We have a little quiz for all tourists with a capital T. Every place, all the more so every capital city, has its distinctive character – let’s say a legend of its own. Not to worry – what follows is not a test of your knowledge of the history or geography of the Czech Republic. We would like to share with you the absolute “musts” in the Czech Republic: the must-visits, must-sees, must-hears and, of course, the must-tastes. Each of us has their own specific idea when it comes to the symbols of this city in the heart of Europe, so you might as well consider this an invitation for discussion. Here is our list of 3 characteristic features of Prague and the Czech Republic that you should definitely include in your travel itinerary. We welcome your suggestions, ideas and additions to our list if you feel that we have left anything out.
BEER
We could not possibly name anything else as the absolute number one. Czech beer is simply something of a national institution. Just like the Italians have their pizza, the French their champagne, Czechs are famous for their beer. It is unique in that it is brewed using traditional Czech recipes and technological methods and high-quality ingredients. Czech beer is best known for its rich colour, full taste, savoury bitterness and hoppy smell. We are talking about a true national treasure – Czech Pilsner, also called Pils or Pilsener (Plzeň in Czech). The term Pilsner-type beer is used for pale, bottom-fermented lager brewed according to a recipe originally from the city of Pilsen. It has a much richer hoppy taste compared to other lagers. This beer should always be poured down the edges of the beer mug in one go, so that it has a nice big head.
photo credits: https://www.tiqets.com/en/
Do not miss out on the flawlessly tapped beer in the Restaurant U Fleků – they are real beer masters as they have been doing this since 1499!
COMMUNISM
Communism had characterised this country from 1948, when the communist party took power in Czechoslovakia, establishing a totalitarian regime. These dark times when Czechoslovakia formed a part of the Eastern Bloc came to an end in 1989 with the Velvet Revolution. We recommend visiting the Museum of Communism, where you will discover the communist era from various perspectives, including everyday life under the communist rule.
photo credits: https://hlidacipes.org/
KAFKA
Franz Kafka might be the most famous native of Prague and he is definitely one of the most influential 20th-century writers. Kafka lived in Prague his entire life and loved this city dearly – after all, you might often hear the term “Kafka’s Prague” in this context.
The story of Kafka’s manuscripts is well-known – being a perfectionist, Kafka published only a small part of his writings during his life. When his health began to deteriorate, he asked his friends to destroy all of his unpublished texts, notes, journals and letters. Kafka’s partner fulfilled his wishes and indeed burnt all of the documents she had. That was not the case for Kafka’s best friend, who decided otherwise and thus preserved a large part of his work for future generations. He believed that Kafka was a genius and – as we all know now – he was more than right as Kafka’s novels and short stories became some of the most important sources of modern literature in the world. Visit the Franz Kafka Museum in Prague and learn more about this intriguing writer.
Are there any other symbols of Prague and the Czech Republic that come to your mind? We are looking forward to your comments, ideas, experiences and suggestions.