Czech It Out- The Charles Bridge

Flying into Prague adjacent to the Vltava River, more and more sights I had read about before journeying to the golden city became clearer. As Prague flew by in what seemed like seconds, I tried to spot a few of the larger structures I would be visiting in my short time in the city. Only being able to identify two major structures, the Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge, I felt like my mission view the major attractions of Prague would be nearly impossible. My feelings of belittlement were turned around quickly as my journey in Prague took off and I navigated the compact, historical city rapidly and with little effort. My quick journey, however, came to a knee-quivering halt while observing the arguably best view in the city from the majestic, historical Charles Bridge.

As my thoughts on the river drew to a close, I glanced to the hillside and saw the Prague Castle, the second sight I was able to recognize from the window of the plane. Looking at the castle, my previous research of the city again proved useful. The castle, which serves as the seat of the president of the Czech Republic, stands atop a high hill and is a constant reminder of the wealth and power Prague once held on the European continent. Check out this website for great information on the Prague Castle! Originally built as a fortress under the Premysl dynasty,the castle is the oldest structure in Prague and within its towering and seemingly impenetrable walls is the St. Vitus Cathedral, the oldest gothic cathedral in Central Europe. As I gazed up at the castle, I began to get a true feeling of how much history surrounded the city of Prague. I was dumbfounded by how little I had known about Prague before my research and journey to the City of a Thousand Spires. For more on the St. Vitus Cathedral, check out this website with hours of information of the Oldest Gothic Cathedral in Central Europe!

Standing atop the Charles Bridge, I was astounded by the stunning views the bridge offered from the base of the Prague Castle in the New Town juxtaposed with the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town. My feelings of bliss and happiness shifted to a pensive mood as I began to ponder the history of the bridge. From myresearch of Prague before leaving Luxembourg, I knew the bridge was ordered to be constructed by Charles IV who reigned over Prague in the 14^th century. Built as a connection, the bridge allowed the city of Prague to expand across the previous boundary of the Vltava River opening up new land to continue developing what, at the time, was the third largest city in Europe. For more information on the history of the Charles Bridge, check out this site!!

Catching the end of a tour guides overenthusiastic sentence about the river, my curiosity was sparked by a fact I heard about Prague being a major hub of slave trade in the 2^nd century. After finding my computer and further researching the topic, it turns out the city of Prague grew immensely due to the merchants and traders who moved to the city due its strategic location. With the Vltava River running on the western edge of the present day old city, it was extremely easy for merchants to trade and ship goods around Prague and central Europe which proved extremely profitable and allowed the city to become immensely wealthy.

As my sporadic thoughts about the city and walk across the bridge came to a close simultaneously, I felt slightly overwhelmed by my experience to that point in Prague. With a history spanning thousands of years and encompassing countless wars and power shifts, it is easy to see why the citizens of Prague have so much pride in not only their city but their country of the Czech Republic as well. As Billig explained in his article on Banal Nationalism, nationalism is an unmistakable sense of pride stemming from deep roots in ones country and history. National identity is more than what language you speak or what food you eat. National identity is who you are, and the people of Prague have an immense treasure to show the world exactly who they are.