Page 142 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Prague

140  PR A GUE AREA B Y AREA

a Observation 18th century, when the
Tower Romanesque church was
Petřínská Rozhledna swallowed up by a large new
Baroque structure, featuring a
Petřín. Map 1 C4. Tel 257 320 112. cupola flanked by two onion-
v 6, 9, 12, 20, 22, then take funicular
railway. @ 143, 176, 191. Open 10am– domed towers. The small Calvary
10pm daily (Mar & Oct: to 8pm; Nov– Chapel, dating from 1735, is
Feb: to 6pm). & 7 - situated to the left of the church.
∑ petrinska-rozhledna.cz
f Štefánik’s
The most conspicuous landmark
in Petřín Park is an imitation of Observatory
the Eiffel Tower, built for the Štefánikova Hvězdárna
Jubilee Exhibition of 1891. Petřín 205. Map 2 D5. Tel 257 320 540.
The octagonally shaped tower v 6, 9, 12, 20, 22, then funicular
is only 60 m (200 ft), a quarter railway. @ 143, 176, 191. Open Tue–
the height of the Eiffel Tower, Sun; opening hours vary monthly,
but its top is higher above sea so phone ahead or check the
level. A spiral staircase of 299 The 100-year-old Observation Tower website. & ^ 7
steps leads up to the viewing overlooking the city ∑ observatory.cz
platform. A lift is also available.
On a clear day, you can see as When you have navigated your Since 1930, Prague’s amateur
far as Bohemia’s highest peak, way through the maze, your astronomers have been able
Sněžka in the Krkonoše (Giant) reward is to view the vivid to enjoy the facilities of this
Mountains, 150 km (100 miles) diorama of The Defence of Prague observatory on Petřín Hill.
to the northeast. against the Swedes, which took You can use its telescopes to
place on Charles Bridge (see view the craters of the moon
p138) in 1648, badly damaging or unfamiliar distant galaxies.
s Mirror Maze the Old Town Bridge Tower. There is an exhibition of old
Zrcadlové Bludiště astronomical instruments,
Petřín. Map 1 C4. Tel 725 831 634. d Church of and various special events
v 6, 9, 12, 20, 22, then take funicular St Lawrence for kids are held on Saturdays
railway. @ 143, 176, 191. Open 10am– and Sundays.
10pm daily (Mar, Oct: to 8pm; Nov– Kostel Sv. Vavřince
Feb: to 6pm). & ^ 7 Petřín. Map 1 C5. Tel 224 497 707. v g Hunger Wall
∑ petrinska-rozhledna.cz 6, 9, 12, 20, 22, then funicular railway.
@ 143, 176, 191. Open for concerts Hladová Zeď
With its distorting mirrors, the (mainly Prague Spring, see p52). 7 Újezd, Petřín, Strahovská.
maze is a relic of the Exhibition Map 2 D5. v 6, 9, 12, 20, 22, then
of 1891, like the Observation According to legend, the church funicular railway. @ 143, 176, 191.
Tower. It is in a wooden pavilion was founded in the 10th century
in the shape of the old Špička by the pious Prince Boleslav II The great fortifications built
Gate, part of the Gothic fortific- and St Adalbert on the site of around the southern edge of
ations of Vyšehrad (see pp180– a pagan shrine. The ceiling of the Little Quarter on the orders
81). This amusement house the sacristy is decorated with a of Charles IV in 1360–62 have
moved to Petřín at the end painting illustrating this legend. been known for centuries as
of the exhibition. The painting dates from the the Hunger Wall. Nearly 1,200 m
(1,300 yards) of the wall survive,
complete with crenellated
battlements and a platform
for marksmen on its inner
side. It runs from Újezd across
Petřín Park to Strahov. The story
behind the name is that Charles
commissioned its construction
with the aim of providing
employment to the poor
during a period of famine.
It is true that a great famine
did break out in Bohemia in
the 1360s, and the two events,
the people’s hunger and the
building of the wall, became
Diorama of The Defence of Prague against the Swedes in the Mirror Maze permanently associated.

140-141_EW_Prague.indd 140 20/03/17 11:29 am
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2)
Date 14th November 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm