D&K's Blog
  • Honeymoon 2013
  • Europe 2014
  • East/South Africa 2016
  • Prev
  • Next

Czech Principles Of Design

August 12, 2014May 28, 2016 By Denise

Lucky, lucky you, city of Prague! This glorious city has survived over 1000 years of wars, crusades, reformations, revolutions, fires, and even communism. It is one vast, open-air museum of architecture over the ages, straddling the beautiful Vltava River, bedecked with numerous parks and gardens, and populated by the “smiling devils,” the most sophisticated and cynically intellectual people the world has ever known. Prague has known tragedy, but that has only served to build character. When the tides of empire surged through Bohemia, they arrived at Prague, were awed by the beauty and self-assurance of this magnificent city, and left it unscathed.

Riding the loooooong escalator down to the metro, with our tour group.
Riding the loooooong escalator down to the metro, with our tour group.

The fanciest cobblestones we've seen so far.
The fanciest cobblestones we’ve seen so far.

This butcher shop belongs to a nearby Michelin 3-star restaurant, but you can get lunch here for a pittance.
This butcher shop belongs to a nearby Michelin 3-star restaurant, but you can get lunch here for a pittance.

Prague is big. It’s also hilly. With only one full day to explore its treasures, Karel and I decided to give e-bikes a try. These are just like regular bicycles, except they’re equipped with an electric motor that kicks in when you start pedaling. It has a range of about 50 km (30 miles) and you can zip up those hills without breaking a sweat. E-bike tours and rentals are a relatively new, undiscovered phenomenon in European cities. Also, the weather was a bit rainy, which meant we lucked out and had to share our two knowledgeable tour guides with just one other tourist. We zipped from monument to palace to church, up through parks, and down through the old quarter, while our guides regaled us with stories of history, vanity, and day-to-day life. It was exhilarating!

The Charles Bridge is lined with troubadors. This man played Vivaldi using water-filled crystal goblets.
The Charles Bridge is lined with troubadors. This man played Vivaldi using water-filled crystal goblets.

The astrological clock. It still works, and shows a sophisticated understanding of mathematics for the times.
The astrological clock. It still works, and shows a sophisticated understanding of mathematics for the times.

One of the funnier stories (not precisely true, but who cares? It’s quintessentially Czech) concerned the concert hall. Atop the building were large statues of famous composers. During the Nazi occupation, it came to the attention of the German officers that one of the statues was that of Felix Mendelssohn who, although converted to Christianity later in life, was born of a prominent Jewish family. The commanding officer ordered some Czech workers to take the statue down. But which statue was Mendelssohn? The workers took a break for lunch and discussed the question over a few beers. After considerable debate and consumption of alcohol, they concluded that the statue of a Jew must obviously be the one with the biggest nose. They carefully measured each nose, and removed the winner with alacrity. The only problem was, the statue they removed was that of Richard Wagner, Hitler’s favorite composer. Oh, those smiling devils!

The exuberant Czech sense of humor is on full display in the souvenir shops.
The exuberant Czech sense of humor is on full display in the souvenir shops.

The enormous, Communist-era TV tower was voted the 2nd ugliest building in the world. But what are those little dark spots crawling over it?
The enormous, Communist-era TV tower was voted the 2nd ugliest building in the world. But what are those little dark spots crawling over it?

The Barcode Baby. A bunch of these bizarre, sardonic sculptures adorn the detested TV tower that looms over the city.
The Barcode Baby. A bunch of these bizarre, sardonic sculptures adorn the detested TV tower that looms over the city.

In Prague, even the mannequins drink too much.
In Prague, even the mannequins drink too much.

You see that diabolical sense of humor everywhere you go. Be sure to check out the photo gallery for some great examples. And here, for your edification, is a lesson in design derived from my direct observations of the art and architecture of this great city:

  1. You deserve immortality! Never miss an opportunity to create a memorial to yourself (even if you’re basically a nobody who happened to be in the right place at the right time). Put your name or image out there!
  2. Leave no surface undecorated! If you can’t afford gilt, use marble. If you can’t afford to carve it, paint it. Wherever possible, apply rule #1.
  3. You can never have too many chandeliers.

We stumbled upon a pub in the early 16th-century home of a famous alchemist. Note the food sculpture on the left.
We stumbled upon a pub in the early 16th-century home of a famous alchemist. Note the food sculpture on the left.

If you can't carve it, paint it.
If you can’t carve it, paint it.

Leave no surface undecorated.
Leave no surface undecorated.

You can never have too many chandeliers.
You can never have too many chandeliers.

If ever there was a major city I could love, Prague is the one.

This entry was posted in Vacation 2014: Europe
Share

Related Posts

  • Embracing the Montenegrin Way

    August 25, 2014May 28, 2016
  • Senseless Acts

    August 22, 2014May 28, 2016
  • Name: Sarajevo – Relationship Status: It’s Complicated

    August 21, 2014May 28, 2016

Post navigation

  Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life
Enchanted Kingdom  

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

seven + three =

Archives

  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2015
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • October 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • September 2012

Meta

  • Log in

Previous posts


© Karel Zuiderveld and Denise Cote. All Rights Reserved.
en English
nl Nederlandsen Englishfr Françaisde Deutschit Italianopt Portuguêses Españolsw Kiswahilisv Svenskath ไทย