Yes, originally intended for breaking ice, but also to protect from other debris, such as wooden logs (wood was transported from Šumava mountains to Prague on the river back in the day). Nowadays they are a relict of the past, because Vltava doesn’t get any ice in the winter. That’s not because of global warming or anything you might think, but because there are many dams on the river today, so it doesn’t get the opportunity to freeze.
They were also useful for Vin Diesel to take rest after he saved millions of people in xXx movie 🙂 I have short excerpt of this in my video about movies made in Prague.
@@Stangler96 I've heard about Budapest few times similar things, so u may be right. When i was in Paris, overall building architectrue was kind of boring, but there are other things that are more interesting then that.
It was, but today Vienna is just sad memory of famous past, most of historical places were demolished or it's in really weird condition, surrounded by some weird 90s structures, cobblestones replaced by asphalt etc...as a Praguer, I was pretty sad in Vienna, I expected it will look almost the same as Prague, but Prague is much better maintained and historical places are in much better condition. I would say Prague, Budapest and maybe Ljubljana are only 3 remaining capital cities where you can really see that famous past and it's not totaly damaged by later structures. We have advantage here in Czechia, that people are extremely sensitive about demolishing or changing historical places, I am pretty sure that without pressure from people, some developers would already destroy half of it as in Vienna. EDIT: I meant mainly Habsburg past with all those especially 19th century buildings. It looks somehow unique, not the same as 19th century buildings in Paris, London or some other european cities.
2:20 "Germany vibes" - Czechia, Austria and Germany have over 1,000 years of common history, so no wonder they are quite similar in many ways (and different in others).
Lands of the bohemian crown was in holy Roman empire, there was strong Frankish/ later German influence. Mainly culturally, and it became very unique, same as Austria.
It looks somehow similar, especially later renaissance and baroque structures, but our gothic architecture is pretty unique, cathedrals can look similar to western europe, but houses were mostly already made from solid stones or bricks, so we don't have any of those "german like" half wooden houses, I am not sure, but I think it's because of some law after fire about that all new buildings must be made from stone or bricks. I think Prague probably had those german style houses back in the day, but it was probably destroyed by fires and most of today historical Prague is from renaissance and baroque time, which is newer than those german-like houses. Also, ther is plenty of 19th century "habsburg" architecture, that's why Czech cities look that unique, you can see classic western european gothic mixed with renaissance and baroque architecture, then many late Habsburg structures together with first republic functionalism and constructivism + a lot of communist buildings made between 50s and 80s which creates really a unique feeling.
@@Pidalin there are probably several reason: halftimbered houses have regional traditions in German speaking areas - e.g. there are very few in southern Bavaria or Austria. On the other hand there is strong tradition in Central Germany or Franconia. The areas in Czechia's northwestern edge like Cheb also have this Franconian tradition and halftimberd houses, as these areas were originally populated by Germans. Halftimberd houses were often popular among German population while Slavic folks liked to build log houses (completly out of wood). For example in the Sorbian areas you would rather find log houses. In a few areas both building methods were combined e.g. to "Umgebindehaus" (maybe Podstávkový dům in Czech ?) Those houses you can find in Bohemian Switzerland. But in general halftimbered houses were regarded as a cheaper construction method and wealthier citizens would build with stone and brick. Since in Prague very wealthy palaces, manors and merchant houses were built it is a bit logical that they prefered massive buildings. Due to the cheap, poor and rural image of halftimbered houses many were even covered with plaster and stucco in Germany the 19th century to look more wealthy and city-like.
@@henningbartels6245 Halftimbered house, finally I know how it's called in English, I don't even know how to call it in Czech, I am not expert about medieval architecture. 🙂 Those buildings you called "podstávkový dům" look like pretty typical Czech village houses, but in some regions it's more common. Prague has probably advantage that it was capital city of HRE for 2 times in history, so many rich families lived there or built their palaces there and since lower quality structures didn't survive, it looks like whole center of Prague is just one big luxury palace, but I am pretty sure it was not like that in actul gothic time. 🙂
"Only so you know, Trdelník is not traditionally Czech, and outside of the center of Prague, you would hardly find it. If you want to learn more about Prague and the Czech Republic in general, I recommend Honest Guide." - www.youtube.com/@HONESTGUIDE
This is a widespread narrative about trdelník, but in reality trdelník appears in Czech and Moravian cookbooks as early as the 19th century, earlier than many so-called today national dishes. It was widespread in Wallachia and the surrounding area. Yes, the origin of trdelník is somewhere in the Romanian region, but the Czechs did not invent beer either and consider it a national treasure today. Trdelník with ice cream is a luxury treat and people should stop digging into it. It makes about as much sense as the Poles constantly pointing out that Pirohy originated in the East and not in Poland.
@@petrstanik7597 U are right, literally everything originated elsewhere. But where it sticks is important. And i know ton of exclusive Czech foods and Trdelník was not even word in my life, nor food. So it is a scam trap, no doubt. Now they actually make them good i think, but when it started few years ago it was overpriced nothingburger.
"Wow, a town square! We don't have those!" "Imagine that, a bridge for people" :D not sure if I should laugh or cry What disturbs me about this video is that the woman has a quite clear Czech accent, yet she promotes the weird tourist traps that she as a Czech should know are not real or worth it.
I See a lot about Czech Tourist Traps, why is that? You don't really See that about Munich or other Toruisty City's. Why is it sutch an Problem in Czechia?
@@onlyagermanguy It's not bigger problem in Prague than in other big European cities, it's just something about Czech culture, we just hate all those fake "Czech traditional things" and you can be sure that people will mention it under all such videos that it's fake tourist trap, it's just a cultural problem, after decades of imported Russian shits like matryoska dolls and ushanka hats, we are really sensitive about these shits which are called a Czech tradition, but it's not actually a Czech tradition.
@@solinus83 that’s the very wrong “holiday” perception that people have from Costa Rica and Latin America in general. Great place for visiting and vacations. Quality of life? There are many more places where it’s much much much better. ;)
If you're interested in more content about Prague and czechia in general, there's a TH-cam channel called "the honest guide" which regularly shows restaurants, hidden gems, bars and dangers for tourists on the streets of Prague
I still find it amusing how Americans experience European cities. I've had a friend from Boston visit Prague and he spent the whole time looking around in awe, saying how he felt like he traveled in time and was in the middle ages. He almost lost it when he saw a blacksmith hammering away on a sword lol. On the other hand when I visited NYC I remember taking the metro from Brooklyn and emerging on Wall Street and just seeing all the skyscrapers around me. Felt like an utopia. I spent the whole trip recognizing places I saw from movies. Also "trdelník" which is mentioned in the video is a common tourist trap. It isn't traditional and it originates from Romania. What is traditional are koláče, which is this fruit-filled pastry. They have actually been brought over by Czech immigrants to Texas and they are popular there, known as "kolache". There is actually a Prague in Texas too, if you don't wanna travel to Europe.
That's interesting, because, in Croatian and Serbian language, "kolač" is a blanket term for any kind of sweet pastry. I thought "buchta" (another fruit filled pastry) is traditionally Czech... and checking Wiki, I can see I'm right. It says that buchta (buchtel/buchty/buhtle... depending of language) originates from Bohemia.
@@damyr Well yes koláče is actually neutral to any pastry which is roundish with some filler it also has to be baked as a piece itself not cut afterwards. Buchty usually means some sweet pastry with filler inside (again baked like individual pieces or together but easily detachable) or with some topping but cut into pieces after baking.
@@damyr Koláč comes from the word "kola" meaning wheel, due to the round shape of the pastry. But yes buchta is also one of those desserts our grandmothers used to make. Have you perhaps heard of "bublanina", "perník" or "ovocné knedlíky"?
@@damyr But I believe that the croatian alphabet took some inspiration from the czech alphabet (ščžář) so some words could have also been inspired by czech?
I live in Germany very close to the border with the Czech Republic. You would definitely like it Ryan, especially the extremely good food in this country! And the beer.... 🍻
Classic Czech foods are heavy so not for everyone, my grandma cook everything from oil and i loved it. Czech China food where u have oil instead of soya mňam :D
Hi Ryan, thank you for the reaction. Im just leaving Prague after 4 days there...and I can assure you the city is even more beautiful and magical that what they show in the video.
hi there. i’m czech - born, raised and living in prague. i’ve been to many european cities (london being my favorite of them, duh), but i have to say - without any favoritism or patriotic sentiment - that there really isn’t another city like Prague. and while one of the reasons for that definitely is the magical city center, faitytale-like streets and beautiful historical sights and monuments, there’s something i’d like to point out even more. and that’s that Prague is a city of contrast in a way that no other city is. perhaps the most noticable proof of that is the city’s architecture, which is far more complex and diverse than what you’ll see in the historical center. all the new coexist with the old (mostly) in a very unique and often shocking way - especially when it comes to the brutalist architecture. prime example of this is the historical building of the National theater and its new scene, which is right next to it and is a very bold, almost cosmic-like, and absolutely stunning pinnacle of czech brutalism by one of our greatest architects Karel Prager. and that’s just one of many many examples. lemme wrap this up: prague is far more than what’s usually being shown in videos like the one you reacted to. and arguably most of them are far more interesting. so, please - when in Prague, consider doing the following: 1) get out of the city center. sure, prague castle, charles’s bridge and the old town square are unarguably beautiful, but there’s a reason why the locals mostly avoid going to these places. visit Vinohrady, Karlin, Letna, Vyton, Vrsovice… that’s where the heart of Prague truly beats. don’t worry - all of these neighborhoods can be just as beautiful as the Old Town. 2) look up. yes, the things you’ll see down on the buildings are cute, but it’s what’s above them that is truly breathtaking. just look up a lot. trust me. 3) don’t waste your time and money on tourist traps. if the restaurant next to the Old Town Square you’re thinking about going to has menus with a lot of pictures of the food on big boards in front of the restaurant only or primarily in russian and english, it’s a waste of your time and money. if you’re feeling like eating something typically czech, find the nearest Lokal instead. always use TripAdvisor, Yelp or Foursquare. Czechs are very quick to call out a tourist trap when they see one. 4) watch Honest Guide videos here on youtube. they’ll answer all of your questions. 5) experience Prague as a local, not as a tourist. you may thank me later for this one. 6) be respectful. you may see a beautiful historical city full of great nightlife, but we live here- some of us in the city center. so think before you start with a drunken noise on the way from a club. we’ll highly appreciate it. 7) have fun!
If you like castles/history, you will love Czech Republic. There is insane amount of castles, castle ruins, fortifications and other architectural awesomeness.
I, as a Czech, think Ireland has incomparably more visible castles and forts everywhere you go. It's really strange, you know them from home, but there are so many of them.
almost every one of our cities is older than anything built in America. I live in a city that has around 20,000 inhabitants and its history goes back to the 12th century, which is more than 200 years before the discovery of America.
Many people tend to forget that American cities and towns aren't older than 200 years, maybe 300 years. Some European Cities, towns and villages are over 1000 years old, with some castles, settlement remains etc. being 2000-3000 years old.
You would have a hard time to find things that are close to 2000 years old, the Charles bridge was build only 700 years ago and castle like 1200 and that is on the edge of what lasted
@@jakub7777 Youve missed the point. "In Europe there are cities/villages over 1000 years old and some castle/settlement REMAINS there can be as old as 3000 years" - thats the translation. The original comment might be bit hard to understand because of many commas.
Thank you!! I’m a Canadian who had the pleasure of living in Prague for two years and this video brought back all kinds of fond memories of discovering those buildings, streets (A LOT of getting lost) and sights. Prague is a must see and to keep the “storybook” theme going, visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany. 😊
The "not real" house is a actually a real house. It's in the Prague castle street called "Golden Lane". People actually lived there in small houses squished against the castle wall and it was occupied by gold smiths in the 17th century (hence the name). Franz Kafka actually rented No. 22 in 1916 as a sort of an office where he wrote for a year.
I've been to Prague several times as I live close to the Czech border, so I don't have to fly but can go there by car. I even tried to learn the language because it sounded interesting to me, so I joined evening classes for half a year, but the grammar is complicated, and there was so much else to do, so I just know the basics. You're not necessarily wrong with your impression that Prague looks very German, because: "Charles IV (Czech: Karel IV.; German: Karl IV.; Latin: Carolus IV; 14 May 1316 - 29 November 1378), also known as Charles of Luxembourg, born Wenceslaus (Czech: Václav, German: Wenzel), was the first King of Bohemia to become Holy Roman Emperor. He was a member of the House of Luxembourg from his father's side and the Bohemian House of Přemyslid from his mother's side; he emphasized the latter due to his lifelong affinity for the Bohemian side of his inheritance, and also because his direct ancestors in the Přemyslid line included two saints." (Wikipedia)
No za Císaře Karla byl v přemyslovské linii pouze jeden svatý a to svatý Václav, Svatá Anežka Česká byla svatořečena až po Sametové revoluci. Protože to navazovalo na mýtus , že český národ bude znovu svobodný až bude Anežka Česká svatořečena 🙂
Eyyy, that's my city! I hope you will explore more of it! Though I must say that "Trdelnik" is not a traditional czech food! It's a tourist scam. Instead, get "kolaсhky", which are traditional and we have more places now that serve them in the centre!
Czech republic have so many nice places, my favorite is Český Krumlov and castle Hluboká, and if we talk about nature České Švýcarsko...but I like Prague, I was there so many times, study there and still find there new places, I even remember times when I went there with my parents for first time with word "we are going to capital", well I was born in Czechoslovakia, not my capital anymore, but Prague always going to have special place in my heart
I am in Prague right now, for the first time, and feel absolutely blown away. My wife and mother are with me, and we never expected Prague to be so huge. Our native Riga is just a tiny kindergarten, in comparison.
4:50 yes, those men are real, but I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't seen them with my own eyes. They really remind me of the British royal guards.
Prague was the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia, one of the four kingdoms within the Holy Roman Empire, and since the German Kingdom did not have a capital of its own, it served during the rule of the House of Luxembourg and for a few times during Habsburg rule also as the virtual capital of the Empire. It was also home to the first university in Middle Europe. The Univerzita Karlova (Charles University) was founded in 1348 by Charles IV of Luxembourg, Roman-German King (since 1346), King of Bohemia (since 1347), King of Italy (since 1355), King of Burgundy (since 1365) and Holy Roman Emperor (since 1355). He was born (1316, baptized as Venceslav) and died (1378) in Prague. Venceslav was educated in Paris and got his confirmation name Charles by King Charles IV of France, after Charlemagne. The university was originally divided in four "nationes": Bohemia, consisting of Bohemians, Hungarians and southern Slavs (Yugoslavs); Poland, consisting of Poles, Silesian and eastern Slavs; Bavaria, consisting of Austrians, Bavarians, Swabians, Franconians and Rhinelanders; Saxony, consisting of the Margraviate of Meißen, Lower and Upper Saxony, Danes and Swedes. In 1409 about 1000 professors and students left the university to found the University of Leipzig.
4:35 - these are for the case there is strong current after heavy rains so the bridge pillars are not damaged by anything carried by the river. That is why they are only on one side of the bridge.
Honestly, sometimes when I walk around the older parts of Prague, I just go wherever, explore side streets and alleyways. Happily lost is really a thing. I'm a local and I still often come across places I've never seen before this way.
Every bigger city in Czech Republic has older part and younger part . Older parts are usually in the middle and there are not many ads but younger parts are regular towns with ads. P.S. English isn’t my first language, sorry.
Trdelník might be tasty, but it Is NOT traditional czech food! Beware of this 'scam', almost everyone will try to tell you that it is traditional czech food. The origin of trdelník is in Romania.
I like where you said it all seems more real than in many American cities. I lived for many years in New York, but moved to Europe for more of that "real life" feeling taht you talked about. In fact, for the past 22 years, I have been living in Prague. By far the longest I have lived anywhere, and life here is just really pleasant.
Prague will always be linked in my mind to the "Prague Spring" when Dubcek tried to reform the communist regime , which was followed by a USSR invasion.
Yes, my grandfather was holding an airport few days, until the order came from above to surrender. It is "funny" that very similar strategy was used by Russia to invade Ukraine, luckily they withhold and didnt obey.
If Prague was uncovered by you till now (one of well known tourist destinations in Europe) i dont even know where you should start to explore. From Athens to Stockholm and from Lisbon to Lviv hundreds of wonderful cities in Europe.
You can indeed get happily lost there. I got lost in the old town once, years ago, (I was 14 or so). It is a magical place. Even the police officers were smiling and laughing, especially when I said "Excuse me, Im looking for 'Na Florencji' street." That day I learnt that Polish and Czech are indeed very similar but I should avoid using the Polish word for 'to look for' as it means something 'slighty' different in Czech - a rather vulgar word to describe sexual intercourse... :)
3:11 nooooooooooo! this is not Czech food, our food is, for example, fried cheese or tenderloin, but this is an invention that is presented everywhere as Czech food, but it is not Czech food, it is ****
Prague is a importand place in the german history as capital of the bohemian kingdom. The King of Bohemia was one of the 7 german prince electors who elect the german king and the Emporer 700-800years long
I went to Prague for 3 days in 2019, and it's certainly a city everyone should visit at some time. Like a lot of old cities, it has a really interesting old town which is quite stunning. While there took a fun trip to Kutna Hora and the Sedlec Ossuary, another unique place to see.
Prague is really beautiful. Visited it last august for 2 days just before starting my new job, to free my mind and enjoy the beautiful city. I highly recommend visiting the zoo, it is gigantic! The pathing alone spread at a length of 10km ... spent a whole day for it. Next time I bring more time to discover in the city. Althoug I walked to every location, ~80km in those two days ... it was very enjoyable :) The castle and lookout tower are great at sunsetting ... and looking over the city night lights felt somewhat relaxing.
Prague is good. I prefer Brno, the second biggest city in Czech Republic, because it is less crowded and there is the heaviest concentration of anime fans ever, but they both have its charm :)
the best about prague is the fact, that beer is cheaper than water. There is one of the best nightlifes in Europe too. But pay attention, there is some scammers... Check out the honest guide on youtube. This guide is the best when it comes to getting to know Prague and spotting fraudsters who come to Prague to scam tourists from foreign countries. I am from Prague and I get lost on purpose... u can find so many interesting things when you get lost.
I spent the turn of the millenia there and had absolutely amazing time, lifelong memories were made. We went with train, thru the Baltics and Poland. Spent days just walking in the Stare Mesto. Did not check the clock move, we didn't do the usual tourist stuff. It is my favorite city, so far. The favorite town is Jurmala, in Latvia. It has an atmosphere that you just got go and feel, it was so cozy and warm.
I live in Prague and sometimes I have the urge to just walk through the Old Town, without the map. And as she said it in the video, I just love to get lost. Just walking and discovering small routes, some small churches where I feel like nobody before me was here, but it is so beatiful. Everytime I go for a walk here, I always discover some places that I never heard about.
German vibe might be right cause lot of germans lived in Prague up until 1945, guess why :D.Trdelník is actually somewhere from Slovakia or Hungary or even Romania and u couldn't find them around Prague until like 2008ish. There is insanely difficult to explain system of how the cobble stones are placed. Only thing happening at night under the Horse is selling cocaine mixed with baking soda , seriosly Wenceslas square is a different place when it gets dark. Just a little info from local. :)
Hhaha funny i just came home from Prague rn was there for the weekend it was a 3 hour ride eeee i have been to Prague many times yet the architecture never fails to amaze me
pls do a video about yourself or a q&a! my boyfriend and i are so obsessed with your channel! you're so funny!! love you from spain!! pd: do more spain content plssss
They still make sidewalks out of the tiny stones. The good thing is that you don't really need new ones, you just pay people to rearrange them and the sidewalk is good as new😊 A good Czech channel in English to check out is Honest Guide.
There are so many beautiful ancient cities in Europe ; Prague is definitely one. Our dear American friends visiting Europe often seem to think they are in a gigantic outdoor museum 😂 👋🇫🇮
That small house shown at the beginning of the video is one of several houses built into the castle wall. One of these was once occupied by Franz Kafka , it's now a gift shop.
Im from Prague and i have some notes: 1) Trdelnik isn't frrom czech its from Hungary and none of locals eats it. Its there because forein turists like it and keep buing it. All locals hate it. Sometimes we make fun from it becase its like saying tacos is traditional american food or something else. Only thing why turists keep thinking it is marketing of companies. 2) The wood things near to Charels its for its safety from flood when a lot of things like trees swims in water towards it. It prevents damage of historical pillars. 3) Fun fact, we have 2 of st. Nicolas. First one on Old Town square and the socond one on Malá strana near to Prague castle. They are very similar and are from same architect.
Ryan, I found you because of the algorithm I guess, because I'm technically Australian, and I've stuck with you because I love your Aussie reactions. However, have spent a quarter of my life (and yeah that's more than ten years) living in Prague. I went, I left for a while after a decade, then after the pandemic I came back. Now I'm 50/50 Aussie-Czech based. As I can't let go of Australia, I also can't let this Lady go. She is under my skin in a way I cannot explain. Actually, I only watch reaction videos when I am here because I have have other things going on when I am in Australia. So to see this come up made my heart swell, even though I'm late to the party on this one, it found me. I know every place in this video like the back of my hand. I walked my dog through these streets for ten years, and ran to catch those trams daily, spent hundreds of hours looking over those red roofs. I've loved every season and even every frustration of living here.. If you are interested, the Australia band INXS filmed "Never Tear Us Apart " in Prague, when the Czech Republic was still Czechoslovakia, before the Velvet Revolution, when access was very difficult. This is an interesting backstory video: /www.udiscovermusic.com/news/inxs-never-tear-us-apart-behind-the-scenes/
One of my absolute favourite locations in the world. Beautiful, lovely inhabitants Europes best(?) beer and food and all to a really nice price! A really lovely place to start your exploration of Europe. Go there, rent a car and find out how close so many lovely locations are
I remember now, when I was young I got happily lost in Prague! With some friends and a big bottle of Jägermeister... We were actually lost and spent hours to find our group. It was the best part of the new year's trip
4:35 - these wood things (literal translation to English would be “icebreakers”, but maybe there’s another official word for it) are supposed to prevent possible ice in winter to hit and damage the pillars. They are supposed to break the ice and deflect it out of the way.
Yes, and the Czech Republic is full of beautiful cities, towns and even villages - like Karlovy Vary, Brno, České Budějovice, and Jindřichův Hradec. Please look them all up - with perhaps the prettiest and most magical of all being Český Krumlov, sitting on a loop in the Vltava River with its tiny mediaeval lanes and its enormous fairytale castle, haunted at the windows by the Bílá Paní, the 'White Lady'. My partner and I were lucky enough to spend one of the most beautiful summer months of my life in Český Krumlov nearly twenty years ago. We were artists representing the German state of Hessen, and we lived and worked in a converted brewery, the Egon Schiele Cultural Centre (Egon Schiele spent time in the town as a young man). I will never forget the hearty central European cuisine, the stunning architecture, the soft sounds of the Czech language and the friendliness and kindness of virtually everyone I met.
some hollywood movies like Eurotrip, Casino Royale, Bourne Legacy, and the very recent The Gray Man were set and filmed here in Prague - but in the movies they are tagged or labeled differently like Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam, Zurich etc. Me and my friends who live here get a good laugh about it when we watched these movies together.
Prague is a very beautiful city and it is definitely worth visiting the spanish synagogue there even if you are not jewish faith. I had attended a music concert there on vacation and was amazed by the beauty of the synagogue and music. The beer there is also recommended, but it`s often strong beer , which can make you a little bit dizzy.
Prague, Praha (Czech) or Prag (German) was the capital of Bohemia, part of the Austrian Empire, at times the residence city of the German emperors and a bilingual city until 1918. It is also home to the oldest university north of the Alps. The city was not destroyed in WW2 and has therefore been able to preserve its medieval charm. And like everywhere in the Czech Republic, you can get the best beer in the world here.
V Preze se mluvilo německy i po roce 1918! K odsunu Německých Pražanů došlo až v 1945 ! V roce 1918 se pouze čeština stala oficiálním úředním jazykem. Prosím nepřekrucujte fakta Děkuju
It's one of the few cities in the world this well preserved, partially because you bombed it only once, and didn't do a very good job. The big wooden things in front of the bridge pillars are oak wood ice breakers, they're protecting the bridge from moving masses of ice during winter. Or at least they used to, nowadays you rarely get the river to freeze over. Charles bridge actually used to be open to cars, but its role was taken over by other newer bridges in the city. Those huge gothic buildings are all older than discovery of America, so indeed a lot of history there.
As a fellow citizen of Czech republic, I'm glad to see you like Prague, but as in other European countries there are even more places that are beautiful, basic countryside, ponds and more as well :-)
I think the author Kafka once lived in one of the little houses in the castle. Prague is also a very green city. There are plenty of advertisement hoardings but not in the old town. There is a lot of graffiti. I am irritated by these pratts who ride around on the pavement/sidewalks on electric scooters but I assume they are in all cities nowadays as I haven't been back to the UK for some time. In the main I enjoy living in Prague with its great 24 hour transport system, gorgeous women, cultural interests and cheap booze. My US colleague (bass player) also loves it and his Czech is much better than mine. You may like the red roofs but even more appealing are the houses painted in 2 tones - they look like cakes. Outlying villages are especially cute with cheap catering and wonderful to visit amidst the lush countryside. You can get a meal with booze for under 7 US dollars.
4:36 those wooden things were once used when the river was still frozen (that was when dams like Orlík or Slapy were not yet built) to break or deflect large ice floes that could damage the stone pillars in the winter. Nowadays, they also serve as protection, but against branches, wood, or other clutter during floods.
Prague, Yazd, Jaisalmer, Santiago de Compostela, Luang Prabang, Cusco, Toledo, Lisbon, Fez.... Some of the most beautiful cities in the world in my opinion. Prague is like living info a Fairy Tale...
Those wooden things have been there since the time when the Vltava River froze over in the winter so that spring floating ice would not damage the bridge piers. Nowadays they are preserved and repaired to preserve the appearance of the bridge.
4:36 These wooden things protect the bridge from pieces of ice in winter. A good video about the Czech Republic is also: "Czechia not quite basic info" by Charles of Bohemia. TH-cam does not allow links in comments.
4:35 the wood things are there to break icebergs, but since there were built dams on the river in the 20th century Moldau (or Vltava in Czech) is no longer freezing during winter, beacause the river's temperature is pretty much constantly around 4°C in winter even if there is like -15°C which is very umcommon
These videos remind me how grateful I should be for being able to live here haha, it is a very nice city now that I think about it. Also 500th comment!
Hey, greetings from Czech 🇨🇿❤. Just wanted to say that with our beer getting lost in prague and discovering all the family owned pubs that lurk on every corner is actually pretty darn good. I discored a few great places like this. 😂
As a someone born in Prague, I am happyly lost all the time in Prague, it's such a big city with so many hidden places, that you are still finding new places, sometimes you know just direction where you need to get, rest of journey is like in Age of Empires, you see some discovered place in the corner of map and rest of map is black. 😀 I don't live in Prague anymore, so it's even worse now, I am forgetting about how to get somewhere and what's there. 😀 I never really discovered whole historical center, native people don't go there that often, so sometimes I have to use maps in phone even when I am born in Prague, but in some parts of city where native people live, I don't need any maps ofcourse. 3:10 - Not Czech and not traditional, it's just an overpriced tourist trap which you can find in all european cities, it's traditional in Slovakia, Hungary and maybe Romania, but definitely not in Czechia, I saw it for the first time in like 2012. To build cobblestone roads is actually pretty fast, they are able to disassemble it and assamble back in just a few days, that's advantage of cobblestones, when you need to fix some water pipes or something, you just remove stones above it and then return them back, with asphalt, it's much more complicated, that's why cities in Europe still use cobblestones and some foreigners don't understand why we still use this "archaic technology" as they say. 4:26 - It's not that long time into the past when it was even for cars, I think before 1989 during communist regime, cars were normaly going there, but that was pretty insensible to such important historical sight as Charles Bridge definitely is. If I know, "wood things" were meant against ice, but since water dams keep temperature of river almost constant, it's not freezing anymore. Advertisements and commercials in historical center are limited by laws, only some Vietnamese shops and thai massages screw that with their flashing boards becuase it's just their asian culture, but generaly, Europeans tend to have much more simple and tastefull advertisements, but it was not always like that, in 90s, it looked totaly different before they accepted all those restrictions and laws, especially after we entered UNESCO and such organisations.
1:11 oh that's real. Bunch of little houses on a street called Golden Lane. Located within the Prague Castle complex. Originally the employees and guards of the Castle live there but now the whole street is a museum. Highly recommend to visit!
You want to go to Prague at least once in your life. It is one of the most gorgeous cities in the world, with great night life and great food. I once did a train trip from ultra-cool Berlin, Germany with a stop off in magnificent Dresden, Germany to Prague. Each city is about 2 1/2 hours away from each other by inexpensive train, and had once of the best holidays in my life. You can also travel from Prague to Vienna, Austria in about 4 hours. Rail travel in Europe is relatively quick, inexpensive (especially if you avoid high-speed rail), and comfortable. I recommend not traveling in July and August since these cities are so overrun with tourists. Europe is also not made for 90 degree (F) heat waves --- with you can get in the summer. Air Conditioning is not a given as it is in the USA and Canada.
I was in 2020 in Prague and it's absolutely amazing. A huge endless old town city center with beautiful churches, buildings and uncountable litte streets with shops and all kind of attractions. But be aware it's packed with people and never eat in restaurants direct at the tourist main lines. The prices are excessive and the food bad. A bit apart from that the restaurants are much better for normal czech prices.
4:37 those wooden constructions in the water are icebreakers, meant to keep ice away from the aging bridge pillars during the winter. Ice floating down the river was causing damage to this very old bridge, and this is a cheap and effective solution to stop ice from hitting it head on.
Honest Guide, best channel to learn more about Prague and the Czech Republic.
I think those wooden structures infront of the bridge are icebreakers.
Yes they're. They ar there so the ice would either damage or get attached to the bridge poles (well you know it's a sight😉)
Yes, originally intended for breaking ice, but also to protect from other debris, such as wooden logs (wood was transported from Šumava mountains to Prague on the river back in the day). Nowadays they are a relict of the past, because Vltava doesn’t get any ice in the winter. That’s not because of global warming or anything you might think, but because there are many dams on the river today, so it doesn’t get the opportunity to freeze.
They were also useful for Vin Diesel to take rest after he saved millions of people in xXx movie 🙂 I have short excerpt of this in my video about movies made in Prague.
@@koc7737 some ice sheets actually form once or twice a year, the river doesn't freeze over though.
@@smarter_in_5_mins I was going to mention xXx :D
I think that Wien and Prague are architecturally the most beautiful big cities in Europe, my opinion
You are absolutely right but I think Budapest is close 3rd. But maybe i'm biased since I live here
❤ from Vienna!
@@Stangler96 I've heard about Budapest few times similar things, so u may be right. When i was in Paris, overall building architectrue was kind of boring, but there are other things that are more interesting then that.
It was, but today Vienna is just sad memory of famous past, most of historical places were demolished or it's in really weird condition, surrounded by some weird 90s structures, cobblestones replaced by asphalt etc...as a Praguer, I was pretty sad in Vienna, I expected it will look almost the same as Prague, but Prague is much better maintained and historical places are in much better condition. I would say Prague, Budapest and maybe Ljubljana are only 3 remaining capital cities where you can really see that famous past and it's not totaly damaged by later structures.
We have advantage here in Czechia, that people are extremely sensitive about demolishing or changing historical places, I am pretty sure that without pressure from people, some developers would already destroy half of it as in Vienna.
EDIT: I meant mainly Habsburg past with all those especially 19th century buildings. It looks somehow unique, not the same as 19th century buildings in Paris, London or some other european cities.
Prague, Vienna, Budapest. The best cities in Europe
2:20 "Germany vibes" - Czechia, Austria and Germany have over 1,000 years of common history, so no wonder they are quite similar in many ways (and different in others).
Lands of the bohemian crown was in holy Roman empire, there was strong Frankish/ later German influence. Mainly culturally, and it became very unique, same as Austria.
yes and most of the history was spent on a battlefiels... fuck the krauts
It looks somehow similar, especially later renaissance and baroque structures, but our gothic architecture is pretty unique, cathedrals can look similar to western europe, but houses were mostly already made from solid stones or bricks, so we don't have any of those "german like" half wooden houses, I am not sure, but I think it's because of some law after fire about that all new buildings must be made from stone or bricks. I think Prague probably had those german style houses back in the day, but it was probably destroyed by fires and most of today historical Prague is from renaissance and baroque time, which is newer than those german-like houses. Also, ther is plenty of 19th century "habsburg" architecture, that's why Czech cities look that unique, you can see classic western european gothic mixed with renaissance and baroque architecture, then many late Habsburg structures together with first republic functionalism and constructivism + a lot of communist buildings made between 50s and 80s which creates really a unique feeling.
@@Pidalin there are probably several reason: halftimbered houses have regional traditions in German speaking areas - e.g. there are very few in southern Bavaria or Austria. On the other hand there is strong tradition in Central Germany or Franconia. The areas in Czechia's northwestern edge like Cheb also have this Franconian tradition and halftimberd houses, as these areas were originally populated by Germans.
Halftimberd houses were often popular among German population while Slavic folks liked to build log houses (completly out of wood). For example in the Sorbian areas you would rather find log houses.
In a few areas both building methods were combined e.g. to "Umgebindehaus" (maybe Podstávkový dům in Czech ?) Those houses you can find in Bohemian Switzerland.
But in general halftimbered houses were regarded as a cheaper construction method and wealthier citizens would build with stone and brick. Since in Prague very wealthy palaces, manors and merchant houses were built it is a bit logical that they prefered massive buildings. Due to the cheap, poor and rural image of halftimbered houses many were even covered with plaster and stucco in Germany the 19th century to look more wealthy and city-like.
@@henningbartels6245 Halftimbered house, finally I know how it's called in English, I don't even know how to call it in Czech, I am not expert about medieval architecture. 🙂
Those buildings you called "podstávkový dům" look like pretty typical Czech village houses, but in some regions it's more common.
Prague has probably advantage that it was capital city of HRE for 2 times in history, so many rich families lived there or built their palaces there and since lower quality structures didn't survive, it looks like whole center of Prague is just one big luxury palace, but I am pretty sure it was not like that in actul gothic time. 🙂
"Only so you know, Trdelník is not traditionally Czech, and outside of the center of Prague, you would hardly find it. If you want to learn more about Prague and the Czech Republic in general, I recommend Honest Guide." - www.youtube.com/@HONESTGUIDE
This is a widespread narrative about trdelník, but in reality trdelník appears in Czech and Moravian cookbooks as early as the 19th century, earlier than many so-called today national dishes. It was widespread in Wallachia and the surrounding area. Yes, the origin of trdelník is somewhere in the Romanian region, but the Czechs did not invent beer either and consider it a national treasure today. Trdelník with ice cream is a luxury treat and people should stop digging into it. It makes about as much sense as the Poles constantly pointing out that Pirohy originated in the East and not in Poland.
Beat me to this comment 😂....
Hasn’t he reacted to honest guide before? A video about USA vs Europe it was i think
@@petrah174 Yeah, but there are so many more and i think Ryan would really enjoy them)
@@petrstanik7597 U are right, literally everything originated elsewhere. But where it sticks is important.
And i know ton of exclusive Czech foods and Trdelník was not even word in my life, nor food. So it is a scam trap, no doubt.
Now they actually make them good i think, but when it started few years ago it was overpriced nothingburger.
"Wow, a town square! We don't have those!"
"Imagine that, a bridge for people" :D not sure if I should laugh or cry
What disturbs me about this video is that the woman has a quite clear Czech accent, yet she promotes the weird tourist traps that she as a Czech should know are not real or worth it.
It's from a channel Expedia, which is a travel agency. This was SURELY aimed at tourists, but in quantity in mind, not quality.
I See a lot about Czech Tourist Traps, why is that? You don't really See that about Munich or other Toruisty City's. Why is it sutch an Problem in Czechia?
@@onlyagermanguy More German tourists in Prague maybe?
@@onlyagermanguy It's not bigger problem in Prague than in other big European cities, it's just something about Czech culture, we just hate all those fake "Czech traditional things" and you can be sure that people will mention it under all such videos that it's fake tourist trap, it's just a cultural problem, after decades of imported Russian shits like matryoska dolls and ushanka hats, we are really sensitive about these shits which are called a Czech tradition, but it's not actually a Czech tradition.
@@Pidalin Interresting thank you
I’m Costa Rican and live in Prague since 6 years ago. Prague is my favorite city in the world. Here you really live life. Love it. ♥️🇨🇿
I would move to costa rica, ocean and do nothing, just manana on everything
@@solinus83 that’s the very wrong “holiday” perception that people have from Costa Rica and Latin America in general. Great place for visiting and vacations. Quality of life? There are many more places where it’s much much much better. ;)
If you're interested in more content about Prague and czechia in general, there's a TH-cam channel called "the honest guide" which regularly shows restaurants, hidden gems, bars and dangers for tourists on the streets of Prague
I still find it amusing how Americans experience European cities. I've had a friend from Boston visit Prague and he spent the whole time looking around in awe, saying how he felt like he traveled in time and was in the middle ages. He almost lost it when he saw a blacksmith hammering away on a sword lol.
On the other hand when I visited NYC I remember taking the metro from Brooklyn and emerging on Wall Street and just seeing all the skyscrapers around me. Felt like an utopia. I spent the whole trip recognizing places I saw from movies.
Also "trdelník" which is mentioned in the video is a common tourist trap. It isn't traditional and it originates from Romania. What is traditional are koláče, which is this fruit-filled pastry. They have actually been brought over by Czech immigrants to Texas and they are popular there, known as "kolache". There is actually a Prague in Texas too, if you don't wanna travel to Europe.
That's interesting, because, in Croatian and Serbian language, "kolač" is a blanket term for any kind of sweet pastry.
I thought "buchta" (another fruit filled pastry) is traditionally Czech... and checking Wiki, I can see I'm right. It says that buchta (buchtel/buchty/buhtle... depending of language) originates from Bohemia.
@@damyr Well yes koláče is actually neutral to any pastry which is roundish with some filler it also has to be baked as a piece itself not cut afterwards. Buchty usually means some sweet pastry with filler inside (again baked like individual pieces or together but easily detachable) or with some topping but cut into pieces after baking.
@@damyr Koláč comes from the word "kola" meaning wheel, due to the round shape of the pastry. But yes buchta is also one of those desserts our grandmothers used to make.
Have you perhaps heard of "bublanina", "perník" or "ovocné knedlíky"?
@@damyr But I believe that the croatian alphabet took some inspiration from the czech alphabet (ščžář) so some words could have also been inspired by czech?
@@neilarmschlong425 Can be because there were relationships with those lands in history.
I live in Germany very close to the border with the Czech Republic. You would definitely like it Ryan, especially the extremely good food in this country! And the beer.... 🍻
Classic Czech foods are heavy so not for everyone, my grandma cook everything from oil and i loved it. Czech China food where u have oil instead of soya mňam :D
@@DaweSlayer classic Czech foods are pretty similar to German or Austrian foods, so he is definitely used to it as a German
Thanx man, cheers 👍🍻
@@Suchac_cz 🍻
@@DaweSlayer in classic czech cuisine you have to cook from pork fat instead of oil
I really think Prague is one of the most beautiful town in Europe. I loved it so much.
French guy here. Thanks for the reaction.
It is actually City even tho it doesnt look like it
@@Sodys_eyy to be honest I'm French and I'm not sure to make the difference between a town and a city in English ;-)
Hi Ryan, thank you for the reaction.
Im just leaving Prague after 4 days there...and I can assure you the city is even more beautiful and magical that what they show in the video.
hi there. i’m czech - born, raised and living in prague. i’ve been to many european cities (london being my favorite of them, duh), but i have to say - without any favoritism or patriotic sentiment - that there really isn’t another city like Prague. and while one of the reasons for that definitely is the magical city center, faitytale-like streets and beautiful historical sights and monuments, there’s something i’d like to point out even more. and that’s that Prague is a city of contrast in a way that no other city is. perhaps the most noticable proof of that is the city’s architecture, which is far more complex and diverse than what you’ll see in the historical center. all the new coexist with the old (mostly) in a very unique and often shocking way - especially when it comes to the brutalist architecture. prime example of this is the historical building of the National theater and its new scene, which is right next to it and is a very bold, almost cosmic-like, and absolutely stunning pinnacle of czech brutalism by one of our greatest architects Karel Prager. and that’s just one of many many examples.
lemme wrap this up: prague is far more than what’s usually being shown in videos like the one you reacted to. and arguably most of them are far more interesting.
so, please - when in Prague, consider doing the following:
1) get out of the city center. sure, prague castle, charles’s bridge and the old town square are unarguably beautiful, but there’s a reason why the locals mostly avoid going to these places. visit Vinohrady, Karlin, Letna, Vyton, Vrsovice… that’s where the heart of Prague truly beats. don’t worry - all of these neighborhoods can be just as beautiful as the Old Town.
2) look up. yes, the things you’ll see down on the buildings are cute, but it’s what’s above them that is truly breathtaking. just look up a lot. trust me.
3) don’t waste your time and money on tourist traps. if the restaurant next to the Old Town Square you’re thinking about going to has menus with a lot of pictures of the food on big boards in front of the restaurant only or primarily in russian and english, it’s a waste of your time and money. if you’re feeling like eating something typically czech, find the nearest Lokal instead. always use TripAdvisor, Yelp or Foursquare. Czechs are very quick to call out a tourist trap when they see one.
4) watch Honest Guide videos here on youtube. they’ll answer all of your questions.
5) experience Prague as a local, not as a tourist. you may thank me later for this one.
6) be respectful. you may see a beautiful historical city full of great nightlife, but we live here- some of us in the city center. so think before you start with a drunken noise on the way from a club. we’ll highly appreciate it.
7) have fun!
oh, and btw: fuck the Golden Lane. there’s an entrance fee. FOR A LITERAL STREET.
Billboards and permanent big flashy light screens are banned in Old Town, you can see them in rest of the city though.
Greetings from the Czech republic. 🇨🇿❤🇺🇲
If you like castles/history, you will love Czech Republic. There is insane amount of castles, castle ruins, fortifications and other architectural awesomeness.
I, as a Czech, think Ireland has incomparably more visible castles and forts everywhere you go. It's really strange, you know them from home, but there are so many of them.
almost every one of our cities is older than anything built in America. I live in a city that has around 20,000 inhabitants and its history goes back to the 12th century, which is more than 200 years before the discovery of America.
Many people tend to forget that American cities and towns aren't older than 200 years, maybe 300 years. Some European Cities, towns and villages are over 1000 years old, with some castles, settlement remains etc. being 2000-3000 years old.
the advertisement is still on another level in the US
You would have a hard time to find things that are close to 2000 years old, the Charles bridge was build only 700 years ago and castle like 1200 and that is on the edge of what lasted
@@jakub7777 Youve missed the point. "In Europe there are cities/villages over 1000 years old and some castle/settlement REMAINS there can be as old as 3000 years" - thats the translation. The original comment might be bit hard to understand because of many commas.
Thank you!! I’m a Canadian who had the pleasure of living in Prague for two years and this video brought back all kinds of fond memories of discovering those buildings, streets (A LOT of getting lost) and sights. Prague is a must see and to keep the “storybook” theme going, visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany. 😊
The "not real" house is a actually a real house. It's in the Prague castle street called "Golden Lane". People actually lived there in small houses squished against the castle wall and it was occupied by gold smiths in the 17th century (hence the name). Franz Kafka actually rented No. 22 in 1916 as a sort of an office where he wrote for a year.
I've been to Prague several times as I live close to the Czech border, so I don't have to fly but can go there by car. I even tried to learn the language because it sounded interesting to me, so I joined evening classes for half a year, but the grammar is complicated, and there was so much else to do, so I just know the basics.
You're not necessarily wrong with your impression that Prague looks very German, because: "Charles IV (Czech: Karel IV.; German: Karl IV.; Latin: Carolus IV; 14 May 1316 - 29 November 1378), also known as Charles of Luxembourg, born Wenceslaus (Czech: Václav, German: Wenzel), was the first King of Bohemia to become Holy Roman Emperor. He was a member of the House of Luxembourg from his father's side and the Bohemian House of Přemyslid from his mother's side; he emphasized the latter due to his lifelong affinity for the Bohemian side of his inheritance, and also because his direct ancestors in the Přemyslid line included two saints." (Wikipedia)
No za Císaře Karla byl v přemyslovské linii pouze jeden svatý a to svatý Václav, Svatá Anežka Česká byla svatořečena až po Sametové revoluci. Protože to navazovalo na mýtus , že český národ bude znovu svobodný až bude Anežka Česká svatořečena 🙂
@@Mirinovic By svatořečena těsně PŘED Sametovou revolucí, konkrétně 12.11.1989.
@@martinanemcova5088 Ano souhlasím, a opravuji zapomněl jsem na svatou Ludmilu :-) Takže Anežka je třetí svatý z rodu Přemyslovců
I'm from Germany, but Prague is one of the coolest cities in Europe!
I’m from Prague and I think Berlin is one of the coolest places in the world.
Eyyy, that's my city! I hope you will explore more of it! Though I must say that "Trdelnik" is not a traditional czech food! It's a tourist scam. Instead, get "kolaсhky", which are traditional and we have more places now that serve them in the centre!
Nice video as always. Love from Prague! 🇨🇿
Czech republic have so many nice places, my favorite is Český Krumlov and castle Hluboká, and if we talk about nature České Švýcarsko...but I like Prague, I was there so many times, study there and still find there new places, I even remember times when I went there with my parents for first time with word "we are going to capital", well I was born in Czechoslovakia, not my capital anymore, but Prague always going to have special place in my heart
I am in Prague right now, for the first time, and feel absolutely blown away. My wife and mother are with me, and we never expected Prague to be so huge. Our native Riga is just a tiny kindergarten, in comparison.
A to se pohybuješ jen v centru ...praha je obrovská rozlohou, je 3 x větší než paříž
4:50 yes, those men are real, but I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't seen them with my own eyes. They really remind me of the British royal guards.
Hello, I live and work in Prague and Im happy you like my city :-) and BTW, the guards at the Prague castle are real :-) they´re called Castle guard.
Prague was the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia, one of the four kingdoms within the Holy Roman Empire, and since the German Kingdom did not have a capital of its own, it served during the rule of the House of Luxembourg and for a few times during Habsburg rule also as the virtual capital of the Empire. It was also home to the first university in Middle Europe. The Univerzita Karlova (Charles University) was founded in 1348 by Charles IV of Luxembourg, Roman-German King (since 1346), King of Bohemia (since 1347), King of Italy (since 1355), King of Burgundy (since 1365) and Holy Roman Emperor (since 1355). He was born (1316, baptized as Venceslav) and died (1378) in Prague. Venceslav was educated in Paris and got his confirmation name Charles by King Charles IV of France, after Charlemagne. The university was originally divided in four "nationes": Bohemia, consisting of Bohemians, Hungarians and southern Slavs (Yugoslavs); Poland, consisting of Poles, Silesian and eastern Slavs; Bavaria, consisting of Austrians, Bavarians, Swabians, Franconians and Rhinelanders; Saxony, consisting of the Margraviate of Meißen, Lower and Upper Saxony, Danes and Swedes. In 1409 about 1000 professors and students left the university to found the University of Leipzig.
Bro knows his history👏
Máme tady historika Česka😂🤌👌 ale fakt dobrý, že tohle umíš nazpaměť 🤌
Prague is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I am happy that I live in Prague, and I get to enjoy the city every day.
Prague is definitely a top-tier city in Europe. Always love coming back there.
Please remember that Prague is a city, it is not the country. There are a bunch of other great cities in the country.
4:35 - these are for the case there is strong current after heavy rains so the bridge pillars are not damaged by anything carried by the river. That is why they are only on one side of the bridge.
Honestly, sometimes when I walk around the older parts of Prague, I just go wherever, explore side streets and alleyways. Happily lost is really a thing. I'm a local and I still often come across places I've never seen before this way.
Every bigger city in Czech Republic has older part and younger part . Older parts are usually in the middle and there are not many ads but younger parts are regular towns with ads.
P.S. English isn’t my first language, sorry.
Trdelník might be tasty, but it Is NOT traditional czech food! Beware of this 'scam', almost everyone will try to tell you that it is traditional czech food. The origin of trdelník is in Romania.
I like where you said it all seems more real than in many American cities. I lived for many years in New York, but moved to Europe for more of that "real life" feeling taht you talked about. In fact, for the past 22 years, I have been living in Prague. By far the longest I have lived anywhere, and life here is just really pleasant.
Prague is absolutely beautiful.
Prague will always be linked in my mind to the "Prague Spring" when Dubcek tried to reform the communist regime , which was followed by a USSR invasion.
Yes, my grandfather was holding an airport few days, until the order came from above to surrender. It is "funny" that very similar strategy was used by Russia to invade Ukraine, luckily they withhold and didnt obey.
I am czech. I am happy to see someone amazed by the culture and stuff that we have :).
If Prague was uncovered by you till now (one of well known tourist destinations in Europe) i dont even know where you should start to explore. From Athens to Stockholm and from Lisbon to Lviv hundreds of wonderful cities in Europe.
You can indeed get happily lost there. I got lost in the old town once, years ago, (I was 14 or so). It is a magical place.
Even the police officers were smiling and laughing, especially when I said "Excuse me, Im looking for 'Na Florencji' street." That day I learnt that Polish and Czech are indeed very similar but I should avoid using the Polish word for 'to look for' as it means something 'slighty' different in Czech - a rather vulgar word to describe sexual intercourse... :)
There is even meme about that word used in sentence. I'd rather say only polish part - to seek for children in shop (sklep)
Also Prague is only about 90 miles / 150 km from Dresden. Both cities are nice.
I'm from Spain and i enjoy a lot with your videos. Thank you very much!
Love from Bhutan
Zdravím z Česka a cením si vašeho zájmu o naši vlast. 😊
-_-
Prague is such a beautiful city. Have been there 10 years ago and it was wonderful.
Trdelnik is not our traditional czech sweet. Try our spa waffers or Hašlerky. And those guards are very real :D
3:11 nooooooooooo! this is not Czech food, our food is, for example, fried cheese or tenderloin, but this is an invention that is presented everywhere as Czech food, but it is not Czech food, it is ****
Prague is a importand place in the german history as capital of the bohemian kingdom. The King of Bohemia was one of the 7 german prince electors who elect the german king and the Emporer 700-800years long
I went to Prague for 3 days in 2019, and it's certainly a city everyone should visit at some time. Like a lot of old cities, it has a really interesting old town which is quite stunning. While there took a fun trip to Kutna Hora and the Sedlec Ossuary, another unique place to see.
Prague is really beautiful. Visited it last august for 2 days just before starting my new job, to free my mind and enjoy the beautiful city. I highly recommend visiting the zoo, it is gigantic! The pathing alone spread at a length of 10km ... spent a whole day for it. Next time I bring more time to discover in the city. Althoug I walked to every location, ~80km in those two days ... it was very enjoyable :) The castle and lookout tower are great at sunsetting ... and looking over the city night lights felt somewhat relaxing.
Prague is good. I prefer Brno, the second biggest city in Czech Republic, because it is less crowded and there is the heaviest concentration of anime fans ever, but they both have its charm :)
the best about prague is the fact, that beer is cheaper than water. There is one of the best nightlifes in Europe too. But pay attention, there is some scammers... Check out the honest guide on youtube. This guide is the best when it comes to getting to know Prague and spotting fraudsters who come to Prague to scam tourists from foreign countries. I am from Prague and I get lost on purpose... u can find so many interesting things when you get lost.
Vláda bude zdražovat alkohol a cigarety, a naopak zlevňovat důležitější věci
Thank you for taking time to learn something about my home country, or the beautiful city of Prague. Definitely worth visiting.
Beautiful and mystical, my niece travelled around there on a European tour a few years ago I am really so envious! I love Medieval! 👍🤗👏
I spent the turn of the millenia there and had absolutely amazing time, lifelong memories were made. We went with train, thru the Baltics and Poland. Spent days just walking in the Stare Mesto. Did not check the clock move, we didn't do the usual tourist stuff. It is my favorite city, so far. The favorite town is Jurmala, in Latvia. It has an atmosphere that you just got go and feel, it was so cozy and warm.
I live in Prague and sometimes I have the urge to just walk through the Old Town, without the map. And as she said it in the video, I just love to get lost. Just walking and discovering small routes, some small churches where I feel like nobody before me was here, but it is so beatiful. Everytime I go for a walk here, I always discover some places that I never heard about.
Pozdravuju z Česka!🇨🇿 Greetings from Czechia ;)
German vibe might be right cause lot of germans lived in Prague up until 1945, guess why :D.Trdelník is actually somewhere from Slovakia or Hungary or even Romania and u couldn't find them around Prague until like 2008ish. There is insanely difficult to explain system of how the cobble stones are placed. Only thing happening at night under the Horse is selling cocaine mixed with baking soda , seriosly Wenceslas square is a different place when it gets dark. Just a little info from local. :)
Nebuď hnidopich, někdo ti ublížil, nejsi vlastenec,
These wood things are icebreakers, to keep the bridge unharmed when ice masses move in spring.
Hhaha funny i just came home from Prague rn was there for the weekend it was a 3 hour ride eeee i have been to Prague many times yet the architecture never fails to amaze me
Greetings from Prague, where I was born, grew up and where I still live happily.Come and see....🙂
We had our senior trip to Prague. The city is gorgeous, one of the most beautiful I've been to, and I've travelled quite a bit through Europe.
pls do a video about yourself or a q&a! my boyfriend and i are so obsessed with your channel! you're so funny!! love you from spain!! pd: do more spain content plssss
They still make sidewalks out of the tiny stones. The good thing is that you don't really need new ones, you just pay people to rearrange them and the sidewalk is good as new😊
A good Czech channel in English to check out is Honest Guide.
There are so many beautiful ancient cities in Europe ; Prague is definitely one. Our dear American friends visiting Europe often seem to think they are in a gigantic outdoor museum 😂
👋🇫🇮
That small house shown at the beginning of the video is one of several houses built into the castle wall. One of these was once occupied by Franz Kafka , it's now a gift shop.
Já jsem čech! Takže pozdravuji z Česka!❤
Translation:
I am Czech! So,greetings from Czechia!❤
Im from Prague and i have some notes:
1) Trdelnik isn't frrom czech its from Hungary and none of locals eats it. Its there because forein turists like it and keep buing it. All locals hate it. Sometimes we make fun from it becase its like saying tacos is traditional american food or something else. Only thing why turists keep thinking it is marketing of companies.
2) The wood things near to Charels its for its safety from flood when a lot of things like trees swims in water towards it. It prevents damage of historical pillars.
3) Fun fact, we have 2 of st. Nicolas. First one on Old Town square and the socond one on Malá strana near to Prague castle. They are very similar and are from same architect.
Trdelník je u nás od 17. Století a pravděpodobně pochází z Rumunska, takže zbytečné sebemrskačství, rozhodně ho známe déle než Maďaři...
Ryan, I found you because of the algorithm I guess, because I'm technically Australian, and I've stuck with you because I love your Aussie reactions. However, have spent a quarter of my life (and yeah that's more than ten years) living in Prague. I went, I left for a while after a decade, then after the pandemic I came back. Now I'm 50/50 Aussie-Czech based. As I can't let go of Australia, I also can't let this Lady go. She is under my skin in a way I cannot explain. Actually, I only watch reaction videos when I am here because I have have other things going on when I am in Australia. So to see this come up made my heart swell, even though I'm late to the party on this one, it found me. I know every place in this video like the back of my hand. I walked my dog through these streets for ten years, and ran to catch those trams daily, spent hundreds of hours looking over those red roofs. I've loved every season and even every frustration of living here.. If you are interested, the Australia band INXS filmed "Never Tear Us Apart " in Prague, when the Czech Republic was still Czechoslovakia, before the Velvet Revolution, when access was very difficult. This is an interesting backstory video: /www.udiscovermusic.com/news/inxs-never-tear-us-apart-behind-the-scenes/
One of my absolute favourite locations in the world. Beautiful, lovely inhabitants Europes best(?) beer and food and all to a really nice price!
A really lovely place to start your exploration of Europe.
Go there, rent a car and find out how close so many lovely locations are
I remember now, when I was young I got happily lost in Prague! With some friends and a big bottle of Jägermeister... We were actually lost and spent hours to find our group. It was the best part of the new year's trip
4:35 - these wood things (literal translation to English would be “icebreakers”, but maybe there’s another official word for it) are supposed to prevent possible ice in winter to hit and damage the pillars. They are supposed to break the ice and deflect it out of the way.
Yes, and the Czech Republic is full of beautiful cities, towns and even villages - like Karlovy Vary, Brno, České Budějovice, and Jindřichův Hradec. Please look them all up - with perhaps the prettiest and most magical of all being Český Krumlov, sitting on a loop in the Vltava River with its tiny mediaeval lanes and its enormous fairytale castle, haunted at the windows by the Bílá Paní, the 'White Lady'. My partner and I were lucky enough to spend one of the most beautiful summer months of my life in Český Krumlov nearly twenty years ago. We were artists representing the German state of Hessen, and we lived and worked in a converted brewery, the Egon Schiele Cultural Centre (Egon Schiele spent time in the town as a young man). I will never forget the hearty central European cuisine, the stunning architecture, the soft sounds of the Czech language and the friendliness and kindness of virtually everyone I met.
some hollywood movies like Eurotrip, Casino Royale, Bourne Legacy, and the very recent The Gray Man were set and filmed here in Prague - but in the movies they are tagged or labeled differently like Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam, Zurich etc. Me and my friends who live here get a good laugh about it when we watched these movies together.
Prague is a very beautiful city and it is definitely worth visiting the spanish synagogue there even if you are not jewish faith. I had attended a music concert there on vacation and was amazed by the beauty of the synagogue and music. The beer there is also recommended, but it`s often strong beer , which can make you a little bit dizzy.
Prague, Praha (Czech) or Prag (German) was the capital of Bohemia, part of the Austrian Empire, at times the residence city of the German emperors and a bilingual city until 1918. It is also home to the oldest university north of the Alps. The city was not destroyed in WW2 and has therefore been able to preserve its medieval charm. And like everywhere in the Czech Republic, you can get the best beer in the world here.
V Preze se mluvilo německy i po roce 1918! K odsunu Německých Pražanů došlo až v 1945 ! V roce 1918 se pouze čeština stala oficiálním úředním jazykem. Prosím nepřekrucujte fakta Děkuju
5:03 yes they are real :D even the brits get inspiration for their royal guard training in czech guards
I imagine "happily lost" as "oh, ive never been in this alley" or "oh I didn't know you can go this way, to get there" 😂
It's one of the few cities in the world this well preserved, partially because you bombed it only once, and didn't do a very good job. The big wooden things in front of the bridge pillars are oak wood ice breakers, they're protecting the bridge from moving masses of ice during winter. Or at least they used to, nowadays you rarely get the river to freeze over. Charles bridge actually used to be open to cars, but its role was taken over by other newer bridges in the city. Those huge gothic buildings are all older than discovery of America, so indeed a lot of history there.
Yes, Prague was bombed by americans in February 13-15 1945.
My friend went to Prague she said it was lovely.
As a fellow citizen of Czech republic, I'm glad to see you like Prague, but as in other European countries there are even more places that are beautiful, basic countryside, ponds and more as well :-)
I think the author Kafka once lived in one of the little houses in the castle. Prague is also a very green city. There are plenty of advertisement hoardings but not in the old town. There is a lot of graffiti. I am irritated by these pratts who ride around on the pavement/sidewalks on electric scooters but I assume they are in all cities nowadays as I haven't been back to the UK for some time. In the main I enjoy living in Prague with its great 24 hour transport system, gorgeous women, cultural interests and cheap booze. My US colleague (bass player) also loves it and his Czech is much better than mine. You may like the red roofs but even more appealing are the houses painted in 2 tones - they look like cakes. Outlying villages are especially cute with cheap catering and wonderful to visit amidst the lush countryside. You can get a meal with booze for under 7 US dollars.
4:36 those wooden things were once used when the river was still frozen (that was when dams like Orlík or Slapy were not yet built) to break or deflect large ice floes that could damage the stone pillars in the winter. Nowadays, they also serve as protection, but against branches, wood, or other clutter during floods.
Watch more Honest Guide videos or maybe some Dream Prague videos, it's better to get to know Prague and Czech folks ;)
Prague, Yazd, Jaisalmer, Santiago de Compostela, Luang Prabang, Cusco, Toledo, Lisbon, Fez.... Some of the most beautiful cities in the world in my opinion. Prague is like living info a Fairy Tale...
Those wooden things have been there since the time when the Vltava River froze over in the winter so that spring floating ice would not damage the bridge piers. Nowadays they are preserved
and repaired to preserve the appearance of the bridge.
4:36 These wooden things protect the bridge from pieces of ice in winter.
A good video about the Czech Republic is also: "Czechia not quite basic info" by Charles of Bohemia. TH-cam does not allow links in comments.
Well also from debris during a flood.
4:35 the wood things are there to break icebergs, but since there were built dams on the river in the 20th century Moldau (or Vltava in Czech) is no longer freezing during winter, beacause the river's temperature is pretty much constantly around 4°C in winter even if there is like -15°C which is very umcommon
These videos remind me how grateful I should be for being able to live here haha, it is a very nice city now that I think about it. Also 500th comment!
Hey, greetings from Czech 🇨🇿❤. Just wanted to say that with our beer getting lost in prague and discovering all the family owned pubs that lurk on every corner is actually pretty darn good. I discored a few great places like this. 😂
Hey Ryan, hope your channel gets successful enough for you to visit these places! We want to see your reactions irl!
As a someone born in Prague, I am happyly lost all the time in Prague, it's such a big city with so many hidden places, that you are still finding new places, sometimes you know just direction where you need to get, rest of journey is like in Age of Empires, you see some discovered place in the corner of map and rest of map is black. 😀 I don't live in Prague anymore, so it's even worse now, I am forgetting about how to get somewhere and what's there. 😀 I never really discovered whole historical center, native people don't go there that often, so sometimes I have to use maps in phone even when I am born in Prague, but in some parts of city where native people live, I don't need any maps ofcourse.
3:10 - Not Czech and not traditional, it's just an overpriced tourist trap which you can find in all european cities, it's traditional in Slovakia, Hungary and maybe Romania, but definitely not in Czechia, I saw it for the first time in like 2012.
To build cobblestone roads is actually pretty fast, they are able to disassemble it and assamble back in just a few days, that's advantage of cobblestones, when you need to fix some water pipes or something, you just remove stones above it and then return them back, with asphalt, it's much more complicated, that's why cities in Europe still use cobblestones and some foreigners don't understand why we still use this "archaic technology" as they say.
4:26 - It's not that long time into the past when it was even for cars, I think before 1989 during communist regime, cars were normaly going there, but that was pretty insensible to such important historical sight as Charles Bridge definitely is. If I know, "wood things" were meant against ice, but since water dams keep temperature of river almost constant, it's not freezing anymore.
Advertisements and commercials in historical center are limited by laws, only some Vietnamese shops and thai massages screw that with their flashing boards becuase it's just their asian culture, but generaly, Europeans tend to have much more simple and tastefull advertisements, but it was not always like that, in 90s, it looked totaly different before they accepted all those restrictions and laws, especially after we entered UNESCO and such organisations.
1:11 oh that's real. Bunch of little houses on a street called Golden Lane. Located within the Prague Castle complex. Originally the employees and guards of the Castle live there but now the whole street is a museum. Highly recommend to visit!
I LOVE Prague.. I was fortunate to "live" there for one month due to work and I enjoyed it so much.
You want to go to Prague at least once in your life. It is one of the most gorgeous cities in the world, with great night life and great food. I once did a train trip from ultra-cool Berlin, Germany with a stop off in magnificent Dresden, Germany to Prague. Each city is about 2 1/2 hours away from each other by inexpensive train, and had once of the best holidays in my life. You can also travel from Prague to Vienna, Austria in about 4 hours. Rail travel in Europe is relatively quick, inexpensive (especially if you avoid high-speed rail), and comfortable. I recommend not traveling in July and August since these cities are so overrun with tourists. Europe is also not made for 90 degree (F) heat waves --- with you can get in the summer. Air Conditioning is not a given as it is in the USA and Canada.
I was in 2020 in Prague and it's absolutely amazing. A huge endless old town city center with beautiful churches, buildings and uncountable litte streets with shops and all kind of attractions. But be aware it's packed with people and never eat in restaurants direct at the tourist main lines. The prices are excessive and the food bad. A bit apart from that the restaurants are much better for normal czech prices.
Beautiful! Now I've added Prague to my bucket list, but I'd be sussing out the antique stores and the old Czech jewelry.
4:37 those wooden constructions in the water are icebreakers, meant to keep ice away from the aging bridge pillars during the winter. Ice floating down the river was causing damage to this very old bridge, and this is a cheap and effective solution to stop ice from hitting it head on.
I went to Prague in 2015 so it was 8 years ago and we liked it. It was my husband 2nd time in Prague and he wants to come back again soon.