Prague Old Town walking tour

This scavenger hunt has a difficulty level of NORMAL.

The ideal group size ranges between 2 and 6 people – but not restricted to this. Children are welcome and will enjoy most of the challenges.

After purchase, to begin your Prague Old Town walking tour, you will need to be outside the Namesti Republiky Metro, New Town, 110 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic. This is the start location.

Once there, stand outside and log in to this website and begin your hunt, or go to My Account and follow the instructions.

Ancient History

This area was inhabited in the Paleolithic period, i.e. from 1306 BC onwards. The Celts appeared in this region between the 5th and 4th century BC. They were hunted by the Germanic tribes in the 1st century AD. Since that time that Prague has been the center city of Bohemia

In the 5th century, the collapse of the Roman Empire caused great migrations. The Germanic tribes moved west, and Slavic tribes settled here.

Prague Castle was begun in the 9th century, on fortifications dating back to the 7th century. Fort Vysehrad was founded in the 10th century.

The city flourished in the 14th century during the reign of King Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, and King of Bohemia. He transformed the city into an imperial capital. It became the 3rd largest in Europe after Rome and Constantinople.

In the 16th century, the Gypsies elected Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, king of Bohemia and Hungary. He was also king of Croatia. These lands at the time included present-day Austria. Ferdinand 1st was a Habsburg.

In 1689, the city succumbed to widespread fire. This spurred reconstruction throughout the city.

Modern History

The 18th century saw the plague kill up to 13,000 inhabitants, then Frederick the Great of Prussia invaded Bohemia.

Czechoslovakian nationalism began in the wake of the European revolutions of 1848. Before, German was the main language spoken, whereas after, with an infusion of Czechoslovaks, Bohemians, and Moravians, Czech became the dominant language.

In 1918, the independence of Czechoslovakia was proclaimed, and Prague became its capital.

In 1934, when Hitler took power in Germany, many fled to Prague fearing the worst. The Nazis conquered Bohemia-Moravia in 1939. The population at that time included 55,000 Jews. Only 7,500 survived the Nazis at the end of the war. The city is otherwise little affected (bombing-wise) by the war.

After the war, the country fell under communist control from 1945 to 1989. In 1968, the Czechoslovak communist party liberalized by adopting freedom of the press, expression, and circulation. 400,000 Warsaw Pact soldiers (USSR version of NATO for the West) quickly crushed this though. They aimed to normalize the Soviet regime.

In 1989, as the Berlin Wall fell, the country and the city regained their democratic freedoms with the Velvet Revolution.