Prague: History Told by Roof-lines
Rooftops in Prague Tell Tourists about Murder and Oppresion
Prague is a magical town with rooftops as storytellers. From the Castle, the TV Tower and Charles Bridge a different view of the town is opened to tourists.
From certain places in Prague one can have access to a fantastic world represented by rooftops and it is in this town where one can appreciate the beauty of a particular roofline
Cities have different landmarks that help to make them famous although few people stop to have a look to their roof tops. Tourists busy themselves with such landmarks as the skyline of New York, Hong Kong or Buenos Aires among others. One should not forget rooftops, as important as they are, with their humble or imperial fashion.
Prague has one of the most impressive roof lines in the world, which can be viewed from different points in the city centre. Four of them stand aside from the rest. The first is Petrín Hill in the Castle area where you can take a rest from the bustling city below and enjoy the most incredible vista of the city.
The erection of the TV Tower started in the communist era and is an eyesore in the middle of the city but it stands higher than any other building offering a fantastic panorama of the centre and beyond from its observation deck. People from Prague dislike it immensely and it is easy to see why but even so the panorama from the top is worth while. The third place to enjoy the roof line is the Tower at Charles Bridge. This is something else. It offers a more intimate view of the different shades of terracotta tiles covering the roofs of Prague.
A closer look makes you realize the amount of spires that reach to the sky and how close they are to each other, testimony of the high amount of churches in the city that do not actually reflect the amount of believers. You can also locate the area where synagogues once flourished.
Nowadays churches are nearly empty due to the communist era when religion was banned and churches closed. Only 20% of the population in the Czech Republic are believers (1). This is also seen in the Jewish population which diminished considerably since WWII for reasons that we all know. Nazism tried to get rid of Jews everywhere but they wanted to keep Prague as a living museum of a disappeared race.
Nazi and Communist Eras
The Communist and Nazi leaders did not dare to destroy the places of worship but reduced the amount of believers. Christians saw their churches closed and their religion banned. Jewish were cold-bloodedly eradicated.
The world, however, should be grateful that none of these oppressors decided to destroy the beauty of Prague and maintained churches and synagogues in their places. Even if you are not a religious person you cannot help but admire these amazing buildings scattered all around the city, particularly St Vitus’s Cathedral that stands proud within the walls of Prague Castle protectively watching over the town. The Cathedral is the fourth place offering stunning views of the rooftops of Prague after climbing the 287 steps (2) that take you to the top of the tower.
Prague has innumerable sites of unbelievable beauty that tourist guides can only aspire to describe. Few of them will say anything about the rooftops and they are worth contemplating because by doing so, one can also glimpse a little of Prague’s history and begin to understand its plight during the last decades.
References:
(1) Guide from "Walks of Prague"
(2) Altman, Jack. Prague Spiral Guide, AA
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