History of Prague through the Centuries
9th century
- The Prague Castle is founded
around 880 by prince Bořivoj of the Premyslid dynasty.
- Prague
is established.
- Some members of the Premyslid dynasty embrace Christianity
brought to the Czech lands
by Cyril
- and Methodius, the "apostles
of the Slavs".
10th century
- Foundations are laid to St. Vitus Rotunda and the Vyšehrad
Castle.
-
The Prague bishopric is founded in
973.
11th century
- Vratislav II becomes the
first Czech king in 1085 but remains subordinate
to the Holy Roman Empire
- and
the German king.
12th century
- The first stone bridge over the Vltava, Judith Bridge,
is built in
1172.
13th century
- The Old Town (Staré město) is founded in 1231.
- The Lesser Town (Malá Strana) is founded in 1257.
14th century -
Prague's Golden Age
- John of Luxembourg rules the country (1310-1346).
- The Prague Castle Area (Hradčany) is founded
around 1320.
- The Old Town Hall is founded in 1338.
- Judith Bridge collapses in a flood in 1342.
- Charles IV rules the country (1346-1378) and will be
remembered as the
most beloved Czech king.
- Prague
becomes one of the most prosperous cities in Europe and the cultural capital
of Central
- Europe.
- The Prague bishopric is upgraded to an archbishopric.
- Construction of St. Vitus cathedral begins.
-
The New Town (Nové město) is founded in 1348.
- Charles University is established in 1348 and becomes the first university
in Central
Europe.
- Charles IV elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1355; Prague becomes the capital
of the Holy Roman
- Empire.
- Construction of Charles Bridge begins in 1357.
15th century
- The Hussite wars are sweeping
the country from 1419 to 1437 as a result of the
religious conflicts
- between
the Hussites and the Roman Catholic Church. Many
historical artifacts are destroyed and
- the Prague Castle
deteriorates.
16th century and
Prague's Second Golden Age
- The reign of the Habsburg dynasty begins in 1526 and
the seat of power moves to
Vienna.
-
Prague Castle is reconstructed
in the Renaissance style and a number of recreational
sites are added
- (the
Royal Garden, the Belvedere, the Ballgame Hall,
etc.)
- Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, is crowned the Czech
king in 1575 and moves his
court back to
- Prague
in 1583. Prague becomes the center of science and alchemy
and earns the nickname "Magic
- Prague".
Many famous scientists
are attracted
to Prague, such as astronomers Tycho de Brahe and
- Johannes
Kepler.
17th century
- The Protestant uprising begins in 1618.
- Protestants are severely defeated in the Battle of the
White Mountain (bitva na Bílé
hoře) in 1620.
- The Dark Age of the Czech history (doba
temna)
begins.
-
Prague loses importance and the Prague Castle deteriorates.
18th century
- The four independent urban areas of Prague (Old Town,
Malá Strana, Hradčany,
New Town) are
- united by Joseph II in 1784.
-
A Czech nationalist movement called the National Revival
(národní obrození) begins
in 1784.
- The
Czech language, culture and national identity are being
brought back to life.
-
Joseph II issues the Edict of Tolerance in
1781, granting political and religious rights
to religious
- minorities.
19th century
- The Industrial Revolution begins.
-
A railway between
Vienna and Prague opens in 1845.
- The growing
industry results in an increase of Prague's Czech population
as people move to the city
- from the countryside.
- Josefov is added to Prague's historical center in 1850.
- The
National Revival continues. Czech institutions are established
to celebrate the
Czech history
- and culture:
the National Theater opens in 1868, the National
Museum opens in 1890.
20th century
- The Austro-Hungarian empire falls in 1918 and
Prague becomes the capital of
independent
- Czechoslovakia.
- Prague Castle becomes the seat of the first president
of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš
Garrigue Masaryk.
- Prague becomes close with Paris
between WWI and WWII.
- Prague and the rest of the country are occupied by Nazi Germany during World
War II (1939-1945).
- The Prague Uprising and liberation by the Soviet Red Army end World War II
in 1945.
- The Communist Party seizes power after the February 25, 1948
coup d'etat.
- Alexander Dubček,
secretary of the Communist Party, attempts to create "socialism
with a human
- face", culminating
in the spring of 1968 ("Prague Spring").
- "Prague Spring" fails and five Warsaw Pact member
countries invade Czechoslovakia
on August 21,
- 1968.
- The Velvet Revolution starts in Prague on November 17, 1989 and
brings an end to communism.
- Czechoslovakia becomes a
democratic
country.
- Václav Havel, former dissident, is elected president in the
country's first democratic
elections
- in January 1990.
- Czechoslovakia splits into two independent countries, Czech Republic
and Slovakia
on January 1,
- 1993. Prague becomes
the capital of the Czech Republic.
- Václav Havel is elected
first president
of the
Czech
Republic in January 1993.
- The Czech Republic joins NATO in 1999.
- In 2002, the Czech Republic is approved to become a member of
the European Union.
- The Czech Republic is accepted into the European Union
on May 1, 2004.
- Legends
of Prague
- Rudolf
II and Prague: The Court and the City
- The
School of Prague: Painting at the Court of Rudolf II
- Magic
Prague
- The
Prague Spring and its Aftermath : Czechoslovak Politics, 1968-1970
- Prague:
A Cultural and Literary History (Cities of the Imagination)
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