Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Prague, A Cultural History
(Richard Burton). A beautifully written cultural his-
tory by an English professor obviously in love with Prague and its myths. The
first chapter, 'How to Read Prague', is especially helpful for visitors. The
chapters are arranged around stories and characters - both real and fictional -
that have shaped the city through the ages.
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Under a Cruel Star, A Life in Prague 1941‒1968
(Heda Margolius Kovály).
One of the few books to forge a link between the Nazi and communist periods.
The author, Jewish and born in Prague, had the double misfortune of being sent
to Terezín and Auschwitz during WWII, only to survive the war and marry an up-
and-coming communist who was executed in the show trials of the 1950s.
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Prague in Danger
(Peter Demetz). Demetz's work is partly a classical history
and partly a lively and moving chronicle of his own family - Demetz's mother
was Jewish and died at Terezín. These personal remembrances are especially
strong and give a first-hand feel for what life in Prague was like during the Nazi
occupation.
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The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of 1989 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest,
Berlin, and Prague
(Timothy Garton Ash). Oxford professor Garton Ash had the
professional and linguistic skills to interpret history as it was unfolding in 1989 -
and the presence of mind to write it all down.
THE MYTH OF LIBUŠE & THE FOUNDING OF PRAGUE
Fittingly for a city that embraces so much mystery, the ori-
gins of Prague are shrouded in a fairytale. Princess Libuše,
the daughter of early ruler Krok, is said to have stood on a
hill near the city's Vyšehrad castle one day around the 7th
century and predicted a glorious city that would one day be-
come Prague. According to the legend, Libuše needed to
find a strong suitor who could yield sturdy heirs to the
throne. Passing over a field of eligible bachelors, including
some sickly-looking royals, she selected a simple plough-
man, Přemysl. She chose well. The Přemysl dynasty would
go on to rule for some 400 years.
Best Books by
Václav Havel
To the Castle and
Back
(2008)
Open Letters, Selec-
ted Writings
(1992)
