PRAGUE (Ger. Prag. Slay. Praha), capital of the kingdom of Bohemia, is situated in 50° 5' n. let., and 30' e. long., on the slope of the hills which skirt both sides of the river Moldau, 251 in. n.e. of 'Vienna by railway'. Pop. '69, 157,275. Prague, which ranks as the third city of Austria, presents a highly picturesque appearance from the beauty of its site, and the numerous lofty towers (upward of 70 in number) which rise above the many noble palaces. public buildings, and bridges of the city. It consists of four principal parts: 1. The Kleinseite, chiefly occupied by the public offices, and the residences of the officials; 2 The Ilradschin (or palace district), surmounted by the vast imperial castle, and containing some of the most ancient and interesting churches and palaces of Prague; 3. The Jews' quarter, now known as the Josephstadt, which forms the chief business-quarter, and contains numerous churches, ecclesiastical and educa tional establishments; 4. The " New Town," containing the largest number of streets and open squares, with many modern palaces, charitable institutions, and places of public resort. Prague is surrounded by walls and bastions, and has eight gates The citadel, the ancient residence of the old dukes of Bohemia, is well fortified, and from its elevated position above the Moldau, thoroughly commands the city. Prague has 55 Catholic; and 3 Protestant churches, 15 monasteries. and 10 synagogues. Among the most noteworthy of these are the metropolitan, or St. Wits, with its lofty tower, a fine but unfinished specimen of the Gothic of the 14th e., containing the remains of St. Lud milta, first duchess of Bohemia, and of seven kings and emperors of Germany, with the grave of St. Wunzelaus, and the silver sarcophagus of St. Nepomuk (see ST. JOHN or NEPOMUK), a popular saint of Bohemia; 4 Nicolas, or the church of the Jesuits, with its many towers and costly decorations; the Thein church, built in 1407; the old Ilussite church, with the grave of Tycho Brahe, and its marble monuments of the Slavonic martyrs, Cyril and Methodius. Among the numerous public and other buildings of note in Prague, the following are some of the more interesting: the royal palace, the cathedral, the Theresa institution for ladies, the ancient Byzantine church of St. George, the Iiradschin square, with the imposing palaces of the primate, the ex-emperor, anti prince Schwarzenberg; the Loretto chapel, with its gorgeously bejeweled church ves sels; the vast Czerni palace, now used as an institution of charity; the picture gallery; the Premonstratensian monastery of Strahow; the royal library; and at the summit of the Laurenzberg, the restored church of St. Lawrence. Prague has, however, numerous public gardens and walks in the suburbs, which, with the several royal and noble parks open to the public in the vicinity of the city, afford varied resources for health and open-air recreations. The suburb of Ka•olinenthal, which is traversed by the great viaduct of the railway, and is of modern growth, has some fine buildings, numerous gardens, barracks, and manufacturing establishments; and somewhat further u. is the
great botanical garden, with the neighboring public walks on the Moldau. The univer sity, which is the most ancient iu Germany, having been founded in 1348, enjoyed the greatest celebrity in the 15th c., when many thousand scholars came from foreign coun tries to study in its halls. It is now in a state of activity, after a long period of decay, and has good medical and surgical schools; a library containing 142 000 volumes, and 7,762 manuscripts, of which some are very rare; a tine observatory; museums of zoology and anatomy; a botanical garden, etc. Prague has also 1 polytechnic, 3 gymnasia, Bohemian and German training-schools, and about 20 parish schools. The manufac tures include leather, cotton, and linen goods, stockings, printed cottons, machinery of various kinds, beet-root sugar, etc. Prague is the great center of the commerce of Bohemia, and the seat of an important transit trade.
Ifigory.—According to popular tradition, Prague was founded in 722 by the duchess Libussa. In the 13th c., its importance was fully recognized; in the 14th and 15th c., its munificently endowed university brought foreigners to it from every part, until the decision of the emperor Vsrenzelaus to favor Bohemian students more than others drove thousands of the scholars with their professors to other spots, and led to the foundation of universities at Leipsic, Ingolstadt, Rostock, and Cracow. In 1424 Prague was con quered, and almost destroyed by the Hussites, who had made a successful stand against the emperor Sig,smund's army; but after the subsequent defeat and submission of the insurgents, the city was rebuilt. In the thirty years' war, it suffered severely, and itt 1620 the battle was fought nt the White mountain, near the city, in which the elector palatine, Frederick V., known as the winter king, and son-in-law of .James I. of Eng land, was completely defeated, and compelled to renounce his assumed crown, and to give up the town into the power of the emperor. Swedes and imperialists successively gained possession of it during the war; and a century later, during the seven years' war, it again fell into the hands of different victors, having been compelled, in 1744, to capit ulate, to Frederick the great of Prussia: and until the war of deliverance in Germany, and the downfall of Napoleon, the city continued to suffer more or less directly from the troubles in which the house of Austria had been involved. During the last 60 Tears, it has, however, made rapid strides, and enjoyed prosperity and quiet, except in 1848, when the meeting of the Slavonic congress within its walls called forth such strongly marked democratic demonstrations on the part of the supporters of Panslavism (q.v.), that the Austrian government dissolved the conclave, and restored quiet by the sum mary method of causing the old and new town to be bombarded for two days.