Last Saturday, our Welcome Centre group traded their weekend lie-ins for a guided walk through some of Prague's most scenic — and surprisingly story-packed — hilltop terrain.
Monika, our guide for the day, had a great way of making the familiar suddenly strange — in the best possible sense. She pointed out that the hills around Prague were once covered in vineyards, some of which we walked past. The district now called Vinohrady? Named after exactly that. A word you've heard a hundred times, and yet.
Passing through Písecká brána, Monika reminded us that this gate was once the actual entrance to Prague — everything beyond it was outside the city. Looking around at the urban sprawl stretching into the distance, it was easy to picture just how fast the metropolis exploded outward in the 20th century.
Up at the Castle District, we got a proper introduction to Jože Plečnik — the Slovenian architect hired by President Masaryk to redesign large parts of the complex during the interwar years. From monolithic obelisks to elegant courtyards, his clean, modern touch is everywhere once someone points it out.
We finished down at Malostranské náměstí, where our guide pointed out the building that hosted Czechoslovakia's very first television broadcast. Just another historical square at first glance, until suddenly it isn't.
A big thank you to Monika for making a Saturday morning feel like the best history class we never had, and to everyone who joined us and didn’t let the weather scare them away. We hope to see you at the next event!
