Lovely! I liked the city a lot more then, even if restoration means the structures will last longer. It just looked so much like a movie set, and almost no advertising, very few signs at all.Jewish cemetery, 1990
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Wifey on famous bridge, also 1990
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And there was the Art Deco townhall. The food was cheap and not too tasty there, but it was an overwhelmingly beautiful ambience.
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Yes, the decay is what I really miss. It was like something from Gormenghast. It’s too shiny, painted and pristine now.There was a decaying beauty about Prague in the 1980s which has totally gone now. My photo of Čertovka, the canal that makes Kampa an island:
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The same place now, from Pragueguide.info :
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I love this one; my guess is it’s taken from the second or third floor of 4 or 6 Karlova, maybe the Hotel U Zlatého Stromu. I was in one of those buildings there with this view before there were any hotels around there, but I stupidly didn’t take any photos.
I do feel guilty that I preferred it that way. It's great that the buildings have been repaired, and it's great that Prague is once again thriving and a place that people want to visit. I hope that translates into an improved life for all its residents. But it's inescapable that I found its neglected, slightly shabby state in the communist era far more interesting.Yes, the decay is what I really miss. It was like something from Gormenghast. It’s too shiny, painted and pristine now.
Thanks - you're close! It was made from Hotel U Malvaze which has rooms looking out over Karlova.I love this one; my guess is it’s taken from the second or third floor of 4 or 6 Karlova, maybe the Hotel U Zlatého Stromu. I was in one of those buildings there with this view before there were any hotels around there, but I stupidly didn’t take any photos.
1985.Others have said it and I agree -- this is a wonderful thread; really makes me want to go. I realize Prague is probably on the "hit list" so what's a good time to go, so as to avoid crowds?
Most often, tourism is the kiss of death to authenticity.Yes, the decay is what I really miss. It was like something from Gormenghast. It’s too shiny, painted and pristine now.
The sculpture is by Richard Keťko and is called ‘Mission Completed’ the words cut out of the underwear across the legs spell out the title.From 2004, Zenit 122K with (probably) Konica ISO 400 film
Wenceslaw square
I ignore the name of the sculptor (Czerny ???)
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This is the Palác Kinských (Kinsky Palace) and the Dům U Kamenného zvonu (Stone Bell house) in Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square). Franz Kafka entered the Altstädter Deutsches Gymnasium (Old Town German High School) in the Kinski Palace in 1893.