Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Top 10 False Stories
Czechs are Celts
Some Czechs claim that a
Celtic tribe known as the Boii
inhabited Bohemia, but their
roots are Germanic and Slavic.
Vy√ehrad Castle
Vy√ehrad was the first seat
of power, but its importance
has been inflated by legend.
Alchemists Lived in
Golden Lane
Alchemists tended to live on
credit in houses in town.
Jan Nepomuk Died
on Charles Bridge
Nepomuk was already dead
when he was thrown over the
side
(see p19)
.
Werewolf
Werewolf
Apparently, Rudolph II's
gamekeeper became so
enamoured of the wolves that
roamed the castle's Stag Moat
that he became one himself.
Nowadays, he takes the form of
a large dog and tends to chase
cyclists, joggers and tourists
when the whim takes him, so
keep looking over your shoulder.
Jan Masaryk
Committed Suicide
In 1948 the Foreign Minister
was found dead in front of
≥ernín Palace, having “fallen”
from a window, according to
the Communists.
There's Only One Bud
The town of ≥eské Bud∂-
jovice (Budweis in German)
was producing beer before
the US brewer, but didn't
register copyright on the name.
Drahomira
St Wenceslas's mother was,
by all accounts, an unpleasant
woman. She killed her mother-in-
law and might have done in her
son, too, but the gates of hell
swallowed her up before she
could act. She sometimes
wheels through Loretanská
nám∂stí in a fiery carriage.
Czech Hippies Painted
the John Lennon Wall
The image of Lennon was the
post-Communist work of a
Mexican art student
(see p81)
.
Absinthe Will Make
You Crazy
The amount of wormwood in
the drink is negligible.
The Mad Barber
When a local barber
foresook his home and family
after he became caught up in
alchemical pursuits, his
daughters ended up in a brothel
and his wife killed herself. He is
said to haunt the vicinity of
Karlova and Liliova streets,
hoping to return to his honest
profession and make amends.
Marijuana is Legal
Czech law punishes any-
one caught with “more than a
small amount” of the drug.
Prague is the New
Left Bank
After the Revolution, some
wag proclaimed Prague “the
Paris of the '90s , due to the
number of free-loading expats.
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