Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The three late fourteenth-century panels by the Master of Třeboň show an ever-greater
variety of balance, delicacy and depth, and the increasing influence of Flemish paintings of
the period. The quality of the works in the gallery's largest room is pretty uneven, so head
straight to the end of the room where you'll find Cranach's superb Portrait of a Young Lady
Holding a Fern .Beyondareacoupleofsmallerrooms,whereyou'llfindtwounusualcarved
wooden bust reliquaries of saints Adalbert and Wenceslas. For a glimpse of some extraordin-
ary draughtsmanship, check out the woodcuts by Cranach the Elder, Dürer and the lesser-
known Hans Burgkmair - the seven-headed beast in Dürer's Apocalypse cycle is particularly
stiking.OneoilpaintingthatstandsoutisAlbrechtAltdorfer'scolourful,languid Martyrdom
of St Florian . Finally, don't miss the superb sixteenth-century wood sculptures by Master
I.P. , including an incredibly detailed Christ the Saviour and the Last Judgement , in which
Death's entrails are in the process of being devoured by a frog.
YouexitviatheGothiccloistersandthebarechurchthatservesasarestingplacefor,among
others, Václav I (1205-53) and Anežka herself.
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Stavovské divadlo (Estates Theatre)
Ovocnýtrh1•Tours200Kč;callinadvanceforEnglish-languagetours• 224902231, narodni-divadlo.cz
• Metro Můstek
Dominating Ovocný trh , site of the old fruit market, is the lime-green and dirty-white Sta-
vovskédivadlo .Builtintheearly1780sfortheentertainmentofPrague'slargeandpowerful
German community, the theatre is one of the finest Neoclassical buildings in Prague, reflect-
ing the pumped-up self-confidence of its former patrons. But the Stavovské divadlo also has
its firm place in Czech history, too, for it was here that the Czech national anthem, Kde do-
mov můj? ( Where Is My Home? ), was first performed, as part of the comedy Fidlovačka by
J.K.Tyl.Itisalsosomethingofaplaceofpilgrimagefor Mozart fans,sinceitistheonlyop-
era house left standing in which Mozart actually performed. Indeed, it was here, rather than
in the hostile climate of Vienna, that the composer chose to premiere both Don Giovanni and
La Clemenza di Tito .
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Karolinum (Charles University)
Ovocný trh 3 • 224 491 251, cuni.cz • Metro Můstek
On the north side of the Stavovské divadlo is the historical home of Charles University , the
Karolinum , established by Charles IV in 1348 as the first university in this part of Europe.
Although it was open to all nationalities, with instruction in Latin, it wasn't long before dis-
putes between the various “nations” came to a head. In 1408, Václav IV issued the Decree
of Kutná Hora, which gave the Bohemian “nation” - both Czech- and German-speaking -
 
 
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