The Prague Valley has been inhabited since at least 6000 BC, according to archeological evidence. Germanic and Celtic tribes established permanent farming communities by around 4000 BC. Slavic people arrived around the turn of the millennium, and by the 600 AD had settled opposite sides of a particularly appealing stretch of the Vltava River. They successfully defended the land now known as Bohemia for generations. By the 9th century it had been conquered by the Great Moravian Empire. The short-lived empire introduced the locals to Christianity, but it was 'Good King Wenceslas' of Christmas-carol fame, who was actually a Duke, who made it the state religion of Bohemia in the 930s. He remains the patron saint of the Czech Republic. It was under the rule of Charles IV who ruled from 1346 to 1378 that Prague truly came into its own, becoming one of the continent's largest and most prosperous cities, acquiring its fine Gothic face and landmark buildings like Charles University, Charles Bridge and St Vitus Cathedral.

Jan Hus, who attended Charles University in the late 1380s, rallied popular support for the Church-reform movement. When he was burned at the stake in 1415, the people were roused enough to hurl various Catholic officials from the upper stories of Prague's New Town Hall, introducing the word 'defenestration', meaning literally, to toss someone out a window, into the popular political lexicon. While the 1526 ascent of the Catholic Hapsburg family to power in the region cooled things off for a few decades, a second round of defenestrations in 1618 made it clear that the matter was not quite settled.

In fact, these defenestrations were once of the starts of the Thirty Years War. The war devastated Central Europe and killed a quarter of Bohemia. Dreams of Czech independence were squelched for centuries, despite various revolts and agitations. Finally, in the wake of World War I, a new nation called Czechoslovakia was created out of the ashes of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. The new nation suffered under first Nazi and then communist rule. A reformist government was crushed by a Soviet led invasion in 1968. Finally, Czechoslovakia was liberated, along with the rest of Eastern Europe, after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The Czech Republic and Slovakia had an amicable divorce in 1993. Despite disastrous floods in 2002, Prague, like many of the capitals of the former Warsaw Pact, is enjoying a revival as it rejoins European civilization.

Hradčany

Hradčany was its own town in the 14th Century. It became part of Prague in 1598 and is today an outdoor museum of antiquities. At the center is a column by Ferdinand Brokoff raised in 1728 to commemorate Prague's struggle against the plague. Scwartzenburg Palace and other examples of baroque and rococo style residences make the area an architecture lover's dream. West lays Loretánskí Náměstí, a square created in the 18th century when Cernin Palace was built. The square's main attraction is the Loreta, an extraordinary baroque place of pilgrimage designed in 1626 to resemble the house of the Virgin Mary. It's surrounded by several lovely chapels and a treasury, featuring the Prague Sun, made of solid silver and plenty of gold and inlaid with 6222 diamonds. Another must see place is Strahov Monastery, started in 1140 and completed in the 18th century, which features a baroque church where Mozart is said to have played, and the Strahov Library, with its unreal collection of tomes and education-themed frescos. It was a functioning monastery until the communist government closed the doors, imprisoning most of the monks. With the fall of Communism, the monks have been trickling back in over the past few years.

Josefov

Josefov is what remains of Prague’s once thriving Jewish ghetto. There are a half-dozen old synagogues, a ceremonial hall and the Old Jewish Cemetery. The Old-New Synagogue, dating from 1270, is Europe's oldest working synagogue. One steps down into it because it predates the raising of the streets against floods. The Pinkas Synagogue, built in 1535, is inscribed with the names, birth dates and dates of disappearance of 77,297 Bohemian and Moravian Holocaust victims. The 1868 Spanish Synagogue, named for its striking Moorish interior, offers an exhibit on Jews in the Czech Republic from emancipation to the present day.

Malá Strana

Malá Strana, or the Small Quarter, lays at the foot of Prague Castle. It started up in the 8th or 9th centuries as a market settlement, and was chartered in 1257 by Premysl Otakar II. Charming churches and palaces in the area date from the 17th and 18th centuries, with Renaissance facades that were later altered to a more baroque style.

Nerudova Ulice contains the House of Two Suns, where poet Jan Neruda penned Tales of the Little Quarter, and Bretfield Palace. But dominating the quarter is St Nicholas Church, not to be confused with the eponymous chapel on Old Town Square. This building, with its huge green cupola, houses the largest fresco in Europe, Johann Kracker's 1770 Life of St Nicholas. Also fine for strolling are the grounds of Wallestein Palace, where summer concerts are often held, and quiet Vojan Park, established in 1248.

Old Town Square

Old Town Square has been Prague's working heart since the 10th century, and hosted its largest market until the beginning of the 20th century. It's surrounded by a maze of alleys and is home to some of Prague's most famous monuments. Landislav Saloun's brooding sculpture of Jan Hus dominates the square. It was erected on July 6th, 1915, 500 years after the religious reformer was burned at the stake.

Prague Castle

Prague Castle is the center piece of the city because, perched upon the top of a cliff, it is said to be the largest ancient castle in the world. It started as a small, enclosed fortress a thousand or so years ago built by Prince Bořivoj and grew from there. The castle has been the seat of Czech government since that time, though President Václav Havel chose to live in his smaller home on the outskirts of the city. Some parts of the castle, like the Spanish Hall and Rudolf Gallery, are only open one Saturday a year, usually in early May. The rest of the castle's collection of architectural and artistic marvels, created over the course of the last millennium, is on exhibit the year round.

Visiting Prague

The Czech Republic’s sole international airport is about six miles from the city and is serviced by many carriers. Prague is also serviced by a very efficient rail and bus service connecting the city to other major cities in Europe. As with many European cities, driving in Prague is problematic. However many sites in the city center are within walking distance. Prague also has a very good transit system.