13 Amazing Facts About Prague You Didn't Know
We've put together a list of 13 interesting facts about Prague every traveler should know before the trip to the capital city of the Czech Republic.
Prague is the capital and most populous city of the Czech Republic situated on the Vltava River, and as you might expect, there are many fascinating facts and interesting trivia to know about this destination.
It's one of those captivating cities that will leave a mark on everyone who comes to visit it. We are not going to bore you with some common facts like that Prague is a member of UNESCO World Heritage and that it is the best city in the world, but we would like to share with you some exciting facts, that you will hopefully enjoy.
Prague is also the city of legends, but this article will present you with only pure facts. Ok, and one or two legends just for fun.
Here is the list of our handy and most impressive details about Prague you should know before you start planning your trip to Prague.
CITY OF HUNDRED SPIRES
Prague is known as the City of Hundred Spires, but is it true or is it just a fairytale and made-up number to attract tourists?
Many enthusiasts tried to count all towers and spires from the higher ground or even from the airplane, and they came up with a number, or numbers, to be accurate.
Prague has about 120 prominent towers and spires, but those are just the big ones. There are hundreds and hundreds of spires, and the total number is somewhere between 500 to 1000, depending on what exactly you are counting. And this number is without the small spires on the residential houses.
As you can see, Prague is really a city of spires, and there are even more of them than the saying promises. It also means you can look forward to your visit, as we promise the city is incredibly photogenic.
The most famous towers or buildings with towers in Prague are the Powder Gate, New Town Hall, St. Vitus Cathedral, or Petrin Lookout Tower.
Check out these posts 1-day Prague itinerary and 3-day Prague itinerary to plan your trip better.
EIFFEL TOWER IN PRAGUE
If you ever wanted to see the famous Eiffel Tower, but Paris is out of your budget, come to Prague and visit Petrin Lookout Tower.
At the end of the 19th century, members of the Czech Tourist club went to Paris to visit World Expo (1889), and they were so enchanted by the Eiffel Tower, that they decided to build a 1:5 copy of it in one of the hills in Prague.
Said that it's not an identical copy, though it resembles the original a lot from certain angles.
Overlooking the city from the top of the Petrin Hill, 63 meters high Petrin Tower offers amazing views of Prague and its surroundings and is high on the list of must-visit places in Prague.
ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK
There is no way around, we have to include in our post the famous Astronomical Clock on the Old Town Square as it is one of the top attractions in Prague, and also many interesting facts are connected with this sight.
It's always fun to explain to people who want to visit Prague for the first time, that one of the top attractions in the city is the astronomical clock.
The expression on their faces when we try to explain to them why they should wait for an hour to see a clock with moving figures of apostles always cracks us up, but here is something intriguing.
According to the Ancient Bohemian Legends, the alleged author of this masterpiece was blinded (his eyes were burnt out) after his work was done, so he couldn't replicate it anywhere else in the world.
Unfortunately, the legend is not true, and it's a common historic mistake, but it's cool to know.
THE NARROWEST STREET IN PRAGUE
The narrowest street in Prague is only 50 centimeters wide, and pedestrian lights control the traffic from both sides.
The street has no name, though you can find it near U Luzickeho Seminare street. It's a former fire access route to Vltava River in case of emergency, and it's last of its kind in Prague.
Once upon a time, there were many narrow streets with the same purpose as this one in Prague, nowadays only this one is remaining.
One of the most fascinating streets in Prague cut through residential buildings from the early 17th century and will take you directly to the infamous tourist restaurant Certovka, well-known for scams and rude service.
THE BIGGEST CITY IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Prague is the most populated city in the Czech Republic by far, and other large cities are not getting even close.
With more than 1.3 million residents (that's what official stats say, but more in-depth evidence shows it could be 1.55 million), it's the biggest city in the Czech Republic.
For comparison, the second on the list is Brno with a population of 380 000 and the third place go to Ostrava with 300 000 residents.
CHARLES UNIVERSITY
One of the oldest universities in the world, Charles University is the most prestigious university in the Czech Republic.
Charles University was founded by the emperor Charles IV in 1348, who is regarded as the greatest ruler of the Bohemian Kingdom.
Karolinum is the complex of buildings at the Old Town, and you will find the seat of the rector and the main building at the corner of Ovocny Trh, Zelezna, and Kamzikova street.
PRAGUE CASTLE
Sitting on the top of the hill, Prague Castle is the symbol of the Czech Republic, and one of the largest castles in the world.
Despite the fact, that according to Guinness Book of Records the complex is actually considered the largest in the world, it's not completely true, and you will find larger castles around the globe.
Nevertheless, we can promise you one thing, the castle is enormous, and together with the St. Vitus Cathedral creates the wonderful postcard panorama of Prague.
You won't find a more significant attraction in Prague than Prague Castle, a UNESCO monument from the 9th century. If you like UNESCO sites, don't forget to visit places such as Kutna Hora, Cesky Krumlov or Karlovy Vary.
This extraordinary national landmark is also the most visited place in the whole country, so be prepared for the crowds.
And don’t forget to check out our guide How to Get to Prague Castle.
METRO
Prague has a great public transport network, and we use it to get around Prague every day.
Metro, as we call the subway in the Czech Republic, is the fastest mean of transport within the city, and it's very easy to use.
Most of the stations in Prague are underground, and Namesti Miru is the deepest metro station in Prague, which is 53 meters below the surface, and also the escalators are the longest in the whole underground network.
You will find it at Vinohrady district on the metro Green A Line.
TALLEST BUILDING IN PRAGUE
Seeing a metropolis from above is always a fascinating experience, that allows you to understand the size of the city.
Prague is well-known for medieval castle, houses, bridges, museums, but not for skyscrapers. It's not surprising, the tallest building in Prague is the Zizkov TV Tower. You will find the viewing platform at 93 meters, and the total height of the structure is 216 meters.
Built in the early 90s, Zizkov Tower is one of the most controversial buildings in Prague and is often listed as one of the ugliest buildings in the world, although we do not share this opinion.
Later on, a local artist David Cerny installed a few statues of crawling babies on the tower to make it more appealing, decide whether it helped.
The view from the top is pretty cool though, and the viewing platform worth visiting if time allows.
PRAGUE, CAPITAL OF BEER
Every time we talk to someone from abroad about their trip to Prague, they always mention how the city was beautiful, and also that the beer was great.
They usually say it in this order, and they are not wrong. The most fascinating fact about the beer in Prague is unsurprisingly the consumption per capita, which is 140 liters per person in the Czech Republic. And that includes every single person living in the country, including infants and kids.
So how is that possible? We really like beer, and beer tourism is growing every year as well.
Something else is also very unusual - the price for a pint of beer is really low.
Beer in Prague is extremely cheap compared to the rest of the world, and you can get a draft beer in the pub for about 2 USD on average.
Compare to 7 USD in New York, 7 EUR in Paris, or 8 USD in Sydney, you don't have to be good in math, to realize, one of the reasons, why Prague is so popular, especially among young travelers.
Travel Insurance
We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip.
Travel insurance protects against theft, flight delays, injury, illness, cancellations, and much more.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
PRAGUE BRIDGES
Vltava River is the longest river in the Czech Republic, and thankfully it flows through Prague as we think that cities with rivers in the historical center are usually more attractive and more picturesque.
You will find 34 bridges across the Vltava, and they are together with many beautiful waterfronts perfect for leisure stroll along the river.
The most famous bridge is Charles Bridge, which was built between 1357-1402 and connects Old Town and Lesser Town.
NAME OF THE PRAGUE AIRPORT
We've been to many airports around the world, which carried the name of a prominent person in the country, and we had to google many times, who was the person.
A former Ruzyne Aiport was renamed a few years ago to Vaclav Havel Airport Prague as a tribute to a political dissident and later on the first president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel.
He was also a symbol of democracy and opposition to the Communist system and ideology and well-respected among its peers overseas.
Also, make sure to read our blog post on How to Get from Prague Airport to City Center.
CHARLES BRIDGE
Charles Bridge, one of the must-visit places in Prague, might be hiding one more thing up in its sleeve.
We've already learned that the construction works began in 1357, but according to one hypothesis, that's not all.
Charles IV was interested in numerology, therefore the first stone was laid on July 9th at 5:31 during the conjunction of the Sun and Saturn.
This exact date created a palindrome - a numerical sequence that is possible to read the same way from the beginning and the end as well - 1 - 3 - 5 -7 - 9 -7 - 5 - 3 -1.
He believed that a good constellation and perfect timing will perform well and give the strength to the bridge to stand still in the face of the upcoming challenges.
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Get Around: Buses and trains are an affordable way to get around the Czech Republic. Regiojet offers clean and modern buses and trains with all the amenities.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
