Vyšehrad, part 2

~After looking through the strange cemetery of Vyšehrad, we were given a tour of the "casemates", which are passages within fortress ramparts serving as hidden mustering points for troops. Construction of a defensive fortress in Vyšehrad began in 1654, but by the time the fort was finished, developments in military technology, such as increasingly powerful artillery, had rendered it almost useless for defense.

The French captured the fort in the eighteenth century and built the casemates inside, which were more useful for soldiers than a large, easily-visible fortress. They were very nearly blown up in 1742, when a Prussian garrison, which had occupied the area, was evacuating Prague...but not before leaving 133 barrels of gunpowder in the casemates on a slow fuse. Luckily, some locals managed to disarm the fuse before the casemates were blown to smithereens.

^The casemates were later used as an air raid shelter and a food storage area, and today they hold art exhibitions, including several of the original statues from Charles Bridge, which have been replaced with replicas. Slowly, all of the statues on the bridge are being replaced and stored underground, in the casemates.

^ A statue of Madonna (no, no, not that Madonna), attending a kneeling St. Bernard (no, no, not that St. Bernard) and some cherubs. This statue was sculpted by Matěj Václav Jäckl in 1709 and donated by the abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Osek, Benedikt Littwerig.

^ This statue depicts St. Anne, the (apocryphal) mother of Mary, holding the baby Jesus (who is in turn holding a globe of WORLD DOMINATION). This statue was also designed by Matěj Václav Jäckel, but in 1707.

The casemates are about ten meters below ground and were cold enough to cloud my breath. Emerging from them into the sunlight was like clawing my way free from Niflheim! In celebration, here's a panoramic image of the nearby Vlatava River:

Let's take a clsoer look at the center of the panoramic:

^ Narrow islands in the Vlatava River are used to shelter marinas. During flooding in 2002, the water level rose so high that it actually flooded the streets on the right, which are well above the river in this picture:

^ Busy streets of Prague. Notice the integration of the tram system in the middle of the roadway. Along with a bus system and subways, getting around in Prague is easy. I wish I could say the same about most American cities.

^ Another panoramic, just to the right of the previous panoramic. Of course, here's a closer look:

^ There's not much left of the original Vyšehrad Castle that was once beside the Vlatava River. Aside from some crumbling walls, all that's left are these riverside ruins, known as the "Baths of Libuše".

^ On the other side of the river from the ruins, I noticed this lone house atop a hill, surrounded by forests in an otherwise-crowded area of the city. I asked one of the guides about it, and was surprised at the answer: this mansion is part of Czech Intelligence, and is a blackout-zone for cellular and radio transmissions. To get a sense of how isolated it is, look at this:

~Next: Farewell ceremony and dinner! I'm almost finished with pictures and stories from Prague.