Google Street View for the Czech Republic went live earlier this month.  Prague and some nearby cities such as Mělník and Poděbrady are included, in addition to the D1 freeway to Brno.  However, it looks like Brno is not yet available.  I have linked to the original Google announcement and show the coverage map and some selected street views. You can scroll around on the embedded street views or click for a larger version.

There were other updates to Google maps this month that affected the Czech Republic.  There were changes to the look and feel of the maps that improved the readability of such items as street names and roads.  The latest update added more businesses to the map with an icon to get  detailed information.  It looks like this data covers the country.

Evolving the look of Google Maps

More, more, more real estate in Google Maps

Google Street View announcement on the Google LatLong Blog
A gold medal-worthy Street View update

Google Street View Coverage Map of the Czech Republic (highlighted in blue)





Municiapl House (Obecní dům) in Prague



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The Čertovka and Charles Bridge (Karlův most) in Prague


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View of the road to Mělník and the Mělník Castle


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This month there were two anniversaries to celebrate train rides to freedom.  On September 4, a train from Prague arrived in London to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the “Winton Trains”, which carried 669 mostly Jewish Czechoslovak children to safety in the United Kingdom and Sweden in the months preceding World War II.

One last trip for Winton Train (Prague Post)
Czech evacuees thank their saviour (BBC News)

Today, September 30, marked the 20th anniversary of the announcement that enabled thousands of East Germans who were staying in a makeshift camp at the West German Embassy in Prague to leave for the West.

Freedom Train recalls East Germans flight to West via Prague (ČTK)
September 30 marks 20th anniversary of dramatic announcement that East German refugees in Prague could emigrate to West (Radio.cz)

The Prague main train station (hlavní nádraží) is finally starting to look like a train station. A nice one I mean. One that a city like Prague deserves. A clean one. Bright and airy. Organized. With ways for passengers with strollers, bikes and heavy luggage to get to their platforms without having to drag their strollers, bikes and luggage up stairs and non-working escalators. With wide hallways and civilized looking public toilets (still paid, but oh well…). The repulsive, dreary, smelly basement luggage locker area is gone! It magically disappeared into thin air and was replaced by an open, modern ticket window and information center that doesn’t smell of urine. Boutiques, bakeries, fast food restaurants, regular restaurants, flower shops, and a really nice bookstore are now in place of the handful of tired looking newsstands and plastic wrapped sandwich stands that were once your only “entertainment” and “refreshment” options at the station.

The restoration of the Prague central station is far from finished, but the city no longer has to be ashamed of the pathetic welcome it offered its train traveling visitors until recent months. The work is currently estimated to be finished by 2012. Let’s see what other surprises the Italian investor has in store for us for the coming years.

Here’s just a little personal request: Would it be at all possible to put benches on the platforms? Please?

A blooming flax field is not a common sight in the Czech Republic. Here’s a picture of a field of flax growing right in front of my eyes as I type from my summer getaway spot.

And a closeup of the pretty flowers:

I hadn’t been to the Prague Zoo for a few years and didn’t remember it as anything special. It was badly damaged in the 2002 flood and when I was there a year or two later, there was lots of reconstruction and new construction going on. Lots of promise in the air, but a pretty bare place at the moment. When I recently revisited, I was surprised not only by how different the zoo looked and felt, but mainly by the modestly displayed sign listing the top world zoos selected by Forbes Traveler Magazine in November 2007. The Prague Zoo was highlighted at line 7.

What an unbelievable achievement for the small, even intimate ‘garden’ that was hit so hard by disaster only seven years ago! In fact, ‘intimate’ must be one of the factors that put the zoo so high on the list. This is where I studied a gorgeous six foot tiger from six inches away and stared in the face of a disturbingly human looking gorilla lounging some four feet away from me.

Besides feeling intimate, the zoo projects a friendly atmosphere towards its visitors. It is very child oriented with fun little play areas for kids. You can borrow a stroller or cart to push or pull your little ones around. You can even bring your dog with you, and you’ll see plenty of them around.

Another thing that made me feel good at the Prague Zoo is the environment that’s been created there. Gravel paths, wooden boardwalks and lots of greenery make it feel very natural and pleasant to walk around.

If you would like to visit the Prague Zoo, you can find some practical information on the Prague Zoo page of our site or directly on the Zoo Praha website.

And here’s the Forbes Traveler Magazine’s list of The World’s Best Zoos:

1. Animal Kingdom, Orlando
2. Basel Zoo, Switzerland
3. Beauval Zoo, France
4. Berlin Zoological Garden, Germany
5. Bronx Zoo, New York
6. Chester Zoo, U.K.
7. Prague Zoological Garden, Czech Republic
8. National Zoological Gardens of South Africa
9. San Diego Zoo, California
10. Schönbrunner Zoo, Austria
11. Singapore Zoo
12. Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington DC
13. Taronga and Western Plains Zoo, Sydney
14. Toronto Zoo
15. Ueno Zoological Gardens, Tokyo, Japan