The 1.3 million-strong capital is among the most visited cities in central Europe and, understandably, the most popular Czech destination. Prague is a living textbook of different architectural styles, where Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque structures stand side by side with examples of Art Nouveau, Cubist, and functionalist architecture.
Prague’s architectural heritage is also reflected in a number of adventurous modern structures.Since time immemorial, the city was a garden of Czech, German, and Jewish cultures. Their mutual symbiosis was torn apart by the events of World War II – the Holocaust, the post-war transfer of ethnic Germans into Germany, and the Cold War, which for a long time isolated the city and the country from the democratic world.
Since 1989, Prague once again enjoys a vibrant cultural and social life. The city hosts many international cultural and sports events. Dozens of galleries and museums attract visitors to their permanent collections and temporary exhibitions, displaying artistic and craft treasures of all periods and places of origin. Prague is also a major centre of higher learning, with the illustrious Charles University (founded in 1348) ranking among the oldest universities on the Continent.

Contemporary Prague is among the fastest-developing and most dynamic regions in all of Europe. Over the past ten years, the city has transformed itself from a dreary East Bloc capital to a modern European metropolis