Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bludiště
Petřínské sady • Daily: April-Sept 10am-10pm; March & Oct 10am-8pm; Nov-Feb 10am-6pm • 90Kč •
Next to the Petřínská Rozhledna stands the
Bludiště
, a mini neo-Gothic castle complete with
mock drawbridge. The first section of the interior features a
mirror maze
, a stroke of silly
geniusbytheexhibitionorganizers.Thisisfollowedbyanaction-packed,life-sized
diorama
of the victory of Prague's students and Jews over the Swedes on the Charles Bridge in 1648.
The humour of the convex and concave mirrors that lie beyond the diorama is so simple that
it has both adults and kids giggling away.
Štefánikova hvězdárna (Štefánik Observatory)
Strahovská 205 • Tues-Fri 7-9pm, Sat & Sun 11am-6pm & 7-9pm • 55Kč • 257 320 540,
observatory.cz
If you head south from the top of the funicular, you come immediately to the aromatic
Růžový sad
(Rose Garden), whose colour-coordinated rose beds are laid out in front of
Petřín's
observatory
, the
Štefánikova hvězdárna
. Established in the mid-1920s when
Prague's astronomers began to complain that their viewing positions on the roof of the main
railway station and at the topofthe Klementinum tower were being rendered useless bylight
pollution, the observatory is named after one of the founders of the Czechoslovak state in
1918, Slovak Milan Rastislav Štefánik, who was also a professional stargazer. The small as-
tronomical exhibition inside is worth a quick look, and if it's a clear night, a peek through
either of the observatory's two powerful telescopes is a treat. The observatory also holds lots
of events for children.
Karel Hynek Mácha statue
Downhill from the Štefánikova hvězdárna observatory stands a bust of the leading Czech
nineteenth-century Romantic poet
Karel Hynek Mácha
, who penned the poem
Maj
(May),
on the subject of unrequited love. In spring, and in particular on May 1, the statue remains
a popular place of pilgrimage for courting couples. In fact locally Petřín hill has something
of a reputation among young lovers, several songs having been written about its virtues as a
place to head for a bit of secluded romance.
