My Czech Republic Blog

Blog written by two Prague residents about life in the Czech Republic.

The Earth from Above at Kampa

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Earth from Above Exhibition

We went to see the outdoor photo exhibition at Kampa the other day. It is called Earth from Above and it displays 120 large-format aerial photos of different locations around the world taken by French photographer Yann-Arthus Bertrand. The exhibition will run through October 31, it is open 24 hours a day and admission is free. Go see it if you can. The photos are amazing.

We took a stroll through the Kampa park on the way back. A building covered with grafitti caught my attention…

Graffiti at Kampa

 …as did a birdhouse that some nice people put up for the birdies of Prague 1.

A Birdhouse at Kampa

Great Gothic

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The UNESCO World Heritage listed Kutná Hora makes a great day trip from Prague. It’s an easy 45 minute train ride from the main train station and then a short bus or train ride into town. We have some information on Kutná Hora on our site.

The Cathedral of St. Barbara (Chrám sv. Barbory) is considered by UNESCO to be “a jewel of the late Gothic period”. Unfortunately, one section of the cathedral is cracked and it is currently undergoing emergency repairs. There is scaffolding on one side of the cathedral and also in the interior. Work is expected to be completed in 2008.

The statues along Barborská, the street that leads to the Cathedral of St. Barbara, are also having some work done.

St. Barbara Cathedral in Kutna Hora Gothic Detail on St. Barbara Cathedral

Statues on Barborska in Kutna Hora

 
Photos © jeffshanberg.com

The Žižka Monument

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The Žižka National Monument sits atop Vítkov Hill in the Žižkov district of Prague. The large statue that dominates it was built to commemorate the Hussite warrior Jan Žižka (1360? – 1424) and was completed in 1932. It is supposedly the largest equestrian statue in the world. From this area, there is a great view of Žižkov and other parts of Prague.

The communists made their mark on the complex. At one point it contained the mausoleum of Klement Gottwald, who was the first communist president of Czechoslovakia.

Zizka Monument

Zizka Monument

Zizka Monument       View of Zizkov

Photos © jeffshanberg.com

Let the Games Begin!

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Gabrinus signThe World Cup in footbal (soccer) is underway. The home team Germany won the opening match yesterday against Costa Rica 4-2.  The Czech Republic has their first match on Monday against the United States.  In the Czech Republic, it is showing on ČT2 in the U.S. it is on ESPN2.

It seems like all the pubs and bars in Prague will be showing the games.  Some of them have had their signs out for weeks, inviting people to come and watch on their large screen TVs.

Of course, the offical FIFA World Cup website run by Yahoo! is a good source of information.

If you can read Czech, here are a couple sites to stay on top of the excitement:
ČTK – Sportovní noviny
Česká Televize – ms fotbal ’06