Prague, 1,3 million inhabitants is the capital of the Czech Republic. The city with the " hundred turns " has miraculously escaped from the destruction during the second world war and offers an incredible treasure of architecture mixing the styles Romanesque, Gothic, baroque, new art and cubist. The Vltava river separates the town centre into two: " Malà Strana " (district of the castle) and " Staré Mesto " (the old city).

Staré Mesto

Týn Church

Malostranské nàmestì

Charles Bridge

Vltava

Clock

Saint-Guy Cathedral

Saint-Guy Cathedral

Venceslas square

Geography

The Czech Republic, as a part of Middle Europe, is squeezed between Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland. The country is bordered by the mountains. Its area is almost 79.000 sq. km (30.000 sq. miles), as same size as the island of Ireland. The highest point is Snezka, 1602 m (5222 ft). The capital Prague is just in the middle of the western part of the country, 300 m above sea level.

People

There are about 10 million people in the Czech Republic (1.3 million in Prague). Most of them are Czechs and they speak Czech language. They tend to be polite, mild-mannered with a good sense of humor, not incline to argue or fight. They are intelligent, creative, well educated and can be quite conservative. If you are invited into home, you will find them friendly and very hospitable (do bring flowers for your host and remember to remove your shoes when you enter the house). The largest Church is Roman Catholic one but Czechs are mostly atheists, because of the systematic oppression of religion during Communism.

Recently there are about 40000 young American people in Prague. For reference about the Czech Republic look at US Consular Information Sheet.

Economy Czech industries include power engineering, metallurgy, car manufacture, glass, leather, plastics, chemicals, ceramics and beer. Recently unemployment in the Czech Republic is about 9,6%. Inflation is about 2,1%. The average wage is about 18.763 Kc ($763) a month. Get more and the latest economic data from the Czech Statistical Office. Climate Czech is four seasoned country with a continental climate. The summers tend to be sunny and quite hot, the winters cold, spring and fall mild but changeable. Weather forecast is available at CNN.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Temperature [C]	-5	0	8	12	19	22	25	24	19	12	5	0
Temperature [F]	28	37	46	54	66	72	77	75	66	54	41	32
Rainfall [mm]	20	20	25	40	60	70	65	55	40	25	25	20
Humidity [%]	70	63	57	49	49	48	51	49	57	63	78	81

There is a nice weather from May through September. The most recommended month for the visit is June. There is nice weather and there are not so much tourists as in July, August and September. Air pollution is still problem in Prague. In mid-winter (November - February) when people are burning coal for heating, the streets are jammed full of cars and inversion layer occurs, Prague's air can be thick and foul. The City Council started up the program of gas heating so the air pollution has been getting better last years. Time Zone Czech Republic included Prague is on Central European Time as well as Berlin, Bonn, Budapest, Frankfurt, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Warsaw and the others. It is: 1 hour ahead of England 6 hours ahead of New York 9 hours ahead of Los Angeles 7 hours behind Singapore 8 hours behind Tokyo 10 hours behind Sydney Just add or deduct the above hours from your present local time to get the time in Prague or visit this great site WorldTimeZone. Visitor Centers Pick up free maps and tourist guides at the visitor centers: - Prague Information Service, Praha 1, Old Town Hall, phone 12444 in summer open weekdays 9 am to 7 pm, weekends 9 am to 6 pm in winter open weekdays 9 am to 6 pm, weekends 9 am to 5 pm - Prague Information Service, Praha 1, Na Prikope 20, phone 12444 in summer open weekdays 9 am to 7 pm, weekends 9 am to 5 pm in winter open weekdays 9 am to 6 pm, Saturdays 9 am to 3 pm, closed on Sundays - Prague Information Service, Main Railway Station, phone 12444 in summer open weekdays 9 am to 7 pm, weekends 9 am to 4 pm in winter open weekdays 9 am to 6 pm, Saturdays 9 am to 3 pm, closed on Sundays - Prague Information Service, Praha 1, Lesser Quarter Tower, phone 12444 in summer open daily 10 am to 6 pm, closed in winter - Prague Tourist Center, Praha 1, Rytirska 12, phone 224-212-209 open daily 9 am to 8 pm - Czech Transport Service (Cedok), Na prikope 18 open weekdays 8:30 am to 6 pm, Saturdays 8:30 am to 12:30, closed on Sundays Newspapers One of the most informative English language paper is the weekly paper The Prague Post, written by English and American staff. You can find there news, concert, gallery, museum, cinema, theater, club schedules as well as restaurant reviews and excursion ideas. It is an excellent source of local information. Radio BBC World Service English language broadcast is available on 101,1 MHz FM with some Czech and Slovak language inserts. Voice of America English language broadcast is available on 1.195 kHz MW with some Czech and Slovak language inserts. Emergency In an emergency dial the following numbers 24 hours a day. Police: dial 158 Ambulance: dial 155 Fire: dial 150 Crime Violent crime is still rare by the standards of western Europe or the United States, but there is a great deal of theft. Lock your car and put your valuables in the hotel. Be alert to the danger of pickpockets in crowded places, particularly on trams and metro. Prague is plagued with unscrupulous cabbies. Hailing a taxi on the street is inviting trouble.