Accompanying Persons Tours

Day 1 :  11 September, 2017 afternoon

Circular ride through Prague by historical tram with sightseeing of significant
Prague monuments. www.visitpraha.cz/en

Both historical events and the artistic efforts of preceding generations have left traces that have formed modern Prague. The majestic Prague Castle with St. Vitus’s Cathedral towering above the town has been the main iconic location and the seat of Czech rulers from pre-Christian times to today. Here you will find fascinating Lesser Town and rich Old Town Gothic houses with Romanesque cellars – often concealed behind Baroque facades – and proud palaces with gardens which are complemented by monumental churches that have preserved numerous spiritual and artistic treasures of the past. The town, situated on both sides of the river, was connected by the “Judith” Stone Bridge in the 11th century – its successor, the Charles Bridge, dates back to the middle of the 14th century. The ingenious layout of the New Town by Charles IV (1348) extended the contours of the centre to include areas that had only been sparsely and chaotically settled up to that time. The town was thus connected to the mythical Vyšehrad – a city stronghold that was in active use from the 11th to the 19th century. The medieval plan of the New Town was perfectly satisfactory for living until the second half of the 20 th century when Prague was becoming cramped with increased transportation needs. But the town had been spreading beyond the medieval fortifications since the 18th century. This is where Classicism and the 19th century meet modern architecture.

Belveder St. Nicolas Church

Welcome Reception

Day 2 :  12 September, 2017

1^st variant: Zbiroh Chateau, Lunch at the Chateau, Koněpruské Caves www.zbiroh.com/en

The Romanesque-Gothic castle Zbiroh emerges at the end of the 12th century as the oldest Czech aristocratic residence in Czech. The original part of the castle still dominates the oldest freestanding watchtower on our territory, hidden there is the deepest well in Europe and as a pearl of the castle part is here one of the oldest chapels in the country. Today’s form of grandeurs renaissance chateau Zbiroh gains at the very end of the 16th century, in the possession of Emperor Rudolf II. Habsburg.

Chateau and its scenic surroundings were in the past popular in the community of many prominent personalities. One of the most remarkable ones is undoubtedly Alfons Mucha, who lived at the castle for nearly 20 years and created here the entire Slav Epic.

Koněprusy caves www.jeskynecr.cz

Koněprusy Caves (in Czech: Koněpruské jeskyně) is a cave system in the heart of the limestone region known as Bohemian Karst, Czech Republic. It is located southwest of Prague, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south of Beroun in the Central Bohemian Region. With the length of 2 km (1.2 mi) and vertical range of 70 m (230 ft), it is the largest cave system in Bohemia.

2^nd variant:   The historic town of Kutná Hora

www.czechinspiration.cz/kutna-hora    www.myczechrepublic.com

A Brief History of Kutná Hora: Kutná Hora was settled as early as the 10th century but its development into a proper town dates back to the 13th century when silver was discovered in the area. Silver mining brought great wealth to the town. The royal mint was established in 1300 and Kutná Hora started producing the Prague groschen coins, thus becoming the second most important town in the Kingdom of Bohemia. Lots of building took place in the 14th century, including residential houses, churches, one of the country's most significant monasteries, and the majestic Church of St. Barbara.

Several fires damaged or destroyed many of Kutná Hora's buildings including the Sedlec Monastery during the Hussite wars in the 15th century. The town was quickly rebuilt thanks to its continuing income from silver mining. When the silver mines were depleted in the 16th century, Kutná Hora's wealth took a sharp decline as did the growth of the town. Many of its churches were later closed down or torn down in conjunction with emperor Joseph II's religious reform in the late 18th century. Kutná Hora's architecture is defined by these events.

Day 3 :  13 September, 2017, Technical/Cultural Tours

Technical Tour: Visit the Old WastewaterTreatment Plant in Bubeneč

The Old Waste Water Treatment Plant in Prague - Bubenec is an important document of the history of architecture, technology and water management. It was built between 1901 and 1906 as the last article of the systematic sewer network in Prague. Most of Prague's waste water was used to clean up until 1967, when a Central Wastewater Treatment Plant was put into operation near the Imperial Island. The sewer project and the design of the technical parameters of the sewage plant were developed by William Heerlein Lindley, a civil engineer of British descent.

Cultural Tour: Kuks Chateau and Hospital www.hospital-kuks.cz/en    

The Chateau Kuks with medieval Hospital was founded by Count František Antonín Špork at the beginning of the 18th century as a resting place for the retired soldiers, whom the order of merciful brethren cared for. It is an important Baroque monument, whose appearance was attended by artists of the world format: mainly architect Giovanni Batista Alliprandi and sculptor Matyas Bernard Braun. The Kuks Hospital is renowned for its monumental Church of the Holy Trinity, a cycle of wall paintings of the Dance Dance, allegories of Virtues and Vices, and one of the oldest pharmacies - U Pomegranate.

Day 4 :  14 September, 2017

Museum of the Capital City of Prague – Exhibition Praha Charles IV

www.en.muzeumprahy.cz

Prague of Charles IV - A Grandiose Building Site in Europe, in House at the Golden Ring.

This unique house with surviving fragments of Late Gothic mural paintings has been run by the City of Prague Museum since the spring of 2016. On 13 December 2016, the museum launched a permanent exhibition Prague of Charles IV – A Grandiose Building Site in Europe as part of the celebrations of the 700th anniversary of the birth of Charles IV. The exhibition focuses on urbanism of Prague and its changes during the 14th century, accentuating the rule of Charles IV and the House of Luxembourg.

Symposium Dinner