PRAGUE

By: Isabel Martínez García

GEOGRAPHYPrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is geographically located in the center of Europe, surrounded by Austria, Slovakia, Poland and Germany, with almost the same distance from the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean and the North Sea.

Urban PlanThe basic strategic aim in spatial planning of Prague is the change-over from a monocentric to a polycentric city.Prague emphasizes the need to alleviate the demand for city centre and make more balanced use. Spatial planning policy are:• Regulate the use of land and building.• Regulate the proportion between built-up and green areas.• Avoid intensive building work on slopes or valleys.• Cultivate green areas and integrate into the surroundings.• New construction projects (high architectonic standards) which are important to

the city's development.• Encourage the use of public places.

Prague have a lot of history and culture and the city always have the same style of buildings depending on the period of time , as the romanesque, gothic , barroque…Now it has :high tech architecture developed in the 1970s, with other titles such as Late Modernism as well as Structural Expressionism. Characteristics of High Tech architecture include, glass walls, steel frames, prefabricated components, and a dominant presentation of technical and functional elements.Here we can observe the cathedral of Saint Vito , some barroc buildings , and a new example of high tech infrastructure in prague.

Zones and Quarters

1. Stare Mesto2. Vinohrady3. Zizkov4. Podoli5. Smichov6. Dejvice7. Letna8. Florenc9. Cerny Most10. Vrsovice

Historical significanceThe history of Prague covers more than a thousand years, during which time the city grew from the Vyšehrad Castle to the capital of a modern European state, the Czech Republic.Around 500 BC: One of the Celtic tribes, are the first inhabitants known by name ,named the region Bohemia and the river Vltava.6th century: Arrival of the Slavs. The Slavs eventually become the dominant people.8th century: First settlement established on the site of present day Prague.

Around 870: Foundation of Prague Castle.973: Foundation of Prague bishopric. 1085: Prague becomes the residence of the first Bohemian king Vratislav I.1310-1346: John of Luxembourg rules as the King of Bohemia1344: Prague bishopric upgraded to archbishopric. Construction of St. Vitus Cathedral begins.1346-1378: Prague becomes the capital of the Bohemian Kingdom and the Holy Roman Empire.

1348: Charles University, the first university in Central Europe.1784-1848: Period of Czech national revival, beginning of the industrial revolution, establishment of Czech institutions.1918: Proclamation of the independence of Czechoslovakia. Prague becomes the capital of the new state.1939-1945: Occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany.1945: The Prague uprising and the "liberation" of Prague by the Soviet army.1948: Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with Soviet backing, assumes control of the country, leading to four decades of communist dictatorship.1989: The Velvet Revolution, it was non-violent, starts on the 17th November. Student and other popular demonstrations against communism result in the collapse of communist rule, and the country's conversion to a parliamentary democracy. 1990: First free elections after the communist era1993: January 1, Czechoslovakia splits in two and the Czech Republic is founded2004: May 1, Czech Republic joins the European Union (E.U.).

Environmental issues• The Czech Republic suffers from air, water, and land pollution caused by industry,

mining, and agriculture. • The nation had the world's highest industrial carbon dioxide emissions, totaling

135.6 million metric tons per year. • The Czech Republic has a total of 15 cubic km of freshwater resources, of which 1%

is used for farming and 57% is used for industry. • Airborne emissions in the form of acid rain, combined with air pollution from

Poland have destroyed much of the forest in the northern part of the Czech republic.

• And also the Land erosion caused by agricultural and mining practices is also a significant problem.

Photos

Resources

http://www.myczechrepublic.com/prague/history/prague_history.htmlhttp://www.prague.com/v/geography/http://www.pragueexperience.com/information/history.asp