Czech Republic

Photographed and presented by Jair (Yair) Moreshet, 2008

Music: W. A. Mozart, Clarinet Trio in E Flat Major, K. 498, Allegro

Historical monumental Prague: The Old Town square as observed from the Old Town Hall tower

Old Town Hall, the very heart of historical romantic Prague

Old Town Hall, a crowd of tourists await the hourly “show” of the old astronomical clock

The Spanish Synagogue is named for its beautiful Moorish style.It has an exhibition about the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia, both under the Austrian Empire and in the independent Czechoslovakia.

The exhibition shows the Jews’ contributions to the general culture, the science, and the state, and their fate under the Nazis.

The Jewish quarter: Just an apartment building

The old dense Jewish cemetery, the final resting place of the 16th century scholar and philosopher Rabbi Loew (“Maharal”), who created the legendary Golem of Prague. The mighty (but dumb) Golem was presumably capable of defending the Jewish community from a pogrom.

The Hebrew term and the notion of “Golem” propagated to European cultures and in modern technology it stands for powerful but dumb man-created mechanisms -- Robots and Computers.

Prague: The Castle District and the Lower Town

The medieval Charles Bridge and the Old Town

A permanent stream of tourists flock across the medieval Charles Bridge

This Crucifix is the oldest of the many Baroque statues decorating the medieval Charles Bridge. The Hebrew words in gold mean “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord”

The gate to the Lower Town from the Charles Bridge

Trumpeters on the gate to the Lower Town welcoming the tourists

Prague, the Castle District: St. Vitus’s Cathedral

Castle District: The picturesque “Golden Lane” was built originally for the guards of the Prague Castle and became home to artists and writers, Franz Kafka among them.

Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad), the historic elegant spa resort town

The medieval town of Loket

Ceske Budejovice (Budweis):

One of the beautiful buildings surrounding the town square

Ceske Budejovice: Town Hall on the town square (the biggest square in the country)

The picturesque and “juicy” castle city of Cesky Krumlov has preserved its medieval identity as no other town in the region. It is on the UNESCO list of world heritage.

The medieval town of Telč

Olomouc is the capital of Moravia and its oldest town.

The Holy Trinity Column Baroque monument on the main square is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

Olomouc: The Church of the Virgin Mary of the Snow

Olomouc: The Romanesque Bishop’s Palace (Přemyslid Palace)

Olomouc: St. Wenceslas cathedral