It's interesting too, because they obviously turn the lights off during the night, so the only illumination you have is the regular lighting along the sides of the bridge. Here are a selection of shots that I took.
After refreshing myself, I decided to head up to Petrin Tower, which has views over both the castle, and the city; I had left this for today in the (vain as it turns out) hope that the haze might burn off and give a better view, however, I was to be thwarted - even though looking out of the window I could see blue sky, there is a definite misty grey haze that has settled over the city, and it has a smoggy-smell to it. I will have to dream of the views on a clear, blue sunny day (or perhaps come back again sometime - in Summer).
The walk to Petrin, which is on the castle side of the river, meant heading back through the Old Town, and back over the Charles Bridge (again - at least it is a pedestrian bridge); so, here are a few daytime shots (just because I can):
In 1988, the wall was a source of irritation for the communist regime of Gustáv Husák. Young Czechs would write grievances on the wall and in a report of the time this led to a clash between hundreds of students and security police on the nearby Charles Bridge. The movement these students followed was described ironically as "Lennonism" (originally the wall had a portrait of John Lennon, and Beatles-inspired writings) and Czech authorities described these people variously as alcoholics, mentally deranged, sociopathic, and agents of Western capitalism.
The wall continuously undergoes change and the original portrait of Lennon is long lost under layers of new paint. Even when the wall was repainted by some authorities, on the second day it was again full of poems and flowers. Today, the wall represents a symbol of youth ideals such as love and peace.
The wall is owned by the Knights of Malta, who allowed the graffiti to continue on the wall.
It would seem that most of the original ideals and values are well and truly lost, with the wall now representing more of a canvas for anybody to write anything meaningless that comes into their heads - kind of like Facebook really!
However, I was there, so here are a few photos for the record:
Just along from the wall is one of those fast-appearing love-lock bridges. The tradition goes that you carve the name of you and your love into the lock, lock it onto the bridge, and throw the key into the water, declaring your undying love. It's arguable where this trend began, but love locks have been around in Europe for a long, long time.
The lock that amused me the most was one with a combination-lock dial - no key to throw away, and if things go wrong, you can get the lock off pretty easily!
Petřín (327 m) is a hill which rises above the left bank of the Vltava River. The hill, almost entirely covered with parks, is a favourite recreational area for the inhabitants of Prague. The hill features prominently in Franz Kafka's early short story "Description of a Struggle".
The summit of the hill is linked to Prague's Malá Strana district by the Petřín funicular, which first operated in 1891. I, of course, was going to walk up the hill, which gave a nice opportunity to enjoy the park, which is starting to come into its spring bloom.
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Built in 1891 and originally used as an observation tower as well as a transmission tower, the tower is 63.5 metres high. There is an elevator inside if required, or it's 299 steps to the top (and back down again), where you are rewarded with panoramic views across the whole city, as well as the castle - even on a hazy day, it was definitely worth the climb.
Clearly, the point of climbing up the hill and the tower is for the views, so here is a selection from today:
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Then I found the plaque, which explains that it is the Memorial to the Victims of Communism (1948 - 1989) and reads: "The memorial to the victims of communism is dedicated to all victims not only those who were jailed or executed but also those whose lives were ruined by totalitarian despotism."
Unveiled on the 22 May 2002, twelve years after the fall of communism, it shows seven bronze figures descending a flight of stairs. The statues appear more "decayed" the further away they are from you - losing limbs and their bodies breaking open. It symbolises how political prisoners were affected by Communism.
There is also a bronze strip that runs along the centre of the memorial, showing estimated numbers of those impacted by communism:
- 205,486 arrested
- 170,938 forced into exile
- 4,500 died in prison
- 327 shot trying to escape
- 248 executed
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Built from 1992 to 1996 this building reminded people of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing, and so it came to be known as the "Dancing Building"; with its sweeping and graceful lines, it is really quite attractive, and stands out amongst the otherwise fairly rectangular Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings of the area; hence why it was a matter of quite some controversy amongst locals for quite some time. Personally, I like it.
If you're wondering which part of the building is Ginger - she's the one doing all of the same steps as Fred, but in high heels and backwards!
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It's "Man Hanging Out" by David Cerny (he has a lot of works around town - including the infamous "Two Men Pissing" from yesterday), and is of Sigmund Freud, pondering whether to hold on or let go, signifying his constant struggle with fear of death.
So when travelling, or in a new place, always be on the lookout for the unexpected!