What does the Monumental Czech Republic look like?

The Czech nation is a great nation, and there have been many famous people in history, such as Dvořák, the author of the symphony "To the New World", Smentana, the author of the symphony "My Motherland", the famous modernist novelist Kafka and his novel "Metamorphosis", as well as the world-famous literary figure "Good Soldier Shuaike" and so on. In 1969, when the Soviet army sent troops to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, two young Czechs set themselves on fire and died on the spot in front of Soviet tanks, showing the character of the Czech people who are not afraid of violence. At the same time, the Czech Republic is also a wise people, and the two world wars did not affect the Czech land, saving the old Czech castles and churches and other famous buildings from destruction. The Czech Republic is also a mysterious country that many people want to visit, and its capital, Prague, is one of the four largest tourist cities in Europe after Paris, Rome and London.

In August last year, a group of 4 of us went to Pardubice, a small Czech city, to attend an international conference, and we had the honor to visit this mysterious Czech Republic, which can be said to be an unforgettable dream trip.

First, there are many stories in the small town

There are many famous towns in the Czech Republic, and during this conference, we took the time to visit several small towns and felt very good.

In a small town, we visited a numismatic museum. The museum is housed in a large castle, which is still being repaired, and it is said that the castles were nationalized during the Czech Communist Party, but they did not have the energy and financial resources to repair them, so they were in tatters. After the upheavals in Eastern Europe, these castles were returned to private individuals, so they were repaired and restored to their original appearance.

A little girl who looked like a middle school student, holding a bunch of keys in her hand, led us around. We see the earliest Czech coins, the most famous of which is the coin with King Charles IV of the Czech Republic, as well as Czech coinage tools. The little girl was like an intern, and she shyly told us about the coins one by one, which was very interesting.

In another small town, we also visited the former home of Smentana, which is furnished with his violin and many precious photographs, according to the narrator: Smentana loved music since he was a child, first playing the violin, and later composing. When he was 50 years old, he lost his ears, lived in a hut by the lake, and composed the famous song "My Motherland" that shocked the world. After visiting the house, I bought a CD of Smentana's "My Motherland" to show my respect for this celebrity.

As mentioned earlier, the Czech Republic is very famous for its castle architecture. The famous Klenmoretz Gardens and Castle is located at the foot of Mount Herzbi in Moravia, the building was designed and built by two Viennese architects in 1686 --- 1698, originally a large Renaissance castle, later rebuilt into a Baroque castle after a fire, with a large collection of paintings, books, music materials and coins, and the castle is surrounded by two beautiful gardens that are considered to be examples of garden architecture from the 17th to the 19th centuries. One of the gardens is radial, and walking into it is like entering a labyrinth, and in the center of the garden is a small house with a geocentric hammer hanging from it. The unique historical content of the Klenmoretz Gardens and the castle, the library, the halls, the galleries and the two gardens together constitute a unique overall cultural heritage in the world, which is why it was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1998.

Located in the Moravian region of eastern the Czech Republic, the city of Olomouc is an important political and religious center and cultural center in the region, and its famous Trinity Pillar was listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2000. This column was built in the early 18th century and is typical of Central European monument specimens. Carved by the famous Moravian artist Ondre jzaher and others, it has a unique style of Euromuch baroque, and the 35-meter-high columns are decorated with many exquisite religious carvings. It was once the political, religious and cultural center of the Czech Republic.

A common feature I found in the small towns in the eastern part of the Czech Republic is that there is a monument to the "Black Death" in each central square, as if to remind people of the terrible plague that was prevalent in Europe for four centuries and claimed nearly one-third of the population of Europe. In 1348, an epidemic known as the plague began to spread throughout Europe, and this disease was spread through the plague, and people who had this disease would have many dark spots on their skin, so this particular plague was called the "Black Death". So many people died from the Black Death that there was a shortage of laborers. Entire villages were abandoned, farmland was barren, and food production declined. The Black Death was followed by famine in many parts of Europe.

In a small city called Kutna Hora, there is a church decorated with human bones, which is said to have been a cemetery, but because there were so many dead that there was no place to bury them, it had to be placed in the open air, about 40,000 people, and there were white bones everywhere. Later, in order to commemorate and bury these poor people, a small church was built in the cemetery, and two architects were hired to decorate these white bones in the church in the form of art, which was also a comfort to the deceased. The ossuary is uniquely decorated, and although it is decorated with a lot of white bones, it is so artistic that it does not feel intimidating. This is also the method used by later generations to bury those innocent victims.

2. Golden Prague

After the international conference, we went to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.

Located in the heart of Bohemia, Prague was historically a centre of art, trade and religion and was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1992. The city is built on the hills on the banks of the Vltava River and has medieval architecture. The crystal clear waters of Vltava meandered through the city like a jade belt. Climb to the top of the city's Bertrina Hill and look down on the city, where the clear water reflects the bridge, the ancient city is surrounded by green trees, magnificent old palaces, towering castle spires and various modern buildings stand majestically in the midst of lush forests.

Prague has been around for almost a thousand years. Legend has it that the first female lord of the Czech Republic, Princess Lipše, stood on a cliff on the west bank of the Vltava River, looking at the other side, and said that she would build a city there that would shine with the stars. Prague was founded in 928 AD, where the Czech dynasty established its first royal city in 1230. At the end of the 14th century, it was the political, economic and cultural center of Central Europe.

St. Vitus Cathedral is the most important symbol of Prague Castle and is known as the "Architectural Treasure" and is crowded with visitors. The church is also the resting place of the royal family of Prague Castle after their coronation and death. Historically, the church has undergone three expansions, the rotunda of St. Wenceslas in 929 AD, the rectangular church in the park in 1060, and the construction of the current Gothic building ordered by Charles IV in 1344 AD, but it was not officially completed until 1929 AD. We followed the bustling crowds to visit the Tomb of St. John and the Chapel of St. Wenceslas in the church before arriving at the Old Royal Palace.

The Old Palace, the residence of the former kings of Bohemia, is divided into three floors, and the successive reigners have renovated different parts. As soon as you enter the entrance, you will find the high-ceilinged Villadislav Hall, which is also the center of gravity of the entire palace, and the special feature is that the staircase is wide and gentle, so that knights can ride directly on horses. Due to the large size of the hall, the knights could do all kinds of riding and fighting shows inside. Further up is the New Realm Hall, which contains many early books and images, and the lower level of the hall houses the Gothic palace of Charles IV and the hall of the Roman city palace.

Out of the old palace came to a narrow alley, less than 2 meters wide, called the "Golden Alley". The reason why it is called "Golden Alley" is because the alchemists who made gold ornaments for the princes and nobles in the early years lived here, hence the name. It was once the residence of the famous Czech writer Franz Kafka, which has since become famous as the "Golden Alley", and now sells tourist souvenirs. Kafka lived at number 22 in the alley, where he wrote masterpieces such as The Transfigurative Man. I see that many tourists do not know that Alley 22 is Kafka's residence, because they feel overwhelmed and at a loss when we take pictures in front of Gate 22.

Coming out of the "Golden Lane", we come to the famous Charles Bridge. The Charles Bridge is the oldest surviving stone bridge in Eastern Europe, closed to traffic, and is the only bridge connecting the Old Town to Prague Castle. At both ends of the bridge there are Gothic pylons with balustrades on each side and 15 icons dedicated to religious stories. Once you've crossed Tower Bridge in the Old Town, you'll be flanked by registered and licensed street artists, from painting to sculpture, artisanal food to live performances. In the middle of the bridge there is a statue of Charles IV, according to the locals, touching this statue will bring good luck to ourselves, of course we have to follow the local customs and line up and touch the bottom of the statue. Walking to the end of the bridge and looking back, the entire royal palace and the ancient castle echo each other, resplendent with gold, like a "golden Prague".

After crossing the bridge and coming to the Old Town Square, I saw a huge statue of Jan Hus, a famous national hero in Czech history. Shortly after the death of this national hero who advocated the Reformation and was burned alive by the Pope on charges of being a heretic, the Czech people broke out in the Huss Revolution. The commander of the Hussi Revolutionary Army, Jan Swiska, fought bravely and skillfully, and took the lead in battle, making the enemy tremble. Today stands on the Vitkov hill in Prague a statue of a Swiss card in armor, armed with a mace and riding a horse.

Sitting in an open-air café in the Old Town Square, I sipped my coffee and watched the crowds of people coming and going on the streets, both Czechs and tourists. I kept asking myself what kind of people the Czech nation really were, with their warmth, humor, patriotism and national pride. At the same time, it is full of wisdom. It is said that the Czechs were afraid of the destruction of their country's cultural relics, so they surrendered as soon as the war began. In the long run, this is also a sign of the cleverness of the Czechs. Sandwiched in the midst of a big country, it is impossible to keep one's country without a good maneuver art.

Wasn't the peaceful liberation of Beijing also for the purpose of protecting cultural relics? However, it is a pity that we have personally demolished the city walls and a large number of courtyard houses in Beijing, which cannot but show that there is a considerable gap between us and the Czechs in terms of protecting cultural relics. Isn't it?

3. Hot spring suction masters

Spas and spa glamour are taking the world by storm, and in the 16th and 19th centuries, European aristocrats and celebrities flocked to Czech spa towns for their holidays. According to a medical report published by the spa doctor Wenceslas in 1522, the spring water in the Czech spa town has miraculous healing properties, and since then since the 15th century, people have used Czech hot springs for treatment, and attracted more and more people to study Czech hot springs, and then hot spring hotels have been established, and many nobles have come here for spa vacations, including Goethe, Chopin, Beethoven, Wagner, Marx, Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Schiller and Peter the Great of Tsarist Russia have all visited Czech spa towns for recuperation.

The small town of Karlovy Vary is one of the most famous and largest spa resorts in the Czech Republic. Karlovy Vary is located 120 kilometres west of Prague and on the last day of our visit, we drove to the town.

Legend has it that 600 years ago, King Charles IV of the Czech Republic came here to hunt, a fawn was shot by the king, lame fled, Charles rode his horse in hot pursuit, the fawn fell into the spring water at the bottom of the mountain, and a puff of white smoke immediately rose from the water. But when the fawn came out of the water, the wound was healed, and in a short time it disappeared into the jungle. The court physician was ordered by the king to test the water of the spring, which proved to cure diseases. For this purpose, a statue was erected in honor of the fawn, the first patient ---- of the mineral springs. Since then, the hot springs have been called "Karlovy Valley", which means "Charlie Springs".

After a journey of more than 2 hours, we came to Karlovy Vary, located in the valley of the Czech Tepra River. The Tepra River runs through the city, and the streets are built along the river, and the buildings on both sides are antique and full of Victorian style. Founded around 1350, the spa town is surrounded by romantic hills at the foot of the Krušner Mountains. Hot springs can be found throughout the city, and it is estimated that there are about 100 of them, 12 of which are healing pools that are suitable for direct drinking. Although the temperature varies from one temperature to another, each contains more than 40 kinds of minerals that have various therapeutic properties. The water temperature can reach up to 70 degrees Celsius, and the height of the fountain can reach 12 meters. In one of the halls we saw springs of different temperatures, as well as fountains up to 12 meters high. Tourists bow their heads to take the spring water to drink, or buy a special cup to save water to drink. The shape of this cup is flat, but the handle is hollow, so you can drink it directly from the handle after receiving the spring water. The spring water is slightly salty and a little bitter, but it is still very good for the stomach, so we each drank a large glass of spring water.

Karlovy Vary is also a tourist attraction, where the International Folk Art Festival is held every year, and this year is the 12th edition, and we saw the teachers and students of the Shanxi Art School performing live on behalf of China, but unfortunately the art form of the troupe is too monotonous, and after a group dance, they can only rely on musical instruments to support the scene. The Czech troupe next to it is singing and dancing, which is very lively. To be honest, the folk art of the Han Chinese is not colorful enough, while the folk art of the ethnic minorities in China is gorgeous and colorful, and there are many scenes of singing and dancing. I have led Chinese ethnic minority art troupes to participate in international folk art festivals in Europe and the United States many times. Practice has proved that the folk songs and dances of ethnic minorities in China are more popular. Okay, that's a long way off.

In the town we saw a statue of Marx, who is said to have made three special trips to the hot springs to treat his liver disease, accompanied by his daughter. It was here that the first draft of the world-famous great work Capital was completed. In his letter to Engels, Marx once wrote with emotion: "This place is so beautiful that no one will get bored of walking on a forested granite mountain." "During the period when the Communist Party of the Czech Republic was in power, many high-ranking Soviet officials and officers came here to recuperate. So now half of the inhabitants of the town are Russians.

4. Czech weddings

During my trip to the Czech Republic, I had the pleasure of meeting Czech weddings twice. Once in a small town and once in Prague. Although the content of the two weddings is different, the form is very lively.

In front of the town hall of a small town, it was crowded with friends and relatives who had come to the wedding, all of whom were beaming and well-dressed. The bride and groom wear wedding dresses, but the groom wears heavy shackles on his feet, indicating that the bride has not yet received the groom. Everyone knew where the key to the shackles was, and the groom knew it, but they didn't say anything, leaving the bride to look for it. Someone brought a drink, and the groom drank it all, but did not swallow it, and motioned with his eyes for the bride to kiss. The bride was so focused on finding the key that she didn't pay any attention to the groom, who stamped his feet in a hurry and stretched out his mouth to kiss. The bride had no choice but to kiss the groom, when the mouths of a couple of newlyweds were next to each other, the bride's eyes suddenly lit up, it turned out that the key was in the groom's mouth, and the groom cleverly passed the key to the bride by kissing. The bride took the key from her mouth and held it high above her head, and then, quickly leaning down to shackle the groom, the couple rushed out of the crowd to the cheers of friends and family. I thought that the test was over, but I didn't expect the bride to run to a small carriage pulled by a person, and the bride jumped into the carriage, and the groom put on a rope and pulled the rickshaw without a wheel around the square. Everyone coaxed the groom to pull hard and run quickly, and the groom spared no effort to run desperately, and the empty can on the carriage dragged on the ground kept ringing. After a turn, the groom took the bride's hand and walked into the town hall to register the marriage.

We also caught up for a wedding in front of a restaurant in Prague. Before entering the table, the waiter of the restaurant picked up a plate and threw it on the ground, but he didn't expect it to be broken, which caused everyone to laugh. The waiter had no choice but to pick up the plate and slam it on the ground again, this time it was shattered, and the fork was spread all over the floor. The groom picked up the dustpan, the bride picked up a small broom and swept the broken forks into the dustpan, and the relatives and friends next to him kicked the broken forks apart while coaxing, so as not to let the two newlyweds easily sweep away, and the two sides continued for a while, and finally hugged the couple into the restaurant.

At the end of my 10-day trip to the Czech Republic, my impression of the Czechs was: "fast driving, high self-esteem, intelligence, courage and a love of jokes." ”