wines on offer.  There were bakery items, frozen food items and numerous other things of which we had NO clue what they were.  It was a busy deli so that must mean there is a Russian community nearby to support it.  We intended to come back for dinner or another lunch, but Prague is full of so many restaurants, we never did get back.  Its on the list for next time!

Later I researched about the Russian population in Prague.  In the June 2010 issue of the Prague Daily Monitor an article reported number of Russian-speaking inhabitants of Prague has multiplied in the past ten years, which is gradually changing the character of the Czech capital.  In 1997 there was merely one Russian shop in Prague, while at present there are dozens of  them as well as other Russian services, five branches of Russian and Ukrainian universities and at least six kindergartens. 

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Christmas Concerts in Historical Buildings

Christmas is definitely a time for concerts.  When I looked on the internet at the various venues offered plus the wonderful buildings they were in I felt I was getting a double whammy!  Two for the price of one!  Sightseeing in the nicest possible way!

As is often the case, we had some trouble choosing.  Why?  The selection is huge.  Besides musical concerts,  there were ballets, operas. . . and priced from expensive down to affordable.  We decided to do three over the holidays.  Two in the afternoons which are somewhat cheaper, and splurge on one “biggie”.

Our first one was at the National Museum on Wenceslas Square.  We had heard this museum was a “must see” because it was so beautiful inside.  This particular concert was held in the lobby and was billed as Carols and Christmas Songs plus arias from light operas such as The Marriage of Figaro, The Barber of Seville and Don Giovanni.  Most Christmas Concerts have some variation of Ave Maria which I love.

Before going, we did some research regarding the Museum as a building.  Built in 1818, as a museum, it now houses over 14 million objects.  (Not all in this building, the museum has 10 other buildings).  During WW II it took a hit from a bomb but not much was destroyed. In 1968 the main facade was severely damaged by Soviet machine-gun and automatic submachine-gun fire. The shots made holes in the pillars.  Despite the repairs made between 1970 – 1972 the damage still can be seen because the builders purposely used lighter sandstone to repair the bullet holes.

bullet damage to National Museum

That is the history and rather dreary part.   Once we entered the building it was instantly transformed into magnificence!  The lobby, where the concert was to be held, was in the center of the building where four staircases meet.  The landing was the stage, complete with a big grand piano!  There were chairs for people to sit on, as well as seating on the lush red carpeting on the stairs. Interior of National Museum concert on stairsConcert singers at National Museum

Here we see Soprano Liana Sass and Tenor Vladimir Koval singing one of their arias.  They were lively and funny and interacted with the audience.  During one scene, Liana flirted with the man you see in the blue shirt and Koval kissed an older lady during his part of the act.  They brought the audience right into their songs and actions with a sly wink of the eye and smiles freely given.  Most of the Christmas songs were a bit more serious.

Having just arrived in Prague, neither of us had much time yet to practice our Czech.  I noticed the lady sitting next to me was really enjoying the music, so much so, that at one point she had tears in her eyes.  When it was finished, I turned to her and in English explained that I also had felt very moved.  She understood, rattled away in Czech, held my hand and in parting planted a kiss on my cheek!  Language was no barrier. . . music and song breached it.

Our second Concert was held in Old Town in the Baroque Library Hall of the former St. Michael’s Monastery.  This Monastery was founded in 1626 but has not been a church since the 1800’s.  Unfortunately many beautiful objects were sold and the building was in disuse and disrepair.  At one time it was even a warehouse!  It has recently been turned into a music hall with a beautiful and unique fresco-ed ceiling (at least in my opinion).  This concert was a mixture of Czech Christmas Carols and other World Carols.  Also on the venue was music from Swan Lake, The Four Seasons and music by the Czech composer, Smetana.  We were warmly greeted at the door with champagne and since the gathering was small it almost had the feel of a private concert just for us!  No pictures were allowed, but I managed one of the ceiling fresco.

Fresco ceiling of St. Michael

Inner courtyard at St. Michael

This view was out the window. . this was once an old courtyard, which now is the entrance to Mike’s Cafeteria, appropriately named after St. Michael’s!  Maybe the friars from the monastery drank beer here?  Ha, ha.  Notice the Christmas lights and Santa by the Christmas Tree all made more beautiful by a light dusting of snow.

Our third and last concert was in February.  It was at the Municipal House on Republic Square.  This building was built in a magnificent Art Nouveau style and since the very beginning was meant to be a multi-functional building.  Our concert was held in the large Smetana Hall.  I had walked past this building many times and taken photos of the outside but never did I ever get a full shot.

Muncipal House Smetana Concert Hall

Entering the building I felt very posh and once seated in the Hall and looking around, I truly appreciated it’s beauty.  Unfortunately I  did not enjoy the music of this concert very much, finding it too heavy for my taste.  (To this day, I cannot remember the name of it.)   I spent a great deal of time craning my neck to see all the ornamentation and wall paintings by some very famous artists.  It boggled my mind just thinking of all the music played in this hall over the years.

stage full of performers in Smetana Hall

Smetana Hall holds a lot of people!  The singers took the top half and stood for the entire concert, only singing for about the last 10 minutes!  The symphony sat below on the stage.

ceiling decoration in Smetana Hall

I strongly encourage people to be sure to go to concerts while in Prague.  It is truly a city of music.  Everywhere you go, any day of the week, any hour of the day, there seems to be a concert, an opera or ballet to go to.  It is a common sight to see musicians carrying their instruments, getting off and on trams and metro.  Living over us in our apartment was a man who played for the Prague Symphony and we would quite often hear him practicing his trumpet.  That might sound rather annoying, but believe me it wasn’t!  It only added to the flavour of Prague!

Olsanske (Olsany) Cemetery

In the year 1679 a piece of land owned by a farmer was sold to the town of Prague. That land was located in the village of Olsany, not far from the old town. The reason for the business was the plague which struck and subsequently took the lives of more than 30,000 people that year, generating the need for new burial places and more ground to lodge them. The actual size of this large necropolis is about 50 hectares (150 acres) with a total of 112,000 graves; more then 2,000,000 people have been buried there since it came into existence. It is the burial place of many famous people from Czech history. It is as if time stopped still here; forgotten, while the rest of the city is left to its economic boom and development. At the new shopping center (Flora) which is built at the edge of the cemetery, you can eat at the restaurants on the top floor, and have one of the best views of the cemetery: its crumbling graves and the little old ladies who seem to be continuously tidying them.

 

That write up from Wikipedia pretty much defines one of Prague’s largest cemeteries.  Olsanske was very near our apartment; a short tram ride or a nice walk.

I walked many times in this lovely spot more like a park than a place of “repose”.

 

 

 

Because it is so large, runners use it for exercise, the general public for short cuts, mothers for taking kiddies on walks, and others like myself, just walking, looking and learning.  So much history here!

 

 

 

This building is now a shed with a very old date – sometime in the 1700’s!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most graves are well tended.  Some were very very old and crumbling which only adds to the beauty. Here is an example of one I liked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Karin at Jan Palach graveJan Palach is a Czech hero.  In January 1969, during communism, he was a young University student.  Frustrated at the world and the demeaning of life during that time, he set himself afire (self- immolation) to make a political statement.  We found his burial site in Olsanske and joined others in leaving flowers commemorating the day of his death.  As a mother, I wondered how painful it must have been for his mother and family.

Path through snow covered Olsanke cemetaryDuring the three months we were in Prague I visited Olsanske several times, once after a big snow storm.  It was so beautiful and romantic I could almost imagine riding through in a sleigh,wrapped up in furs, horses trotting, bells jingling! For me this cemetery on this particular day was definitely not a sad place but a happy place full of romance and poetry.

Cemeteries have always intrigued me.  They are full of history.  I enjoyed finding and paying homage to famous people (writers, artists, musicians), seeing the different styles of headstones throughout the ages.  Realizing some of the oldest graves were from the plague times when they could not be buried in town, but out here in this village called Olsany!  (Now of course, right IN town!)  I walked the entire perimeter which is about a mile in total.  Most days I walked all over inside, adding more miles.  And yet, I did not see it all.  I will save that for next time!

Sunday at Charles Bridge Museum


Originally published Dec 27, 2009
Michael met me today after Mass in the Main Square of Old Town. We planned to go to the Charles Bridge Museum but before leaving I wanted to see the 27 crosses on the pavement at the Town Hall. These crosses mark the place where 27 noblemen, who were Czech Protestants against the Catholic Emperor, were executed in 1621. This rebellion led to the Thirty Years War.
After a short walk we came to the Museum which is housed in the monastery of the Knights of the Cross. Here we will see an exposition of the construction of the Charles Bridge and the changes made over the centuries. Charles Bridge was founded by the emperor Charles IV. on 9th July 1357. It was called Prague Bridge or Stone Bridge; since 1870 the bridge has been called Charles Bridge.
Exhibit in Chrales Bridge MuseumInside the museum several rooms were dedicated to the strategy of designing and building the Charles Bridge. Here we see stone cutters shaping the stones with what would be considered today as quite outmoded tools! If a war was declared (and many were), then these same men had to go fight, putting the bridge building on hold. No wonder it took centuries to build!
Today there is a lot of controversy going on because the bridge is being rehabbed and it is, again, taking ages to do it. Some people want it done the “old way” which is nearly impossible and extremely costly, and others want it done quicker using modern methods. The fight goes back and forth. In the meantime, the Bridge has been under construction far too long.
Passing through a very ancient door and descending down uneven and ancient old stone steps we find ourselves looking at the only remains of the very first bridge which was called Judith Bridge (after the King’s wife). These steps in the picture went from the bridge down to the Vlatava River. The Judith Bridge was destroyed in a flood in 1342 because it was too low. When the Charles Bridge was built it was designed to be higher above the water.
Another fascinating exhibit were models of various buildings in Prague, all made from paper. This particular one is of the Prague Castle. Others were : the Eiffel Tower, old style European houses, different modes of transportation…some were quite large, others quite small.
We went during the Christmas holidays so they were exhibiting many different Nativity Scenes over the ages. This one was life size and made from straw. Others were of wood and one was entirely made from wax!
I would certainly recommend this Museum…..it is easy to find, not overly large, has a lovely and interesting cafe for small snacks, a nice bookstore and gift shop. And a wonderful way to get firsthand knowledge of how it was built and why and how it is being worked on currently.
The Bridge as seen today:
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