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Prague, At The Heart Of Europe - Documentary — Transcript

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0:00[Music]
1:01equidistant from the North Sea and the
1:02Mediterranean in the very heart of the
1:04European continent lies the former
1:07Czechoslovakia it split into two states
1:09and the Czech Republic became
1:11independent in 1993 with Prague as its
1:15capital Prague is part of bohemia a
1:18geographical and historical entity whose
1:20Origins go back to the Middle Ages an
1:22extraordinary Heritage is the pride of
1:25this country which today is modernized
1:28and which for a long time was the only
1:29democ democracy in Central
1:33Europe in one of the richest Urban
1:35regions of Europe the city of prag has
1:37stood for over a thousand years on the
1:39banks of the river
1:41[Music]
1:46vava the castle and the cathedral
1:48Overlook the town and the river is
1:50crossed by a great number of bridges
1:52like the famous Charles
1:55bridge the continental climate is
1:57sometimes extreme in a town which seems
1:59to huddle beneath its
2:02roofs Prague is laid out to a complex
2:05typically medieval Street plan from
2:07which dozens of churches reach
2:10skywards a characteristic which has
2:12given rise to the name the city of a 100
2:16spires at the crossroads of various
2:19European routs and of many different
2:20influences the town's architecture is
2:22very eclectic and the Barack rubs
2:25shoulders with a bold
2:27avangard Prague in fact has put on many
2:30different faces during its
2:32[Music]
2:35history the face of the Nazis appeared
2:37in 1938 and stayed until the end of the
2:39second world
2:44war the face of Soviet communism at that
2:48time it was compulsory to learn Russian
2:49at
2:52school for 40 years and almost without
2:54interruption society and the life of the
2:56whole country were dominated by Big
2:58Brother Russia
3:04a gigantic Monument was raised to the
3:06glory of
3:08Stalin a glory that turned out to be
3:10quite
3:12ephemeral the face of a brief Revolution
3:15crushed by Moscow the Soviet
3:17intervention was felt here like a brutal
3:20assault the face of dashed hopes and
3:23then freedom in
3:251989 a giant metronome erected on the
3:28plinth of the stalinium monument
3:30measures the passing of time and of
3:33[Music]
3:35regimes only the Haggard faces of the
3:37victims remain in
3:40place today the values of Communism are
3:43laughed
3:43[Music]
3:46at the Czech Republic has 10 million
3:48inhabitants and one/ tenth of the
3:50nation's population are in the
3:53capital it's a population heavily
3:55influenced by Western culture we are
3:58very happy
4:00[Music]
4:09Czech culture is present on every stage
4:12it's expressed in the street and in the
4:14most prestigious places but wherever
4:17that culture takes shape it does so in a
4:19mixture of styles genres and
4:24periods culture in the city of Prague is
4:26born by illustrious
4:28names France Kafka is one of them and is
4:32certainly one of the major writers of
4:33the 20th
4:36century another great name of Czech
4:38culture is exhibited in the museum
4:40devoted to him alons
4:43mha he used a special technique he
4:46photographed his many models including
4:48his wife before painting them very true
4:50to
4:51life his portraits form a seductive
4:54Encyclopedia of feminine Elegance at the
4:56end of the 19th century
5:01mha became famous in Paris first in
5:06print with his sweeping lines mha is one
5:08of the Prime exponents of
5:10[Music]
5:14aruo art is everywhere in Prague and
5:17with the freedom to express itself on
5:19all subjects and in every medium
5:21artistic creation gives the city a real
5:24personality the provocative sculptor
5:27David Cherney can even deride his
5:29country by casting in bronze his very
5:31personal
5:32[Music]
5:36opinions yes art is
5:39everywhere it disrupts proportions and
5:41changes
5:43perspectives but the finest example of
5:45artistic Vitality is provided by the
5:48architecture the town was spared the
5:50massive destruction of the second world
5:52war and so a remarkable Heritage has
5:55survived
5:57intact through the history of its
5:59architecture all the great periods are
6:01represented in prague's carefully
6:02preserved
6:04buildings moreover the town planning
6:07decisions taken were never too risky the
6:10result brings out a Harmony in spite of
6:12the differences
6:25[Music]
6:31religious faiths also Express themselves
6:33in a country where religious practice is
6:34the weakest in
6:36Europe which doesn't prevent the
6:38diversity of
6:39[Music]
6:42worship the Czechs are Keener on
6:44practicing the religion of sport in
6:47Prague alone there are two great clubs
6:48that spark people's passion Sparta and
6:51slavia are of course rivals
6:55[Music]
7:04public transport starts running very
7:07early there are even some trams that run
7:09all
7:13night it's even better to take the metro
7:15if you want to get around it's quick and
7:18simple in Prague more people use the
7:21Metro than any other form of transport
7:27[Music]
7:31the town looks after its colors it looks
7:34after its Heritage and its equipment
7:36even at
7:37[Music]
7:42night the capital gets very little rest
7:45bite because it exerts a very strong
7:46force of attraction over the whole
7:48country Prague is a very busy Crossroads
7:51for traffic and everything is done to
7:53discourage vehicles from coming into the
7:55historic Center which is often snarled
7:57up
7:58[Music]
8:074 million tourists visit Prague every
8:10year a figure that is rising and is
8:12equal to four times the town's
8:14population this is an influx that
8:16justifies the determination to give the
8:18Streets back to The Pedestrian it also
8:21explains the success of alternative
8:22means of transport
8:25[Music]
8:31the city respects its past and is
8:33renovating it very successfully it even
8:35gives a new life to some real National
8:38Legends Vladimir kic this car this car
8:42this original model scoda was built in
8:451931 and this car is an original
8:50[Music]
8:56model the vava is the vital artery in
9:00Prague indeed very early on the town
9:02grew on both sides of the river it made
9:05it possible to trade with the outside
9:07world it's an affluent of the elb that
9:09flows into the North
9:10[Music]
9:15Sea fed by water from the river a
9:17man-made Canal flows into the
9:20[Music]
9:25town the Mills were used for grinding
9:28corn
9:31at first people had to cross the river
9:33by a Ford the first Bridge the Charles
9:36bridge was built in the 14th century and
9:38for four centuries was the town's only
9:41[Music]
9:43Bridge the bridge is always swarming
9:46with visitors this is the price of
9:48success for such a symbolic place that
9:50is known and recognized throughout the
9:52world
9:54[Music]
10:07there are Street vendors and artists of
10:09every kind on the Charles
10:12bridge here imagination and relaxation
10:15are the order of the day
10:17[Music]
10:36touching some of the Bronze Statues
10:38brings good
10:40[Music]
10:47luck the Charles bridge was a strategic
10:50point in
10:51Prague at each end there's a Gothic
10:54tower that guarded the access to the
10:55bridge
11:03from the tops of the towers there's an
11:04uninterrupted view of the town's
11:07[Music]
11:13rooftops on w/ Square everyone stops to
11:17look at the equestrian statue of the
11:19famous Duke of bohemia he is highly
11:21venerated by the checks assassinated by
11:24his own brother he was the country's
11:26first martyr
11:29[Music]
11:31Yan palak also died a martyr this is
11:35where he set fire to himself in protest
11:37against the Soviet invasion in
11:391969 he was
11:41[Music]
11:4621 wesl square is lined with buildings
11:49offering a surprising mixture of
11:51architectural Styles the square that was
11:54once a horse Market has become a highly
11:56important Heritage Center
12:00[Music]
12:04the town's architecture encourages
12:06various
12:07vocations but there are other reasons
12:09for the diversity of
12:10styles Michelle cut teaches architecture
12:14Architects and uh Builders coming from
12:17different also from different regions of
12:19Europe we have people coming from France
12:22uh like matash from of Aras uh we have
12:26we were we had Builders um coming from
12:29Germany we had Builders coming from a
12:32lot there was an influx con constant
12:34influx of people coming from Italy so
12:37you have many many influences
12:40here wesl square is sometimes compared
12:43to the
12:44Sha it's almost a kilometer long and is
12:47indeed more like an Avenue than a
12:53square near the square people of the
12:55high society used to frequent the Luca
12:57Palace a masterpiece of late AR nuuvo
13:00from the first half of the 20th century
13:03covered arcades were very much in Vogue
13:06it was designed in its entirety by the
13:08architect grandfather of VAV havl the
13:10great Czech writer and
13:14Statesman in towns that were built in
13:17the Middle Ages the dimensions of the
13:18streets are sometimes
13:21surprising pedestrians are warned before
13:23entering the narrowest street in
13:25[Music]
13:27Prague it's not possible for two
13:29pedestrians to pass each other you have
13:31to alternate the traffic and ask for
13:34permission to go
13:37[Music]
13:44through behind the renovated facade of
13:46our former Barracks an ultramodern
13:48commercial center has been
13:50built preserving the historical Heritage
13:53while at the same time modernizing the
13:55town is one of the major preoccupations
13:57of town planners like everywhere else
13:59commercial centers are mushrooming in
14:02[Music]
14:18Prague contemporary architecture looks
14:21for new
14:22[Music]
14:26lines in the Carlin District some bu
14:29buildings have opted for the slim
14:31[Music]
14:32[Applause]
14:36[Music]
14:41line back to the values of the
14:44[Music]
14:49country the old industrial suburb has
14:52today taken on the appearance of a small
14:54provincial
14:55[Music]
14:57town with its fresh produce the carlen
15:00market also offers many articles of
15:02craft
15:02[Music]
15:05work all the flavors of the Czech
15:07Countryside and traditional recipes are
15:09found on the
15:10stores this is the chance to taste food
15:13that is quite
15:15unusual I'm selling pumpkins and the
15:18soup of pumpkins very good very healthy
15:22do you know what is it reddish Chinese
15:26reddish very aphrodiziac
15:28[Music]
15:32meat and shakery have a very important
15:35place in the diet of the Czech people
15:37pork is prepared with many different
15:41sources this is a pork turnover it's
15:44grilled pork with sourkraut in a potato
15:48pancake it's far from light but it is so
15:54good in the pastry line the Czechs also
15:56have a vast repertoire even their
15:59Austrian and Hungarian neighbors have
16:00borrowed a few ideas from
16:03them for regulars at the Caren Market
16:07Grandma's good old recipes are the most
16:09sought
16:10[Music]
16:12after these are traditional cakes made
16:15from magdalina dor ROV
16:18recipes you have to prepare the yeast
16:20first and then the dough which you allow
16:22to rise four times
16:26[Music]
16:40it's difficult to keep your figure in
16:41Prague and curves can follow the
16:44creative
16:45urge the dancers Fred AER and Ginger
16:48Rogers inspired the dancing
16:50[Music]
16:56house speaking of celebrities Beethoven
16:59lived on Knights of Malta Square the
17:02famous Soldier monks owned a prior there
17:04in the middle of the 12th
17:06[Music]
17:12century in the Middle Ages Merchants
17:15were already well established in the
17:17arcades today artists and Craftsmen
17:19carry on the tradition
17:24[Music]
17:35[Music]
17:41in Prague art is also in the
17:44street on one of the walls of the grand
17:46prior Square an anonymous artist drew
17:49the portrait of John lenon shortly after
17:51his death in
17:521980 the pacifist ideas of the famous
17:55Beetle didn't please the Communist
17:57authorities and the portrait was
17:59erased but it very soon
18:02reappeared every time it was erased it
18:04reappeared straight
18:05away since then things have changed and
18:09the wall is permanently covered with
18:10messages of Tolerance love and Liberty
18:15[Music]
18:17[Applause]
18:31the town is Rich with symbols and people
18:34in love adore them a little bridge over
18:37the canal is one such symbol Prague is a
18:40romantic town it's also a photogenic
18:43town and many places lend themselves to
18:46daydreaming the town has inspired many
18:49artists painters musicians writers and
18:52film
18:56directors Prague is open to artistic
18:58Creation in all Fields marionette
19:01theater has an important place it's a
19:04medium for the national language a whole
19:06different aspect of culture Sara
19:09aova so marionet has a very long history
19:13because when in history was two people
19:18poor they take a piece of wood and carve
19:22some marionet and play the performance
19:25or sell them the marionettes are made
19:28from a variety of very different
19:31materials these marionet are made
19:34from more
19:36material one of the material is wood or
19:40plaster or the
19:42keramic and uh they are very difficult
19:45to make in a carpentry Workshop the
19:48tools can also be turned to different
19:50uses Martin Rosa makes
19:54marionettes it's a profession but it's
19:56also his passion I mean it's it's really
19:59different because for example the small
20:02ones it's this small dead
20:05Joker or dead Pinocchio for example or
20:10even a life Pinocchio and then I also
20:13make life Joker so I can make six piece
20:17a week but uh I mean it depends of
20:19course there are Mar un that take you
20:21two weeks to make this the big ones and
20:24it's difficult mechanism to move and uh
20:27like for professional
20:29[Music]
20:31playing you can see many different
20:34characters but the most popular
20:36character is a Jester because it's a
20:41character or person who started every
20:45performance and introduce the
20:49[Music]
20:55[Applause]
20:55[Music]
20:57show don't Giovani the famous opera has
21:00been a success as a marionette show
21:02since
21:031991
21:07fova the marionette theater is an
21:09ancient tradition in Czech countries and
21:12it dates back to the time of the Czech
21:13National
21:16Revival it exists everywhere in the
21:18Czech Republic the world premier of
21:20donovani directed by Mozart himself took
21:23place here in Prague at the state's
21:25theater just near here and in 1990
21:29they had the idea of putting on a
21:30shortened version with
21:34[Music]
21:35[Applause]
21:37[Music]
21:41[Applause]
21:43[Music]
21:49marionet we have a school that
21:51specializes in the art of the
21:53marionette it's the higher School of
21:55alternative art and the Art of the
21:57marionette
22:00I got my diploma there there's also the
22:03academy of performing
22:11[Music]
22:25arts rhythms and costumes from elsewhere
22:30where this Sunday the island of kampa is
22:33unusually
22:35Lively some are concentrating on the
22:38Exotic and others on local
22:41Traditions from the region called horat
22:44which is sou part of Moravia it gathers
22:49together 10 small
22:50villages Moravia is a region in the east
22:53of the country
22:55[Music]
23:09[Music]
23:16many Moravian folk groups were created
23:18during the Communist era it was a way of
23:20conserving Traditions but also of
23:22upholding the regional identity
23:25[Applause]
23:27[Music]
23:33[Applause]
23:37at the bottom of wesla square Craftsmen
23:40are keeping up other
23:45Traditions the trdelnik of Scala is a
23:47pastry cooked on a spit and spiced with
23:51cinnamon blacksmiths beat medieval
23:55coins today is the 28th of September the
23:58Czech People's National Day It's s Wes
24:02day he was the country's first king and
24:04they pay tribute to him with festivities
24:06dating from his time you mustn't forget
24:08to polish the horse's Hooves everything
24:10has to be perfect down to the Last
24:13[Music]
24:19Detail the King has come to make sure
24:22the people enjoy
24:24themselves everyone going to have a good
24:26time in Prague today we're going to play
24:28for you to entertain
24:31[Music]
24:37you st vlas was the Duke of bohemia but
24:42above all was the country's patron
24:44[Music]
24:45saint why is he so well known well he
24:49did so much for the country and for his
24:51people that's also why he was canonized
24:58[Music]
25:01whenl reigned in the 10th
25:04Century the checks uphold his memory
25:07with Recreations that are very realistic
25:12[Music]
25:32near the town another historical
25:34Recreation is more like a Hollywood
25:36super
25:38production for the young and old the
25:41show attracts an audience that's mad
25:43keen on history and that loves piping
25:45hot
25:46telic a great battle is about to take
25:49place Martin
25:53chilinski everything is ready for the
25:55reenactment of the battle you've also
25:57organized big Market with a lot of
25:59entertainment all around
26:01it there are more than 800 people taking
26:03part from all over Europe who play the
26:06artillery the Cavalry the Infantry more
26:08than 250
26:10Musketeers and there are also a lot of
26:12explosive
26:18effects after the blessing hostilities
26:21may
26:22commence they are reenacting the Battle
26:24of white mountain in the 17th century in
26:26which Catholics who had sided with the
26:28Emperor of Germany fought against Czech
26:36Protestants the victory of the German
26:39Catholics put an end to the independence
26:40of
26:41bohemia it was the start of the terrible
26:4430 Years
26:52War a historic defeat for the Czechs but
26:55today a huge popular success
26:58[Applause]
27:01yes I think that in the Czech Republic
27:03historical reenactments are quite
27:05popular as is history in
27:07general because of their geographical
27:10position the Czech regions have always
27:11been at the heart of Europe they've
27:14literally seen history march across
27:16their land many times there was the 30
27:18Years War and many other
27:21conflicts it's also an opportunity to
27:23remember the part that France played in
27:25the history of
27:27Europe
27:29[Music]
27:36[Music]
27:45foree
27:47spee spee
27:50[Music]
28:02entry to Golden Lane is regulated
28:04because so many people flock here to
28:06walk down this well-known tiny Street in
28:08Old
28:10Prague originally the very small houses
28:12were reserved for the king's guards but
28:15they have since had many different
28:16tenants including some celebrities
28:19France Kafka lived at number
28:2322 golden Lane owes its name to the
28:26Alchemists who used to live there they
28:28were seeking the secret of the
28:29Philosopher's Stone for the king and how
28:31to change lead into
28:34[Music]
28:39gold the Protestant leaders beaten in
28:41the Battle of White Mountain were
28:43executed on the Old Town Square One of
28:45the major historical sites in
28:49Prague the square and the adjacent
28:51streets are also a veritable collection
28:53of architectural
28:56gems the tower of the former Town Hall
28:59has housed a remarkable astronomical
29:01clock since the 15th
29:04century Prague was a multicultural City
29:07and three different times were
29:09shown Bohemian time German time and
29:13Babylonian
29:15time every hour different characters
29:18come to life around the
29:20[Music]
29:21clock and at the top behind two windows
29:25the 12 apostles walk by with their
29:27symbols
29:29after they were burnt at the end of the
29:30second world war the wooden statues were
29:33replaced Antonin
29:36baloon actually in the medieval times
29:38each City used to have one astronomical
29:42clock this is the prag clock and in the
29:45medieval times each person was able to
29:48read the symbolism of the clock although
29:51nowadays it's kind of
29:54difficult nearby you can enter the
29:56buildings of the former Town Hall
29:59the old Town's Independence was
30:01recognized from the 13th
30:03century the district where mainly
30:05wealthy merchants and upper middle
30:07classes lived kept its autonomy for five
30:19centuries on the Town Hall's Clock Tower
30:22a Trumpeter sounds the
30:24hour this is a tradition that's come
30:26straight down from the Middle Ages
30:33many in those days people didn't have
30:37watches so with the trumpet they could
30:39know what time it was 1:00 2:00
30:44[Music]
30:483:00 there are plenty of landmarks on
30:51the Square like the Prague Meridian
30:53drawn on the ground
30:56[Music]
30:59the Old Town Square is the place where
31:01all events take place whether they are
31:03joyful or more
31:05[Music]
31:08momentous there are several historic
31:10monuments around the square it's a
31:12continuous procession through history
31:14from one to the
31:15[Music]
31:23other to protect its wealth Prague was
31:26fortified
31:29access was only possible through Gates
31:31like the powder
31:39tower inside various collector's items
31:42seem to have come straight out of
31:44medieval
31:46times the powder gate is an important
31:49vestage of the past it was in fact very
31:52close to the Palace of the kings of
31:54bohemia but this is no longer there
32:00the Catholic Church used various methods
32:02in the fight against Protestant
32:06Reform one of the most spectacular was
32:08Barac
32:10art St Nicholas church is the finest
32:12example in
32:15Prague in the mastana district Barack is
32:18triumphant here we're a long way from
32:20the austerity of the
32:22Protestants St Nicholas church is
32:24considered to be one of the great
32:25successes of Barack and religious AR
32:27architecture in Europe organ concerts
32:30set the
32:32[Music]
32:45tone the richness of the decor and the
32:48refinement are also very visible in a
32:50rather fashionable
32:52Street Paris
32:55Street it's an appointment with Elegance
32:58the City of Gold lives up to its name in
33:00this District that is devoted to luxury
33:03[Music]
33:17shopping France Kafka was born in the
33:20center of
33:21Prague a museum has been set up in his
33:24memory here you can discover the life
33:27and work of an author who published very
33:29little during his lifetime indeed he had
33:32asked one of his friends to destroy all
33:34his
33:34manuscripts cfco wrote in German because
33:37at that time his country was part of the
33:39austr Hungarian
33:43Empire his complex relationships with
33:46women and his conflicts with his father
33:48had a great influence on a body of work
33:50where the individual is crushed by
33:52overwhelming forces
33:58an absurd and Anonymous world where man
34:01remains forever misunderstood and
34:03finally
34:04excluded you cannot visit the Prague of
34:07Kafka because that is a town that
34:09existed only in his
34:15[Music]
34:20mind kfka was Jewish and his community
34:23is one of the oldest in
34:25Europe the presence of Jews in in the
34:27city has been recorded since the 9th
34:30century and nine centuries later Prague
34:33was to become the biggest Jewish town in
34:35the Christian world but the Jewish
34:38District that kfka knew has changed a
34:40lot the old ghetto has virtually
34:42disappeared destroyed at the beginning
34:44of the 20th century for reasons of
34:47[Music]
34:49hygiene the Spanish synagogue takes its
34:52inspiration from moish
34:54architecture it shows the diversity of
34:56cultures within the same Jewish
34:59Community very early on Jews were
35:01obliged to identify themselves by
35:03wearing a distinctive sign but contrary
35:06to popular belief the Nazis did not
35:09invent the infamous yellow star it
35:11already existed here in the middle of
35:13the 16th
35:25century in the pinka synagogue the walls
35:28are covered with many many
35:30names there are almost 880,000 of them
35:33they are the names of all the country's
35:35Jews who fell victim to the
35:39Nazis nearby is the old Jewish
35:42cemetery there are thousands of
35:44tombstones in a small
35:46area because of the lack of space the
35:49tombs are very close to each other and
35:51are sometimes even piled
35:54up burials have been banned since the
35:56end of the 18th Cent
35:58[Music]
36:19Century Prague castle at the top of the
36:22harad chani hill reserves a musical
36:24welcome for visitors
36:31[Applause]
36:33[Music]
36:43all the national leaders Dukes Kings
36:46Emperors and presidents have had their
36:47headquarters in the
36:50castle it is a prestigious place and one
36:53that commands respect especially during
36:56The Changing of the Guard
37:03[Music]
37:07this is a high Precision exercise that
37:09happens every
37:11hour the uniforms were designed by the
37:13Wardrobe Master of the famous Czech film
37:15director Milos foran
37:17[Music]
37:24[Music]
37:29Prague Castle is a vast complex where
37:31buildings of different styles and works
37:33of art are brought together on a hill
37:35overlooking the
37:37town the site is easy to defend and has
37:40been inhabited since the dawn of
37:44[Music]
37:49time within the walls of the castle
37:51stands the St guy Cathedral a
37:53masterpiece of gothic
37:55art it took nearly six centuries to
37:59build while Romanesque art was trying to
38:02impress and frighten the faithful gothic
38:04art sought to seduce and educate them
38:06through historical or biblical
38:09scenes the sculptures as well as the
38:12very high stained glass windows all have
38:14a dactic
38:15[Music]
38:21function two historical characters are
38:23buried in the
38:26cathedral the holy king wlas and in a
38:29solid silver tomb sent John nepom musin
38:32who was martyred because he had
38:34protected the king's
38:36[Music]
38:38wife the castle stretches for nearly 600
38:41M and is one of the biggest in the
38:44world below the castle tribute is paid
38:47to the architect who designed the
38:48Sumptuous
38:49Gardens the garden was originally a
38:52shooting
38:53range but came to be used for holding
38:55open air receptions
39:00[Music]
39:01here there's a presentation of birds of
39:03prey that live in the Czech forests
39:05there are some very useful daytime and
39:07nocturnal
39:09[Music]
39:10Predators this is a very beautiful tonny
39:14owl it's my
39:18[Music]
39:20favorite we can only touch it
39:22here because all the birds of
39:25prey and the owls
39:28also have a special powder which is
39:34impermeable Prague Castle is also well
39:37known for its
39:38Vineyard the nature of the soil the
39:41slope and the exposition are perfectly
39:43suited to the vine which has been grown
39:45here since the 10th Century Two grape
39:48varieties are grown a white and a
39:50red the red is a Pinon NOA from France
39:59originally The Grapes were used to make
40:01communion wine for the churches of
40:05Prague today the local wine has many
40:12supporters the petrine hill is a Haven
40:14of greenery in the middle of the
40:16Town a funicular Railway goes up to the
40:20summit the apparatus was installed at
40:22the end of the 19th century but it has
40:24been renovated several times
40:30[Music]
40:36the funicular partly owes its success to
40:39the amateur astronomers who like the
40:40remote open spot to carry out their
40:42nighttime
40:50observations a metal tower has been
40:52erected at the summit a smaller copy of
40:55the Eiffel Tower but the people of
40:57Prague say that by adding the height of
40:59the hill to their Tower they beat the
41:01height of the Tower in
41:04[Music]
41:09Paris the zizov district has given its
41:12name to another
41:13Tower huge crawling babies have been
41:16added by of course the sculptor David
41:20Cherney the artist is omnipresent in
41:22Prague with quite often provocative
41:24works but their humor provokes smiles
41:27more than
41:34disapproval the zizov tower is used for
41:36telecommunications and affords a
41:38panoramic view of the city it dates from
41:41the 1980s during the Soviet
41:44period at that time people complained
41:46that it spoiled the view of the
41:47landscape but they eventually got used
41:49to it they also finally adopted the
41:52great chubby cheeked
41:54babies Luciana
41:58at the beginning the babies were put
42:00there as an experiment to see how the
42:02public would react and as they were
42:05quite popular it was decided to leave
42:07them there
42:08permanently it was Mr Cherney who
42:11created them who had the idea of putting
42:13them on the television
42:19Tower another peculiarity is the one
42:22room hotel that has been created in the
42:25tower it's a good idea to make a
42:30reservation to come back down to earth
42:32is not far and is easily accomplished by
42:38[Music]
42:44Metro both day and night life in Prague
42:48is intense the black theater is a check
42:51tradition it was invented in the
42:531950s it's a mixture of traditional
42:56theater ballet
42:57mime and optical illusion
43:03[Music]
43:19[Music]
43:29the optical effects lead The Spectator
43:31into a world of fantasy that's full of
43:34[Music]
43:37surprises this kind of show exists
43:40elsewhere in the world but it's in the
43:42Czech Republic that we took out a patent
43:46on what we call the
43:47line that underlines the Contour and
43:50gives form to the subject
43:53[Music]
44:00at the end of the show the artists
44:02reveal to the audience the techniques
44:04they
44:05use it's a simple but effective way of
44:08creating dreams
44:13[Music]
44:14[Applause]
44:15[Music]
44:18[Applause]
44:18[Music]
44:19[Applause]
44:22[Music]
44:28[Applause]
44:30[Music]
44:37Prague has a feeling for entertainment
44:40Czech theater is intimately linked to
44:42the country's identity it's even one of
44:44its
44:45emblems after all the Statesman VAV
44:48haral was first known as a
44:50[Music]
44:54playwright on the Prague stage dancing
44:57is so exuberant that it spills out onto
44:59the
45:03[Applause]
45:05[Music]
45:22streets the concert halls in Prague have
45:25received the greatest Czech composers
45:26like vak and
45:29SMA monuments of the music world have
45:31come in person to conduct their
45:34Works Richard Strauss Gustaf Mala and
45:37Mozart
45:39himself the Italian jpe Verde never went
45:42to Prague but his Rigoletto always
45:45features in the operatic repertoire
45:52[Music]
45:55[Applause]
45:55[Music]
46:11[Applause]
46:26when nightfalls on Wes Square the show
46:28is in the
46:30street in a set composed of gems of
46:33architecture street performers Step Into
46:36the Spotlight
46:57in the area around the square there's no
46:58shortage of places to be entertained
47:01beer flows freely and sometimes the
47:04pumps are set up on the
47:06tables the Czechs are said to be the
47:08greatest beer drinkers in the world and
47:10beer is part of their
47:13culture beer was brewed in this country
47:15before the year 1000 and the industry
47:18produced most of the income for the
47:20towns it is said that here ordinary beer
47:23costs less than water some is a part of
47:27the National Heritage Lis love visit it
47:31chech Republic because it's it's a old
47:34this is a very old establishment and we
47:36used old
47:38technology like old barrels such as
47:41these and fermentation Vats made of
47:45oak I think it's interesting because
47:48nobody uses this technique
47:50anymore except perhaps a very few
47:53breweries
47:59[Music]
48:04the bars try to outdo each other with
48:06ways to attract the customer here you
48:09get served by an electric
48:12[Applause]
48:25train not only does the train bring the
48:28full glasses it takes away the
48:32[Music]
48:42[Music]
48:47empties as a throwback to the Soviet era
48:50there are always fans of Cuban music
48:59but the revolution is a thing of the
49:01past and now Prague drinks to the icons
49:04of Communism and forgetting
49:07[Music]
49:17them the Soviet era is part of the
49:20scenery it's now seen as ancient history
49:30[Music]
49:34night is almost endless in Prague and
49:36there are plenty of places to live it to
49:38the
49:39[Music]
49:51full as for music the town does it on a
49:55big scale
50:00[Music]
50:05w/ Square 1:00 in the morning it's the
50:08moment to relax to a little jazz
50:14[Music]
50:28even in the middle of the night the town
50:30Bears the marks of its long
50:32history in the soft light all the ages
50:36seem to
50:38blend but Prague will always follow the
50:41course of its River as it reflects the
50:44very heart of
50:55Europe e
51:09[Music]
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