Page:Guide to the Bohemian section and to the Kingdom of Bohemia - 1906.djvu/20

18 absolutism foresees the future rise of Prague and sees in the city the capital of a great rising nation, saying: „Mais Prague est une capitale, dans laquelle on sent la puissance d’un grand peuple“ and these prophetic words really came true. Prague is actually holding up its head again.

By its own strength and helped by the efforts of its own sons it opened like a rose of Jericho, as it were, by miracle into a fair flower and rose to all its former grandeur. It became not only the capital of all ranks of the nation aspiring to the highest degrees of culture, but it became also what it was in the days of its glory a centre of art.

And we trust the time is not far distant, when by redoubled energy, discipline and honesty, free from foreign influence the Bohemian nation will win for its royal Prague peacefully by its own genius and by weapons of intellect alone that importance and glory, of which whole generations of the past dreamt visions in joyful anticipation.

We propose to lead the reader through a small but interesting part of Prague—namely—the Staré Město (Old Town), across Charles' bridge and farther on by the Malá Strana (Small Town) to Hradčany (Castle Town) and back again, to some at least of the prominent monuments of Nové Město (New Town) with the aim of presenting a general sketch of a fragment of Old Prague, one of the most interesting townships which have been preserved from the dark middle ages to our days. The reader we hope will be enabled, to form a tolerably correct idea of the beauty of Prague in general, of her characteristic streets picturesque squares and palaces, surrounded by old gardens and ornamented by ascending terraces, loggias, pavilions, and salla-terrenas, which offer the finest views of the hundred towers, red-bricked roofs and walls which form the attractions and charm of the ancient capital.

From the Prague railway-stations on the Poříč and the Hybernská ulice and from the neighbourhood of the best Prague-hotels there are only a few steps to St. Joseph’s square (Josefské náměstí) a spacious open place much frequented and of ac ompletelya completely [sic] modern character. That part of it which lies on the crossing of three important streets (Poříč, Příkop and Hybernská ulice) is at the same time the