Prague Art and History Author:Tim Porter Prague is a city of the unexpected. Rich in mythology, one only has to stand in the middle of Charles Bridge at dead of night amongst the moon shadows cast by the early Gothic bridge towers and Baroque statues to appreciate something of the special atmosphere of the place. Despite her turbulent history, which has seen her placed on more than one... more » occasion at the burning edge of ideological frictions, Prague has emerged with the main fabric of her architectural wealth intact. From Mala Strana, with its cobbled squares lined with the Baroque palaces of the illustrious elite, throught the tortuous meanderings of the alleys flowing amongst the Gothic market squares of Staromestske, to the looming shadows of Hradcancy Castle that raises St. Vitus skyward like a chalice held aloft to the heavens, there is always something of interest close at hand. As the swans glide past on the wide waters of the Vltava, over the ripppling reflections of turrets and domes, or skeins of mist drape themselves between her seven hills to be punctured by spires and steelples, Prague challenges us to know the unknowable. [Introduction]« less