Prague Blog

On the 500 CZK banknote there is painted Czech authoress Bozena Nemcova. Her best known and widely read book is named Babicka, in English Grandmother, published in 1855. It is a book about her childhood and her happy memories of her kind and wise grandmother, describing country life in the Czech lands in the 19th century. Czech kids read this book in schools even today.

Her life is from the very beginning shrouded in mystery – we don’t even know when she was born! Not even the year!! On her tombstone it says 1820 but her school records say 1818 or even further 1817! And the mystery remaines about her parents. Nemcova was born before her lawful parents – laundress and coachman for the duchess of Racibor, Katerina Zakanska – were married. So she was an illegitimate child. Since Nemcova was so different in appearance from these parents and the fact that she was allowed special privileges at the castle and was tutored there, the question is whether she wasn’t the illegitimate child of the duchess herself.

That is however not so important about her. The important thing is that she was a writer which was in her times quite unusual – woman and a writer. Back then writers were just among men. Using today’s words we would call her a feminist. She was breaking the ice also by trying to earn her living with her writing skills only which was, again, very bizarre. On the top of it, she wrote in Czech in a time when German was the number one language. It was not because she couldn’t speak German as she was well educated. She wrote in Czech because she believed that Czech was a nice language and should not be lost in favor of German.

She was very strong woman who was not afraid to challenge social and political attitudes if her time. On the other side of the banknote there is most likely a Muse.

See also Czech crown

On the 200 CZK banknote there is Jan Amos Komensky, in English John Amos Comenius (1592-1670). Comenius was a Czech teacher, scientist, educator, writer and a protestant bishop. Because of his religion he was forced to leave Bohemia and therefore lived and worked in many different countries in Europe, and thus Comenius became known as the „Teacher of Nations“. He has been stamped the „Father of Modern Education“ since he came up with new ideas concerning teaching methods that we still use today.

Children in Comenius days were taught to repeat and memorize things which was, according to Comenius, of no use because repeating won’t get the students to think about the problem. Rather the subjects taught should have practical use and, where possible, demonstration and observation should be used. His motto was „learning through play“. He also believed that children should be never punished for failing but rather helped and encouraged. If Comenius’ ideas sound modern to you, it is because they were not applied for centuries.

He wrote many didactical books. To name some – The School of Infancy was a handbook for parents and educators, which was the first systematic pedagogic work in the world dealing with pre-school education. And the book Orbis Pictus, which means World in Pictures, was the first picture book for children used up to 19th century in the whole Europe.

One of many very interesting things about Comenius is that he was asked to become the first President of Harvard University. And a European Union school partnership program – Comenius – has been named after him.

On the other side of the banknote there are hands of a child and an adult, and written Orbis Pictus, commemorating the work of Comenius and that wisdom is passed from generation to generation.

The banknote is orange maybe because Comenius is buried in Naarden, Holland, and orange is Holland’s national colour.

See also main site about Czech currency (ceska koruna)

On the 100 CZK banknote there is Charles IV (1316-1378), Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia who is regarded by Czechs as „Father of the Country“. Prague as it looks now owes a lot to him.

As he was fond of Prague, art and architecture in Bohemia flourished in his time. Many building projects were started during Charles’ reign, including the St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague’s New Town, the Charles University, and of course the Charles Bridge. Without Charles IV there would be a totally different city.

Charles IV established Prague as the cultural capital of central Europe and made it one of the most prosperous European cities at the time. He loved Prague although he was raised mostly in France. His whole life he spent concentrating his energy on development of this city.

He was well educated and could speak fluently five languages – Latin, Czech, German, French and Italian! Interesting thing is – what most people don’t even know – that he was born in Prague as Wenceslas but later chose for his confirmation name Charles. He married four times in his life.

On the other side of the banknote there is Charles IV kneeling in front of the St. Wenceslas, the patron saint of the Czech nation – the man on the horse on the Wencelsas Square. The banknote is green.

See also Czech crown – the currency in the Czech Republic.

Starting with the banknote 50 CZK. Although a 50 coin is now taking over, the banknote is still widely available. There is portrayed St. Anezka Ceska, in English Agnes of Bohemia, who lived from 1211 to 1282. She is the patron saint of Bohemia and founder of convent and Franciscan hospital in Prague.

She was a princess, daughter of the Czech ruling family and therefore lived in prosperity and was to be married to some nobleman. It was of course arranged marriage for political reasons. Like other noble women of her time, Agnes was a valuable pawn in the marriage game.

Agnes, however, wanted to devote herself to God only. She was engaged four times (to name just one husband wannabe – Henry III of England), but she always managed to break off the engagement – last time with the help of Pope Gregory IX himself. Then she could finally devote her life to religious works, to those that were in need, ill or suffering. She spent 50 years in the cloister helping others. Her charity is glorified.

She was canonised in 1989 by John Paul II, just few days before the Velvet revolution.

The banknote is red as the big heart of St. Agnes, as well as ours.

See also article about Czech currency – koruna.

Let’s talk about money – it is always a juicy topic. But don’t worry I am not going to sing the famous song. I want to talk about the Czech currency – the Czech crown (koruna in Czech), abbreviated as Kč, internationally CZK.

When I travel abroad, every time I study the currency. It is interesting to see how it looks like in every country. And I always wonder why they put this or that on their banknotes. It has some meaning I am sure. You don’t have to brood over Czech money anymore for I am going to tell you who are the persons on the Czech banknotes and why they are there.

Although the Czech Republic is part of the European Union (since May 1st 2004), it is however not a member of the Euro Zone yet, and thus the Euro is not used here. For couple more years we can therefore use crowns and hellers (haler in Czech).

The great thing about Czech Republic currency is that the bigger the money, the more valuable it is. And this is valid both for coins as for banknotes. That’s why I got so confused in the US where dime is smaller but is worth more than 5 cents! This can’t happen to you in the Czech Republic! It is really easy.

1 crown consists of 100 hellers. Czech coins are 50 heller and 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 CZK. But I don’t want to talk about the little money. Let’s talk big.

Czech banknotes are 50 CZK, 100 CZK, 200 CZK, 500 CZK, 1 000 CZK, 2 000 CZK and 5 000 CZK. To find out about the details, continue reading.

History is, without any doubt, an important aspect of any nation and it’s self-awareness. And historical myths have even better impact because they are often better known than the facts. So let’s retell the two most popular Czech legends narrating how it all began. Once upon a time…

There were three brothers named Czech, Lech and Rus. One day, they decided to find for their tribes and themselves a new place to live, and so they all set out for a long journey across the Europe. After some days had passed, the brother Rus suddenly said. „This is the new home for me and my tribe!“ and so they stayed and founded Russia.

The two brothers and their tribes walked for many days, when they climbed up a hill that is now called Rip (Říp). There they had a wonderful view of the land that the forefather Czech called the „land of milk and honey“, and decided to settle here with his tribe.

To honour this great man, the people of his tribe started to call themselves Czechs. And they still do now. And brother Lech? He continued his journey with his people and settled in present-day Poland.

The Rip Hill is about 50 km north of Prague and you can see it from the Petrin tower at Petrin Hill. The Petrin tower, which is “Prague’s miniature Eiffel Tower”, is open from 10 a.m. till 8 p.m. and costs 30 CZK. You get to see not only Rip Hill but also the whole city and it’s surroundings. It’s worth it!

So I woke up this morning and gasped! I am still amazed now, you should see my face. There is snow out in the streets of Prague, and a decent amount of it!! Now, on January 24!! I have lost my hopes that it would snow in Prague this winter long time ago.

This winter so far has been unbelievably warm in the whole Czech Republic. Blame it on the global worming or warm winds, this is the second time it snowed in Prague, and that is rather rare! First time it snowed in Prague was early in November, long before St. Martin’s Day. As quickly as it appeared it also disappeared, all within one day.

St. Martin, who has his name day on November 11, is believed to cover the whole country with snow. Well, this winter it didn’t happen and it hasn’t snowed since!! Skiers and service providers in Czech mountains were desperate, since pretty much all December and January the temperatures were extremely high for winter. It was actually so warm that one temperature record fell after another.

That is why everyone is so surprised now with the snow fall. There were, of course, weather forecasts predicting snowfalls from last night on, but nobody probably expected that there would be so much snow in Prague.

It is a beautiful sight! Out of my window I see one beautifully white scene, and it is still heavily snowing. Children are stunned, tourists amazed. The beauty of Prague under snow when all historical buildings have snow caps on the roofs is something new to them. It looks like a fairy tail.

Not everyone is happy, though. Especially drivers and pedestrians are all mad. In the streets of Prague, snow quickly changes into slush. And that is not nice at all. Prague’s otherwise romantic cobblestones turn into the most dangerous thing ever. Streets are slippery. Your pants are all wet the moment some car goes by very fast. And so on.

So maybe the best thing to do right now is to find yourself a neat coffee place with a nice view of Prague, and watch the whole scenery from inside where it is warm and dry, with a hot grog in your hand. Just like that you can fully enjoy the beauty of white Prague.

I am talking here about the exhibition of Jan Saudek, famous Czech art photographer. His work as well as his personality is celebrated, adored, worshiped by some people and at the same time vilified, despised and cursed by others. There is nothing in between.

Why? Almost all of Saudek’s pictures involve nudity. And nudity is controversial for some. For Saudek and his fans, these are pictures about life, because nudity is part of everybody’s life. Sometimes funny, sometimes pathetic, sometimes a little rude, but that’s perhaps rather like the real thing.

People used as models for his nude photography are ordinary people, no models from magazines. Saudek is fascinated by the metamorphosis of human body over time, photographing children as well as women’s bodies – boyishly thin or voluptuously fat. It is the relationship between youth and old, beauty and ugliness, sincerity and falsehood, irony and cynicism that you can trace in his work.

His work is distinctive and original, not part of any genre or movement. And it is original, provocative adoration of manhood – to which anything human is not strange – that makes Saudek a unique character in contemporary photography.

Jan Saudek was born in 1935, in Prague. Many of his family died in concentration camp during World War II. He himself was held in a children’s concentration camp near Polish borders. This terrible experience as a child had a strong influence on him.

This exhibition, which includes 50 years of Saudek’s photo work, is unique by its range and the choice of works exhibited. It shows more than 150 pictures; either elephant size or published for the first time.

You can form your own attitude towards Jan Saudek after visiting his big retrospective exhibition at newly open Jan Saudek Gallery (this exhbition used to be on the Old Town Square, in the house called U Bileho jednorozce, in English The White Unicorn House). Open daily from 10 am to 8 pm.

Now it is the best time for Christmas shopping!! Believe me! Do you think I am crazy? I know that Christmas is long gone, and now in January it is not very typical to browse in stores to look for Christmas presents. However, it would be wise for you to celebrate Christmas one more time now in January since the prices are so convenient!!

Sales are everywhere now in Prague! The presents you bought for your loved ones just month ago are now being sold for half the price, sometimes even for less!! Isn’t it just unfair?! Maybe it would be worth trying to persuade your partner to celebrate Christmas few days after New Year’s Day, because that is when all the sales start.

Christmas sales are together with summer sales the biggest through out the year. It is more remarkable in Prague. And of course, the best reductions in prices take place here as well. Prague citizens love winter sales!

This year, winter sales are special because there has been so far no winter whatsoever. People just had no need to buy winter jackets or new sky. That is why businessmen want to get rid of their goods so much and the prices are so good now. So don’t waste your time anymore and buy yourself something for a good price!

Food is an important part of any national identity. And as you are in Prague admiring Czech monuments, learning about Czech history and meeting Czech people, why not to try Czech cuisine as well! It will be certainly more or less different from what you are used to from your mom’s cooking, but travelling is about experiencing new things! So why not to experience something that is pleasing your stomach? Eating is fun thing to do as it is!

So what is typical for Czech food? Probably the most noticeable thing is that lunch is the main meal of the day in the Czech Republic. That is also why in restaurants food can be found for better price during lunch time (cca. from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) where you can have lunch with drink for less then 100 CZK – this of course doesn’t apply to restaurants right in the centre of Prague. Lunch consists of soup, main dish and sweet dessert or salad. Supper can be cold or warm, and it is less substantial than lunch.

For Czechs, soup is a starter. Try chicken soup with noodles and vegetables, garlic soup with fried bread, potato soup with mushrooms or beef soup with liver dumplings, which is commonly served on Czech wedding feasts.

The main course usually consists of meat and a side dish. Most dishes are pork, or beef, mainly served with some kind of sauce. The most popular is chicken, but fresh-water fish (especially carp – traditionally served on Christmas Eve, and trout), or duck are common, too.

Potatoes are very popular as a side dish, served in various ways – boiled, roasted, mashed, fried, small potato balls called croquettes and so on. Dumplings are the most common side dish in traditional Czech cuisine. There are two types of dumplings – bread or potato dumplings made of either wheat or potato flour that is boiled as a roll of dough, then cut into slices.

There’s a sweet version of dumplings, called Ovocne knedliky in Czech, meaning fruits dumpling. They can be filled with strawberries, blueberries, apricots or plums served with chocolate or sweet cottage. And yes, it is a main dish!! Very delicious one! Especially kids love it!

To name some traditional Czech main dishes – Roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut; Fruit filled dumplings; Svickova – which is pork meat with dumplings and gravy, topped of with cranberry jam and cream; Chicken fried in breadcrumbs which is similar to a Wiener Schnitzel, usually served with boiled potatoes.

I would personally recommend you Smazeny syr (breadcrumbed cheese or fried cheese in English), which can be also recommended to carnivorous travellers, because it’s really tasty and filling. It is without any doubt the most famous meatless food in the Czech republic (fruit filled dumplings are number two). It is not only appetising but for a good price too.

And don’t forget to try some Czech dessert! One of the most popular Czech desserts is palacinka – a pancake – they are thin and come in several variations involving fruits, jams, cinnamon with sugar, chocolate sauce and others.

So, as Czechs say before any meal: „Dobrou chut!“ which can be translated as: „I wish you to enjoy your meal!“.

Read also about the traditional meals in the Czech Republic in Eat & Drink Section.