Wenceslas Square
November is a month of preparations for Christmas, a month of reflection, a month of shorter days and long chilly nights.
November is the month when Prague usually experiences the first winter snow, the month when the Czechs celebrate their national day - the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution - and try to forget the times when they had to celebrate a different kind of revolution in Moscow that later lead to the establishment of the Soviet Union.
November is a great month for visiting museums and galleries and wandering the streets of Prague with fewer tourists around. This year it is the first month when the most important statue in the Czech Republic is being made public again. Would you like to learn more? Just keep reading!
If you are looking for a patron of the Czechs then look no further than Saint Wenceslas, the protector of Bohemia and Moravia, whose national day is celebrated on 28th September. The son of Bohemian (Czech) Prince Vratislav I and his wife Drahomira, he was raised by his Grandma Ludmila at a castle near Prague. Ludmila was a strong Christian - which was unusual in this area at the time - and sought the help of Slavic priest Paul to educate the young prince. Wenceslas was only 14 years old when his father died and his Grandma Ludmila ruled the country. Being a Christian in a very pagan country, within 6 months she was murdered by Wenceslas's mother Drahomira. Soon afterwards, Wenceslas sent his mother away and became Prince of the country, but then he changed his mind and asked his mum to return to help him. Being a Christian, Wenceslas decided not to fight the Roman Emperor, Henry I, but began paying him tributes (bulls, cows, wheat, silver and gold) in exchange for peace and protection. He even built the first Christian Church of Saint Vitus in today's Prague Castle area.
At the same time his brother, Boleslav I, and his mother started plotting how to get rid of the "weak" Wenceslas and rule the country again. The plot is perfect. Boleslav I invites his brother to his home town, Boleslav, to dedicate a newly built church. In the early hours of 28th September 929 or 935, Wenceslas is murdered whilst his hand is reaching for the church door handle to enter the church. At least this is how it is now told; who knows what the truth is. Since the 10th Century Wenceslas is adored and worshipped, not only in the land of Bohemia but also in other Central European countries. Saint Wenceslas became the heavenly ruler and protector of all the Czechs; Czech kings are only his representatives. During the baroque period his importance grew even more, and in 1912 a very large statue of a horse is erected in the most important square in the Czech lands. It is no surprise that this horse carries Saint Wenceslas and the square is named Wenceslas Square.
It is November 2005, and after several months when the statue was covered with scaffolding it is being revealed to the public again. Come to Prague and come to Hotel Jenerálka! Come and see the newly renovated statue of the Czech patron - Saint Wenceslas!
November, 2005
![Saint Wenceslas (picture from www.pragensia.tiscali.cz) [new window]](/foto.php?foto=tips/images/2005/saint-wenceslas.jpg&popis=Saint+Wenceslas+%28picture+from+www.pragensia.tiscali.cz%29)
