The Ghosts Of Prague

Post by Erik Redli - Writer/Blogger for Retox

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

The Ghosts Of Prague

Global city with Kafkaesque atmosphere of the Gothic churches & oneiric offer of beer, half of which was built by Charles IV and later almost destroyed by natural disasters and ill ideologies.

Communism Memorial - a group of statues walking out on communism.

Current Czech capital Prague was the capital of former Czechoslovakia, one of the satellites of the Soviet Union. I found many articles on the web that describe the contemporary situation like some pristine society surviving in isolation. It is true that the western culture was not tolerated and people were not allowed to travel to non-communist countries, but in reality, it was not so bad. Yet, the ghost of communism is still present in some of the Gothic corners of the city. John Lennon’s Wall has been a monument of oppression against the rule, as well as a group of statues walking out of communism. Wenceslas Square, one of the largest in Europe with many bars where smoking is tolerated, witnessed the declaration of the first Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, protest marches against the Soviet occupation in 1969 and the Velvet Revolution 20 years later.

John Lennon Wall in Prague.

Church of Our Lady before Tyn, Prague.

The church of Our Lady before Tyn is one of the dominant features of the Prague’s old town. Tyn in English refers to a wall or fence, and it is related to 'town'. Most probably, the church was once a part of the city wall. The name is often translated as Church of Our Lady in front of Týn. For us (Slovaks) language has never been a problem in Prague because Czech and Slovak are quite similar. However, the young generations might find it more difficult to understand each other, partly because there is less Czech content available on Slovak TV. Anyway, most of the Prague understands English. Sometimes lost in past tenses and in sequence of action, but fixed expressions are universally understood.

Back to the church; you cannot see the building in its entirety (pictured left) due to the build-up of houses and palaces all around, but the two well-visible towers towering over the market at the Old Town square - like the two dark knights from Star Wars, have heaps of personality and they actually have names. The northern tower‚ Eve is one metre lower than the southern tower Adam. It was a Romanesque church dating back as early as the 12th century, rebuilt in gothic style in the 14th century. Who does not like architecture, skip the following sentences! From the front you can’t see any niches, the spired towers with pinnacled nodules are not completed with crockets, although the gabble is decorated. But from side or rear view, you can see the Notre Dame-like buttresses (although not flying), gargoyles, spires and a few rosettes.

Almost every church or castle has its legend about a ghost haunting there at night. During the middle ages, these buildings were the centers of power, both secular and religious. And where there is power, there is mischief and yearnings for revenge. The reformation was very intense in Prague and innocent people were killed; thrown out of windows, not to mention witch hunts. Even if there are no real (or scientifically proven) ghosts, the collective subconscious of people is haunted and you would feel a ghost in every breeze and envision one in every dark shade of the night. I found a whole list of events that might have some relevance to the paranormal activity and ghostly sightings in Tyn church. They include the famous reformer Jan Hus burnt in 1415, the astronomer Tycho de Brahe rumoured to be poisoned by his competitor and many more. However, I choose to believe in the following story:

Mirandola - Prague

The remains of Italian bishops Lucian Augustine from Mirandoĺa were buried at the church. In medieval Italy, it was popular to steal the relics of saints and display them in churches – something I learnt in Venice. (Reportedly, the skull of Virgin Marry was placed in four sanctuaries). However, in 1623, Lucian’s remains were removed from the church and burnt at the Old Town Square. The same year in April, smoke was repeatedly coming out of both towers and the town was covered in oak leaves. Interestingly, the coat of arms of Mirandola (Italy) contains something that looks like oak leaves. In 1679, the church was hit by lightning and part of the timber roof burnt down. Could it be that Lucius’s smoke came with fire this time?

Starbucks - Historical Prague

Green beer

The city is cosmopolitan, but yet I did not realize how much commerce was lurking around every corner. The prices are quite reasonable and Czechs even try to promote healthy lifestyle, for example by displaying the results of a quality survey at the sausage stalls. In some aspects, Prague is in complete contrast to other central European capitals; the main train station is generally nicer, cleaner and instead of cheap fast foods there are decent snack bars, even Leonidas chocolatier. And I saw a Starbucks fitted into a historical building. Amongst the Old Traditional Goodies, you can get a green beer. Maybe, it is just customer discrimination by price, but the general standard of services is so high that I am almost sure that it really is a special recipe – adding some herbs. Beer is one of the main Czech exports. In Hard Rock Prague they serve good Czech unfiltered, and even the chips taste of real home-grown potatoes. On display at Hard Rock Prague there is Steven Tyler’s motorbike and birthday party shots of Mick Jagger celebrated in Prague. My birthday is in 11 days, it counts. They also have the marionettes of The Beatles, replicas of those worn on Stg.Pepper's.

I highly recommend a visit to Prague. You will experience a modern, cosmopolitan city and at the same time you can learn a lot about the history of the Eastern block and Czechs – who really are patriotic.