Author: Mia Rusdal

The Nocturnalist | June 26, 2019

Most of my blog posts focused on the sights to see during the day around the Czech Republic, but for my last blog post, I will highlight Prague’s nightlife. I was shocking to me how much the city could change from day to night. During the day, the people are reserved and do not strike me as social butterflies; As night comes around, the capital of the Czech Republic turns into an entirely different city. Numerous amounts of people enter and exit the bars and nightclubs that are scattered throughout the city. A large portion of the people partying are tourists that come to the city to experience the unique nightlife in Prague; I have lost count to how many bachelor and bachelorette parties I have come across just in the month I have lived here.

At night, many people are out wondering the streets to find a good party, but there are others who choose to just relax under the moonlight. When I visited Old Town Square, I came across many people sitting on the cobble stone bricks. It did not look like they were doing anything other than sharing a nice moment with their friends. Due to my exploring of the city at all times of the day, I have learned that no matter what the time is, Prague is a city that stays alive.

Not From These Parts | June 25, 2019

As one of our last assignments in Prague, the class was visited by a professional photographer, Stepanka Stein. She is a local photographer who focuses on the lifestyle of the people in the Czech Republic. Also, she showed us a lot of her documentary and fashion photography, which are other topics she enjoys focusing on. One of her photo collections were people, who were walking in the famous Wenceslas square, who had interesting clothes. The work made a strong statement, because during the times of Communism the most popular color for clothing was gray. The Czech Republic is now a parliamentary democracy, and the freedom and color of the people’s clothing matches.

Now that I have been in Prague for almost a month, I have been able to understand the ways of the city better. The city and the people have a lot of history that has shaped them into a unique culture. Most local people are very quiet and go on with their day without much interaction with others; I am now able to almost always pick out a group of tourists because of their loud demeanor compared to their surroundings. Even though the behaviors of the people here were confusing to me at first, Prague is a city made of people that deserve to be documented.

Small Wonder | June 24, 2019

Walking throughout Prague you will come across many green spaces; each area seems to have a different feel about it. There are many gardens with elaborate water fountains and more flowers than you can count. Roses are often seen throughout the city; this is partly because the rose is the national flower of the Czech Republic. In the country, the roses bloom all year round and are seen as a symbol of beauty. Parks are another type of green space that is found in the city often. No matter what time of day, you can see children and dogs playing in the parks.

As I walked across a bridge, I spotted one of the many city parks below. There was a little girl who was joyfully swinging on her own. She was the only kid in the park, and she could have easily chosen anything to play with in the park. There were rocking horses and slides, but the little girl insisted on staying at her swing. The swing was her only choice of park equipment all the way up until her father called her. It always amazes me on how quickly children can become attached to things. The swing seemed to be the little girl’s happy place, just how Prague has quickly made me fall in love with the town.

The Nocturnalist | June 24, 2019

The center of the New Town of Prague, Wenceslas Square, has seen many historical events since 1348. In 1848, the square was renamed to honor Saint Wenceslas, the patron saint of Bohemia. The proclamation of independence of Czechoslovakia was read in front of the Saint Wenceslas statue. During the second world war, the Nazis used the long street in the square for mass demonstrations. To protest the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union, a student, named Jan Palach, set himself on fire in the square. In 1989, during the Velvet Revolution, large demonstrations were held to combat communism. Today, the square is lined by hotels, retail stores, and restaurants.

During all parts of the day, Wenceslas square is buzzing with tourists. Most visit to look at the pretty architecture or the National Museum that sits at the end of the square. Only some people will be able to grasp the importance the square has in Prague; this one little spot has been filled with an unbelievable amount of history. It is not everyday that you can stand in a place and feel so connected to the people that came before you. Wenceslas Square is an important landmark that carries centuries of the Czech Republic’s history.

Noticed | June 23, 2019

Outdoor markets seem to be a big part of the Prague culture. The city has two permanent main outdoor shopping markets, and multiple weekly or semi-weekly farmers or flea markets throughout the city. While visiting the markets, it seems like most anything can be bought; the products range from fruits to flowers to jewelry. Many times, the local vendors are selling homemade goods or food and drinks. Due to the unique idea of homemade Czech goods, the markets attract many tourists. The outdoor markets are areas where locals and tourists can gather together to appreciate a part of Czech culture.

At one of the markets I visited, I came across a booth selling artwork of the Rapa Nui people; they are the aboriginal Polynesian inhabitants of Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean. The artwork were a collection of photos and drawings of the people from the Polynesian island. Some of the women pictured were dressed in their native outfits, while others were in day to day street clothes. When I first noticed the booth, I was pleasantly surprised in the change of focus from Czech goods. Even though I find the products from the Czech Republic to be amazing, I think it is a necessity to have diversity. The markets in Prague highly support their home culture, but there is also a nice touch of worldwide culture.

Not From These Parts | June 22, 2019

Multiple of my photos have been set on the famous Charles Bridge, which has become a necessary tourist stop when visiting Prague. As you walk along the bridge you can see Prague Castle. The castle has been a place of power for the kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman empire, and today, the president of the Czech Republic. In the castle complex lays St. Vitus Cathedral. The church’s stunning architecture and stained-glass windows is a main reason why the area is visited. Prague castle is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Prague, attracting over 1.8 million visitors per year. Across the river from the castle, one can walk to Old Town Square.

The square is the core of the historic town of Prague; all around, visitors can see colorful baroque buildings, Gothic churches, and the medieval astronomical clock. The clock puts on an hourly show with puppets and bells. During the climax of tourist season, the square is filled with people; the area gets to the point where it is difficult to move around and people can barely see the floor, due to the large number of feet that are passing by. I have only described just a few of the many attractions in the beautiful city of Prague. The city seems to have a little bit of something for everyone, no matter where they come from.

Around Here | June 21, 2019

Kutna Hora, a town that competed with Prague economically, culturally, and politically in the 13^th to 16^th centuries. The major importance of the town came from the establishment of silver mines. During our visit to the town, we took a tour of the oldest mine in Europe that is open to the public. Personally, the experience could have been better if I did not have a fear of small spaces and the dark, but I am glad I got to explore the mines and see how it would have been to work there. Due to the dangerous conditions of working in the mines, they prayed to a patron saint to keep them safe. Saint Barbara oversaw keeping the miners safe, and a Gothic cathedral was built in the town.

The Roman Catholic church is covered with stained glass windows and filled with altars. Medieval frescoes depicting the religious themes of the town were painted on the ceilings; gold accents were scattered around the church to highlight the many important people or structures. In contrast with the beautiful architecture of St. Barbara’s church, there is another famous church in the town; this church is filled with the bones of 40,000 people. The bones were constructed into different designs, even a large chandelier. Kutna Hora is a town that rivaled Prague in the medieval times, and it now is a town that offers one of a kind experience.  

Architecturally Speaking | June 20, 2019

Another walking tour of Prague was the topic of today; our interest during the tour was the modern architecture that is scattered throughout the city. The definition of modern was different than I first imagined. The architecture we spoke about and saw originated from the 20^th century. We saw multiple styles ranging from Art Nouveau to Cubism. Many of the buildings focused on other places in the world, because the style originated during the time if the Industrial Revolution; this was when trains were brought to Prague and could now take a passenger any where in the world. We spoke about how people from Prague were so keen to explore new places, but today it is the people from around the world that want to come visit Prague.

Europe is a condensed continent and Asia is not far away. The unique architecture of Prague is just one reason why tourists are attracted to the city. The capital of the Czech Republic is a city filled with history and a special culture. Tourism is a growing business and traveling to new places is now looked as a desired privilege. I am very grateful for the opportunity to study abroad in such a beautiful city where thousands of people come to visit each year.  

A Thousand Words | June 19, 2019

Only an hour away from Prague lays Terezín, a town turned into a concentration camp and Ghetto in June of 1940. More than 150,000 Jews were sent there; primarily, they were from Czechoslovakia, but there were others deported from Germany and Austria. The area was not considered an extermination camp, but still around 33,000 people died in the ghetto. Part of the town served as a large prison that held important political people; around 90,000 people went through the prison. The camp was liberated by the Soviet Army on May 9^th in 1945. Today, the town and the many monuments are used as a place of remembrance.

All throughout the town there are various museums displaying different aspects of the past concentration camp. At the beginning of the 2^nd world war, the deceased were buried, and their grave sites remain intact today; towards the end of the war, a crematorium was built, because the camp was getting overrun with death. Visitors can visit both the grave sites and the crematorium to pay respects to the deceased. A museum is dedicated to the Terezín Ghetto and the way of living there. One of the exhibitions included a sign with the numbers of Jews that were transported to Terezín from each country. It also displayed how many of the Jews were later transported from Terezín to another camp. The numbers were overwhelming and the exhibit really put into perspective how devastating just one of the concentration camps was to the Jewish population.

Weekend Miser | June 18, 2019

The Trade Fair Palace has been the home of the National Gallery in Prague since 1976. The building itself is a work of art; it is the jewel of Czech functionalist architecture. The palace was built in the 1920s, but it was not turned into a gallery until the 90s after it went under renovation, due to fire destruction. The moving exhibition that was available was titled 400 ASA: Photography. The work is a collection of 7 photographers focusing on human communities, especially groups that are at risk of being forgotten. All the photos are shot in black and white, which supports the artists’ focus on the way they view the world. The gallery’s permanent collections display a lot of work from various Czech artists. The works are dated from the birth of the independent Czechoslovak Republic all the way to modern day.

On one of the floors with numerous art pieces from the country, I came across a group of students that were sitting on the floor drawing. Some of the students were looking at the art pieces for inspiration, while it looked like others had their own pieces of art in mind. I did not hang around them too long, but I noticed each person in the group was drawing something different. Some were using colors, while some were in black and white; some had an abstract styling, while some were figurative art. It always amazes me how art can simultaneously inspire others while still telling someone’s personal story.