How to taste thirty-two beers in an evening or a birthday in Prague (continued)
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Queen Anne's Summer Palace was conceived by Ferdinand I as a gift to his beloved wife. But Anna did not live to see the end of construction. And Ferdinand himself did not live there (he moved to Vienna). This is such a sad and romantic story. During the time of Rudolf II, the imperial gallery was located on the first floor of the palace, and the observatory was located on the second floor, where Kepler and Brahe were engaged in astronomical observations together with Rudolf. After the death of Rudolf, the palace was empty, and later it was plundered by the Swedes. In the 18th century the Belvedere became an artillery laboratory. And only in the middle of the 19th century the palace was reconstructed, the second floor was painted with frescoes and turned into an art gallery. What he is to this day.
View of the Prague Castle from the Belvedere Arcade.
While admiring the views of Prague Castle, tents with beer barrels were seen below.
The male half, already exhausted by historical and romantic information, eagerly looked at them. I had to urgently google for getting on this holiday of life : ) (everything was fenced and no one was allowed through, although people crowded with interest at the entrance). It turned out that this will be a beer festival from the best Czech mini-breweries, but the entrance is very limited - only 1200 tickets, which have long been sold out. The male half of grief "sobbed", but the rescue had time in time. Today on the Naplavka embankment, the beer festival "Beer on Naplavka" also begins. Free admission. Hooray…. We are looking on the map where this treasured embankment is located. As it turned out, it is near Visegrad. It was decided (only very, very quickly) to see Vysehrad, and with a sense of accomplishment as a tourist to the festival.
Vyš ehrad is a fortress and historical district of Prague.
The fortress was built in the 10th century and is considered one of the first centers of the Czech state. According to legend, Princess Libuš e predicted the flourishing and world fame of Prague at this place. Vysehrad received active construction and development under the ruler Vratislav II, under him the construction of the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul, the rotunda of St. Martin was started, and Czech coins were minted. By the end of the 11th century, construction was over. And gradually Visegrad began to lose its importance as the center of the state (the rulers moved to Prague Castle).
Charles IV (already in the 14th century) tried to revive the former greatness. It was at that time from Vysehrad
The coronation procession of Czech kings began. In the future, the value of Visegrad is reduced to a military fortress. And during the Hussite wars, it was significantly destroyed and deserted. In the 17th century it was again rebuilt as a Baroque fortress with strong walls.
After the fortress was closed (in the second half of the 19th century), the old Vysograd cemetery was turned into a burial place for prominent figures of the Czech Republic.
The Leopold Gate, part of the fortifications of the 17th century
St. Martin's Rotunda is the oldest example of Romanesque architecture in Prague. Built in the second half of the 11th century.
Visegrad Park. Statue of Př emysl and Libuse
Church of St. Peter and Paul
During its existence, the church has undergone many reconstructions, and today it acquired its neo-Gothic appearance in the second half of the 19th century. Entrance to the church is paid 50 crowns (very much for lovers).
But, for example, I liked the doors : )
And the park itself is a pleasant place for walking and admiring the magnificent panorama of the city. A lot of locals just walk or lie on mats on the grass.
And now to the festival!
As it turned out, the cunning pitfalls of the festival sea are also present here: beer is not poured into plastic glasses ; ( You need to buy a beer glass from the organizers + an advertisement with the brewers represented at the festival (the result of studying it turned out to be very useful and valuable later: it is written in which places in Prague you can try the beer of this or that brewer) + “papers” (which were given to the manufacturer you liked the most for the audience award) (Cost 100 krn)
A glass was brought home : ))
Not as grandiose as at Oktoberfest, rather cozy and homely
And if someone is hungry, then there is something to eat - local sausages, kebabs, pizza, etc. If you don't want to buy - eat your own - it's not forbidden.
Locals come with their own glasses (and often not as small as we are).
We ended the tasting with this beer with the unusual and intriguing name "La Cocaina": ))
Fourth day - summer cottage
On Saturdays we always go to the dacha. Without departing from tradition, we decided to visit the "cottage" of Count Sternberg.
Troja Castle - the country residence of the Sternbergs
The palace was built at the end of the 17th century by order of Count Vaclav Sternberg in the Baroque style by the French architect J. B. Mate. Classical Roman palazzo served as a role model for the architect.
In those days, there was no modern entrance, and the only road to the castle went through the central alley of the French park and rested on a monumental staircase decorated with statues of ancient gods and titans.
It is said that in those days, the knowledge of ordinary Prague residents about antiquity was limited to stories about the Trojan War, and looking at this staircase, they began to call the new palace Troy. That's the name stuck : )
The most monumental Imperial Hall, frescoed on the theme of Habsburg Glory< /p>
The count wanted to "curry favor" with his emperor Leopold I of Habsburg and ordered to paint the hall with frescoes glorifying the victory over the Ottomans in the Battle of Vienna (1683). By the way, Leopold I himself did not participate in this battle.
And the Dutch masters, the Godin brothers, painted it for 6 years.
No less interesting, I personally liked it even more, Chinese halls (the authors of the paintings are unknown)
Chinese halls
Scenic views of the miniature "Czech Versailles"
To create a pleasant atmosphere for the guests of the castle, Count Sternberg invited master winemakers to the estate, and a vineyard and a winery were founded on the hillside behind the castle.
Entrance to the castle is paid (120 crowns), and the gardens can be visited freely.
I will add from myself: opposite the entrance to the castle is the Prague Zoo. And if you want to visit it (the castle), then focus on the zoo.
From the Vltavska metro station, there is a city bus number 112 - go to the final one.
Even on this day, we had planned shopping. There is not much to tell here, well, a shopping center, like everywhere else. We went to the final metro line B - Cerny most (the shopping center is called the Black Bridge) If anyone is interested, it is convenient to get there and walk from the metro station up to 5 minutes. I won’t tell you the prices, since they didn’t go to the shops in the center. Yes, and sales begin only in July. Shopping is a very personal matter.
Day five - "and on the horse"
On the last day, we finally decided to visit the paid attractions of Prague Castle, which had already been postponed twice. We bought the most complete ticket (350 kroons) - it included a visit to: the paid part of St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica, Golden Lane, Daliborka Tower, the exhibition "History of Prague Castle", Powder Tower, Rož mberg Palace.
The ticket is valid for two days.
I was afraid that we wouldn't have time to see everything in a day. Everyone did quite well. But…. Some moments are a complete disappointment.
So in order. If you go on your own (without an organized tour), I advise you to use an audio guide or have good homework (there is enough information on the Internet).
Saint Vitus Cathedral is impressive even without visiting the paid part.
Stained glass by Alphonse Mucha.
Tomb of St. Vitus
Wooden panel "Escape of King Frederick of Palatinate from Prague". Its main value is that it depicts Prague in the early 17th century in great detail.
The sarcophagus of John of Nepomuk - "richly" made of two tons of silver, in some places covered with platinum and gold (18th century)
Vladislav Chapel - at the level of the second floor, it is connected by a covered corridor with the Old Royal Palace.
And the biggest disappointment is that they are not allowed into the St. Wenceslas Chapel (the most valuable and beautiful) (closed : (( - pass by. There are many tourists, but there are only frescoes of the 14th century.
The Old Royal Palace - Vladislav Hall impressed me the most.
We went along the entire available route. They are not allowed into the Chapel of All Saints, but they were not particularly upset. In general, I liked it.
Exposition "History of Prague Castle" - fifty-fifty, for an amateur. Some of it was interesting, some of it was just a glance.
St. George's Basilica is the oldest church on the territory of Prague Castle.
I liked the interior in the Romanesque style.
Unusual
If you're interested in architecture, it's worth a visit.
Golden Lane
Not ah - a hyped tourist place. Household items and utensils are collected in the middle of the houses. And on the second floor there is an exposition of armor and weapons.
"Remake" for Chinese tourists, I saw (in museums of course : ), what real armor of the 11th - 13th centuries looks like
The weapons department is more interesting.
Dalibork tower.
It used to be a prison for the nobility and nobles. Now the exposition of medieval instruments of torture can be said to be poor. If anyone happens to visit Salzburg (Austria) in the Hohensalzburg castle - a terrible exposition, or at worst in Dubna Castle (Ukraine) - also nothing.
In the Powder Tower of Mihulka (not to be confused with the Powder Gate of Prasna brana), only the exposition "From the prince's squad to the presidential palace guard" is open - I was not interested. Much more interesting is the story of Mihulka herself.
Here it is Mihulka - a round tower.
Rož mberg Palace
In the place of the modern palace in the second half of the 16th century, there was a pompous palace of the noble Czech Rož mberk family. Later, however, Emperor Rudolf II decided to rebuild the Old Royal Palace and enlarge it at the expense of the Rož mberk Palace. The then owner of the palace, Piotr Wok from Rozmberk, could not refuse the monarch and agreed to exchange it for the current Schwarzenberg Palace.
At the end of the 18th century, the Institute for Noble Maidens was opened in the Rož mberg Palace to educate girls from impoverished noble families.
The palace was rebuilt and acquired its current appearance.
I do not recommend going, what is now available for visiting (about five rooms) is completely uninteresting. The only hall (pictured) is worthy of attention. It is better to spend this time walking around the "Gardens on the Ramparts", which we did. Entrance to the gardens is free.
Khartigov Garden. It is not possible to go down into it (everything is blocked only to admire from above)
Garden of Eden
After admiring the gardens, we decided to go down to the metro station (Malostranska) through Svatovacslav vineyards
Wine from these vineyards can be tasted on the summer terrace (pictured left) of the Villa Richter restaurant.
A difficult choice between wine tasting and beer tasting was made in favor of 32 beers. And we went to the beer bar "Beergeek" (Vinohradska 62). And in the park opposite, the Church of the Sacred Heart of the Lord was discovered.
Built in the 30s of the last century by the architect J. Plechnik
And finally the beer.....
32 beer taps : )
A frank confession - we couldn't master all 32 varieties in an evening. Only 16 cells of 0.3 (they don’t pour less) for two : )))). BUT we VERY tried : )))
I hope that my story will be useful to someone in his journey through beautiful Prague.
Ps. I want to express my special gratitude to "Yolka" (Alena from Kyiv) from the forum "Together around the world" for her useful tips on Prague and beer.
Expenses turned out in four and a half days for two:
Tickets to museums 50 E
Transport tickets 35 E
Drank and ate 180 E
Hotel 205 E
