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					Prague 
					
					
					 
					
					History
					
					The oldest evidence of human habitation in the Prague valley 
					dates from around 6000 BC. Permanent farming communities 
					were established in the area by Germanic and Celtic tribes around 4000 BC. Slavs came into the picture 
					around the turn of the millennium, and by the 600 AD had 
					settled opposite sides of a particularly appealing stretch
 of the Vltava River. They successfully defended the land now 
					known as Bohemia for generations, but by the 9th century it 
					had been conquered by the Great Moravian Empire.
 
					
					The short-lived empire introduced the locals to 
					Christianity, but it was 'Good King Wenceslas' of 
					Christmas-carol fame (he was actually a duke) who made it 
					the state religion of Bohemia in the 930s. He remains the 
					patron saint of the Czech Republic. It was under the rule of 
					Charles IV (ruled 1346-78) that Prague truly came into its 
					own, becoming one of the continent's largest and most 
					prosperous cities, acquiring its fine Gothic face and 
					landmark buildings like Charles University, Charles Bridge 
					and St Vitus Cathedral. 
					
					Jan Hus, who attended Charles University in the late 1380s, 
					rallied popular support for the Church-reform movement; when 
					he was burned at the stake in 1415, the rabble was roused 
					enough to hurl various Catholic officials from the upper 
					stories of Prague's New Town Hall, introducing the word 
					'defenestration' (literally, to toss someone out a window) 
					into the popular political lexicon. While the 1526 ascent of 
					the Catholic Hapsburg family to power in the region cooled 
					things off briefly, a second round of defenestrations in 
					1618 made it clear that the matter was not quite settled. 
					
					In fact, the insurrection catalyzed the Thirty Years War, 
					which devastated much of Europe; a quarter of Bohemia 
					perished. Their defeat slammed the door on Czech 
					independence for almost three centuries. The Czech national 
					spirit was not so easily crushed, however, and by the 19th 
					century, Prague - which had been unified in 1784 by imperial 
					decree - had become the centre of the so-called Czech 
					National Revival. Czech literature, architecture and 
					journalism were celebrated, even as Czechs were denied 
					participation in the political process. 
					
					Nationalist sentiment was growing as waves of pro-democracy 
					protests swept the continent. An 1848 uprising was summarily 
					squelched, but in 1861 the Czech majority defeated German 
					candidates in the Prague council elections. It was a 
					watershed event for Czech independence. 
					
					The 20th century solidified the Czech nationalist movement. 
					Czechs had no interest in fighting for their Austrian 
					masters in WWI, and neighbouring Slovakia was equally 
					reluctant to take up arms for their German occupiers. 
					Leaders from both independence movements approached US 
					President Wilson, who was actively trying to build the 
					League of Nations, asking for his help in achieving their 
					dream. With Allied support, Czechoslovakia became an 
					independent nation in 1918; Prague became its first capital. 
					
					The young country weathered the Great Depression only to be 
					occupied by Nazi Germany in 1939 - Bohemia and Moravia were 
					labelled a 'protectorate' and Slovakia an 'independent' 
					(puppet) state. Prague's community of some 120,000 Jews was 
					all but wiped out; almost three-quarters of them either 
					starved or were murdered in concentration camps. 
					
					On May 5, 1945, the population of Prague rose up against 
					German occupation forces as the Red Army approached from the 
					east. Most of Prague was liberated before the Soviets 
					arrived. Liberation Day is now celebrated on May 8; under 
					communism it was May 9. In the 1946 elections, the 
					communists became the young republic's dominant party, and 
					in 1948 did away with the inefficiencies of a multi-party 
					system with a Soviet-backed coup d'état. 
					
					In 1968, after years of gradual liberalisation under General 
					Secretary Dubcek, the 'Prague Spring' came into full bloom. 
					Full democracy, an end to censorship, and 'socialism with a 
					human face' were the goals of this popular movement. Moscow 
					was miffed and sent tanks into Prague. Fifty-eight people 
					died, almost 300,000 sympathisers lost their jobs and, in 
					something of a step down, Dubcek was forced to find 
					employment with the Slovak Forestry Department. 
					
					The newly stringent communist leadership maintained control 
					until the breaching of the Berlin Wall in 1989. A series of 
					peaceful demonstrations beginning on November 17 became 
					confrontational, though the essentially nonviolent character 
					of the uprising earned it the name 'Velvet Revolution'. Free 
					elections were held in 1990, and the Czech and Slovakian 
					separatist movements subsequently inspired the smooth 1993 
					split into the Czech and Slovak Republics, remembered as the 
					'Velvet Divorce'. Prague quickly became one of the top 
					tourist destinations in the world during the 1990s, and the 
					ringing of cash registers combined with a solid industrial 
					base has left its citizens in better economic shape than 
					those in the rest of the country. Much of this spare change 
					has been reinvested in the city itself, making for an even 
					more pleasant visit. 
					
					The Czech Republic has become a member state of the EU, and 
					Prague will preside gracefully as the country finds a new 
					place in the world. 
					
					In August 2002 Prague experienced the worst floods in almost 
					two centuries, with the river Vltava sweeping the city. Sixteen people died, hundreds of thousands of people were 
					forced to evacuate their homes and businesses, the historic 
					city centre was closed off and there were fears - not 
					realised - that the 14th-century Charles Bridge would be 
					washed away. The final damage was calculated in the billions 
					of US dollars, with the city's low-lying Jewish Quarter 
					suffering considerable damage, as well as the Karlin and 
					Troja districts, the metro system and numerous cultural and 
					tourist attractions. Despite the disastrous damage, Prague 
					and its citizens managed to bounce back, demonstrating once 
					again that the spirit of the city really is indomitable.
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