Dad instilled a love of historical remnants in me. As a child, he'd take me digging for arrowheads, scrounging in junk shops, wandering through museums and shopping in antique stores on a regular basis. Out of all the vestiges from the past that we've burrowed through, one of my favorite things is old postcards. Thus, you can imagine my elation when I found a website, http://www.old-prague.com, that has dozens of scans of timeworn cards, along with the histories of the buildings and streets featured on them. The site was created by a host of Prague City Museum workers, historians and photographic curators.
Here are some then-and-now comparisons of places we live near:
Then: The Faust House.
Owned in the 16th century by English alchemist E. Kelley and then by a scientist/chemist whom Dr. Faust may have been named after. It served as a Deaf and Dumb Asylum in the 1800s and is now part of Charles University's Faculty Hospital.
Now: It's on one of our cycling routes.
Then: Vysehrad Tunnel
Constructed around 1905, the tunnel served pedestrians and then trams. The little building on the upper right is a former Medieval watch tower.
Now: We went through the tunnel by foot a couple of weeks ago while on a walk along the riverbank. The watch tower ruins are still there!
Then: Wenceslas Square
In 1348, Bohemian King Charles IV founded the New Town area of Prague and sectioned this area off for a large market. Over the centuries, it became a commerce center and spot for mass demonstrations. The National Museum can be seen at the north end.
Now: It looks much the same, and we live about a 10-minute walk (or one metro stop) from this square.
Here are some then-and-now comparisons of places we live near:
Owned in the 16th century by English alchemist E. Kelley and then by a scientist/chemist whom Dr. Faust may have been named after. It served as a Deaf and Dumb Asylum in the 1800s and is now part of Charles University's Faculty Hospital.
Now: It's on one of our cycling routes.
Then: Vysehrad Tunnel
Constructed around 1905, the tunnel served pedestrians and then trams. The little building on the upper right is a former Medieval watch tower.
Now: We went through the tunnel by foot a couple of weeks ago while on a walk along the riverbank. The watch tower ruins are still there!
Then: Wenceslas Square
In 1348, Bohemian King Charles IV founded the New Town area of Prague and sectioned this area off for a large market. Over the centuries, it became a commerce center and spot for mass demonstrations. The National Museum can be seen at the north end.
Now: It looks much the same, and we live about a 10-minute walk (or one metro stop) from this square.
