The Imperial Cities Day 9

Tuesday, March 19th, 2024

This morning we said goodbye to Prague and headed to Berlin!

On our way out of town we saw the Operation Anthropoid Memorial. This memorial was installed on the actual site of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich that occurred on May 27th, 1942 at 10:35 AM. Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated by the Czech resistance. He was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. He was in charge of Hitler’s “Final Solution” (Holocaust) of the Jews in Europe.

For a short time we followed along the Elbe River. We were in the Central Bohemian Highlands and the mountains in the background were of volcanic origin. The motorway we were driving on was very controversial when it was being built. This was because these Highlands were protected and the motorway cut through it but of course it was built and finished in 2016.

After we crossed the border into Germany we had a bus tour through Dresden.

Our tour director, Karolina, did an excellent job pointing out the highlights of Dresden and we enjoyed seeing the city that was almost entirely destroyed during WWII!

We also saw individual gardens like our community gardens. They had their own plot and a small building or shed.

Around Dresden and in Berlin we saw above-ground pipes. These pipes were used to drain ground water from building sites and then emptied into the rivers.

As we arrived into Berlin we crossed its main river, Spree.

The Treptower Park was the second largest public park in Berlin. It’s size was over 200 acres!

The Red Town Hall was the seat of the Governing Mayor and the Berlin Senate. The building got its name from being made of bright red bricks and was built in the mid 19th century.

When we arrived at our hotel we met our step-on guide who took us around Berlin. Our hotel is very near the iconic landmark, the Berlin TV Tower, which began operation in 1969. Its location was once in East Germany. It also was the tallest building in Germany.

St. Mary’s Church (before 13th century) was located next door to the TV Tower.

The statue to Martin Luther was dedicated in September of 1884. He was a key figure in the Protestant Reformation. This monument was located in front of St. Mary’s Church.

As we walked and also rode around Berlin we saw remnants of the Berlin Wall. The wall separated East and West Berlin from 1961-1989. It was 7 1/2 miles long and was up to 15 feet high. Double rows of cobblestones marked where the wall once stood around the city.

At the Berlin Wall Memorial (or Gedenkstätte Berliner) we saw the open air exhibits which included a portion of the Berlin Wall and an exhibition on the division of the city. Neighbors across the street from each other were separated by the wall over night.

The iron poles marked the wall’s location that divided East and West Berlin. Sections of the Berlin Wall were still erect.

**These iron poles mark the route of the wall.**

We also saw part of the wall that became the East Side open-air art gallery on the banks of the Spree River.

The Reconciliation Chapel replaced the Community Church that was dynamited by the Communists in 1985. The Community church was walled into the “Death Strip”. The “Death Strip” was the space between the concrete wall and another fence. Neither East nor West Berlin people could attend the church. It became an embarrassment to the Communist government.

The Reconciliation Chapel was erected as a spiritual place and was dedicated to the victims who lost their lives at the Berlin Wall.

The Reconciliation Sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos was also placed here.

The bells of the original Protestant Church were salvaged and were housed in a wooden structure.

This was another memorial to those who died attempting to cross from Communist Germany to the freedom of the West.

The Brandenburg Gate was one of the most visited landmarks. From 1961-1989 when East and West Berlin were divided the gate was closed. It reopened during the reunification of East and West Berlin and became a symbol of the division and reunification of Germany.

The Brandenburg Gate was designed to be a symbol of peace and it was based on the Greek Propylaea at the Acropolis in Athens. It was built between 1789-1791 and it had 12 Doric columns, six on each side, which created entrances into Berlin. The gate was the only one of 18 gates that were entrances to Berlin that remained.

The Quadriga sculpture on top of the Brandenburg Gate

The quadriga on the top of the Brandenburg Gate was with the Goddess of Peace and she was driving a four horse chariot. In 1814 when it was returned from when Napoleon and taken the quadriga she was renamed the Goddess of Victory.

The Stelenfeld Memorial was located in the middle of Berlin. This memorial was to the murdered Jews of Europe. It opened in 2005. It was made up of 2,711 Stele (concrete slabs) of various heights and placed on a slight slope. It created a wave-like effect. This memorial was a place of contemplation and remembrance!

Another stop was Checkpoint Charlie. It was a reminder of the border crossing between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. There were three different checkpoints and the names were based on NATO’s phonetic alphabet. One was Alpha, two was Bravo, and three was Charlie.

The checkpoint booth was removed in June, 1990 and can be found in Berlin’s Allied Museum. This replica was based on the original site. Checkpoint Charlie became famous because of a combat-ready tank standoff between the Soviets and the Americans.

Photo Credit: Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie 1961, M48 “Patton” tanks facing Soviet T-54 tanks. Public Domain, Source: http://www.army.mil/article/46993/standoff-in-berlin-october-1961/. (Modified in GIMP)

The Topography of Terror was an area where the headquarters of the Gestabo, high command, and the security service of the SS was located from 1933-1945. It was terror because of the torture and beatings of prisoners that the Nazis carried out. The buildings were mostly destroyed during WWII and what was left was then demolished. It opened as an open air exhibit in 2010.

Some of the Berlin Wall was still standing at the Topography of Terror site.

We passed the statue of Otto von Bismarck that was erected in 1901. He was the first Chancellor of the German Empire from 1871-1890.

The Victory Column took eight years to make and was erected in 1873. Victoria, Goddess of Victory adorns the top of the column. This Victory column was to commemorate Germany’s victories over Denmark, Austria, and France between 1864 and 1871.

If you climbed the steps to the lookout observatory, you would see the Bellevue Palace. It was originally built 1786 to be the private residence of Frederick the Great’s youngest brother Prince Ferdinand of Prussia. It was reconstructed in 1959 and was the official residence of the President of Germany.

The statue of Albrecht von Roon was erected in 1904. Albrecht von Roon was a Prussian soldier and statesman. He was important because in the 1860s he had a key role in the wars that led to the German unification under Prussia’s leadership.

The Reichstag was the Assembly hall for Parliament. Its construction was completed in 1894. In 1933 shortly after Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor, the Reichstag was burned. It was almost completely destroyed in WWII. It was eventually reconstructed and the German lower house of Parliament moved into the Reichstag in 1999.

A memorial to the murdered members of the Reichstag was located in front of the building. Each slab was engraved with the name, political party, birth and death dates of each of the 96 members of Parliament that were expelled for their political or religious beliefs after the Nazis came into power in 1933.

There were several memorials to the Soviet soldiers who lost their lives during the battle of Berlin. This memorial was erected in 1945 by the Soviet Union at Tiergarten.

We also saw the memorial to the homosexuals persecuted by the Nazis. This concrete memorial has a small window where a visitor can look through and see a short movie of two men kissing.

Memorial to the Homosexuals persecuted by Nazism.

The trabant car was produced from 1957-1991 by a former East German manufacturer. The cars were made of plastic that was reinforced with recycled cotton waste. This came from the former Soviet Union. Now these cars were used by a tour company giving guided tours of Berlin.

We checked into our hotel room that was on the 32nd floor. We had a wonderful view of Berlin.

For dinner we walked from our hotel to the Hofbräu Berlin. It was a delicious German meal.

After eating we walked back to our hotel and stopped in the hotel bar for a drink.

It was another great day. We look forward to another day exploring in and around Berlin.

The Imperial Cities Day 8

Monday, March 18th, 2024

While in Prague we stayed at the Hermitage Hotel. It was a former printing house that was originally built in 1907. They had pictures that hung around the lobby that were from the printing company. We’ve included a couple of the pictures. The pictures were very informative and reflected the early 1900s and how printing was processed!

We had about an hour on the bus and we passed the bust of Vitězslav Hálek (1835-1874) a Czech poet, writer, journalist, dramatist, and theater critic. It sat in front of the New Town Hall which was built in the 14th century and over the years had been updated.

We passed by the Jirásek Bridge that went over the Vitava river. This bridge was the sixth bridge to be built over the river. Construction began in 1929 and finished in 1933. It was named after a famous Czech writer Alois Jirásek.

Another interesting sight Dětský Ostrov (Children’s Island). It was also along the Vitava River and was dedicated to children after WWII. It offered sports facilities for everyone and had a children’s playground. You get to the island by crossing the arched bridge shown in the picture.

Our first stop today was the Rückl glass factory in the town of Nižbor. Nižbor was a town of 2200 residents and was located west of Prague. The town was located along the Berounka river.

The Rückl Crystal Glass factory began in 1846 and produced traditional hand-cut Czech crystal. The factory in Nizbor was built in 1903.

Our tour included an informative, step-by-step explanation of the glass process. In some of the areas we couldn’t take pictures because they were working on a special order for a customer.

From the Rückl Glass factory we could see the Nižbor Castle. The castle was originally from the 13th century. After 1600 it was rebuilt into a chateau and was currently used by the Celtic Information Center.

After the glass factory we left for Pilsner. The Pilsner Gate from 1892 was the entrance to the Pilsner brewery.

It was time for lunch and there was a restaurant on the brewery property. Our lunch was provided!

Our tour of the brewery was informative. Our guide gave us the history of Pilsner. As we walked around the facility and its various buildings he gave us the process and ingredients used in their beer.

The bottling facility bottled up to 120,000 bottles per hour!

At the end of the tour we tasted unfiltered Pilsner Urquell right from the lagering kegs in the lagering cellars!

Tonight we had our group farewell dinner because four of our travelers were heading home the next day and not doing the trip extension. We had a great meal and fun together before we said our goodbyes!

Tomorrow we leave Prague and head to Berlin. Prague was such a beautiful city that we would love to visit again and stay longer.

The Imperial Cities Day 7

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Vienna would soon be in our rear view window as we left for Prague, Czech Republic.

Crossing the border from Austria into the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic had several wine regions. We past by one of the areas.

We arrived in Prague around noon and we saw some of the area.

Our bus driver dropped up off by the Prague Castle district. There were government buildings, churches, museums, and gardens. It was the largest castle complex in the world, over 17 acres. It was busy as we toured the area.

**Walking into the Prague Castle District!**

As we entered the Prague Castle complex we saw the guards that were there to protect the buildings belonging to the Presidential office

St. Vitus Cathedral’s construction began in the 14th century but it wasn’t finished for 600 years!

Obelisk by St. Vitus. It was a WWI memorial made of granite.

Various views of the cathedral.

On the south side of the cathedral was the historical Golden Gate from the 14th century. Below this was a mosaic of the Last Judgment. The mosaic was made from 1 million pieces of glass and marble.

Golden Gate on the left. Mosaic of the Last Judgment on the right.

The inside of the cathedral had many stained glass windows as well as a beautiful rose window.

In the aisle was a silver cast sculpture of Saint Vojtěch and fellow saints.

A two-ton silver sculpture on top of St. John of Napomuk’s coffin was beautiful.

St. Wenceslas Chapel was restricted for visitors. You could look through the open doors to see the inside.

St. Wenceslas Chapel also had the entrance to the crown jewels. The jewels would only be shown for special occasions. The door that lead to where the jewels were kept required 7 keys that different public figures held and to open the door and safe all the key holders had to be present at the same time. The Czech president, the Prime Minister, and the Archbishop were three of the key holders!

Inside the cathedral was a carved 3-d wooden map of Prague and dated at 1620.

The Old Royal Palace was our next stop. It was built during the 12th century. It used to be the royal residence. We walked through the Vradislav Hall that was used for jousting matches, banquets, coronation festivities, and other royal activities. When we left this hall we walked down the wide “Rider’s Staircase” used to leave the room.

The Ludwig Wing was the where the Second Defenestration of Prague occurred in 1618. Because of another religious rebellion that saw the closure of Protestant chapels in Bohemia by the Catholic Emperor Ferdinand II of the Habsurgs, two government officials and their secretary were tossed out the window! They all survived but this incident was credited with starting the Thirty Years’ War!

Room where the Thirty Years’ War started

A replica of the crown jewels can be seen in the Old Royal Palace.

The Diet Hall in the Old Royal Palace was where the government conducted business.

The St. Georges Basilica’s ceiling was made of wood and the rest of limestone blocks.

Below was Queen Anne’s Summer Palace. King Ferdinand I of Habsburg family, built the villa below for Queen Anne. She died before it was finished. She had given birth to her 15th child and she didn’t survive.

Queen Anne’s Summer Palace at the Prague Castle.

The “Golden Lane” consisted of sixteen rows of small houses that were built into the fortifying wall of the Prague Castle.

These small houses were once inhabited by goldsmiths and castle guard members. The homes were preserved and we visited the homes. Franz Kafka’s former home where we did writing was number 22.

Number 14 was the home to internationally famous tarot-card reader, Matylda Průšová (Madame de Thebes). She was arrested and died while in prison for predicting the end of the Nazi regime.

From the South Gardens we had wonderful views of Prague. It was located between the Prague castle buildings and the castle wall.

We stopped at the Ippa Cafe for a drink, snack, and restroom break before heading down the 100 steps from the Prague Palace grounds.

Delicious Hot chocolate served with cream!

We walked from the Castle hill and over to the Charles Bridge. It was 100 steps down from the hill.

We walked to the famous Charles Bridge and then walked across. The bridge construction began in 1357. It was a medieval bridge that was built of sandstone blocks. We began walking under the Lesser Town bridge Towers and crossed the other end at the Old Town Bridge Tower. We also saw figures on the bridge.

A view of one of the Vitava river tributaries.

The bridge was very crowded!

We also took pictures as we crossed the Vitava River, the longest river in the Czech Republic.

Karolina, our tour director lives in Prague so she knew the shortcuts. We avoided the crowds on the main street and cut through the Klementinum library. The library was built in 1722 and housed the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Our shortcut through the Klementinum Library

We ended up at the main square of Prague by the astronomical clock tower and the Old Town Square.

The Astronomical Clock on the left and the Old Town Square in the background.

After our introduction to the area, we had free time to visit the Easter markets in the Old Town Square and also watched the astronomical clock come to life on the hour! We actually watched it two different times!

The Astronomical clock was over 600 years old! On the hour the bells chimed and then four characters came to life. One represented vanity and stared into a mirror, the second represented greed and was holding a purse full of money, a skeleton represented death and rang his bell, and the fourth was a musical Turk that shook his head in denial to the skeleton. Twelve apostles rotated through the doors above the clock face. All of this lasted less than a minute.

We enjoyed walking around the Old Town Square and the Easter Markets! Many people enjoyed the decorated eggs, crafts, food, drinks, and entertainment!

At one of the booths a woman was selling her decorated eggs and also had a display of the process!

Chimney cakes were a popular food that was being sold here and in Budapest! They were a sweet yeast dough that was rolled into a long rope, baked around a cylinder, coated in melted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

On the Old Town Square (also called the Marianske Square) we saw the Prague New City Hall (1908-1911) and since 1945 held the offices of local officials and the formal residences for the mayor and other city officials.

The Marian Column was a religious monument topped with a statue of Virgin Mary. The original column from 1650 was demolished in 1918 with the fall of Austria-Hungary. It was reconstructed and completed in 2020.