Today

In May 2004, Prague was ready for prime time and the First World competitive pressures that full membership in the European Union would bring. The first decade of a return to capitalism is now well past, and the city has taken on the familiar air of a European metropolis that makes a good living from tourism. The most-visited castles and cathedrals are now surrounded by entrepreneurs trying to make back the bucks (or koruny) denied to them under communism--and they're trying to make them back as quickly as possible. For example, a bottle of water that costs just 15Kc (70¢/35p) in most shops can cost 50Kc ($2.40/£1.20) or more when purchased from a cart in the main tourist areas. Needless to say, vendors have definitely caught on to the theories of supply and demand.

Developers are also making the most of new opportunities. The pounding of jackhammers and the hollow thump of scaffolding being raised and lowered incessantly are the sounds most often blending with the bells and whir of ubiquitous streetcars. There's hardly a corner you'll turn where cobblestones haven't been dug up or sidewalks torn out.

Prague is a city rebuilding its face and its spirit. It's trying to keep up with the massive new flood of cars and visitors and is getting used to the pros and cons of its renewed affluence.

Disaster in 2002

The one flood the city could not absorb struck many riverfront areas as well as villages and towns throughout the country in August 2002. It was the worst flooding on record in the historic lands of Bohemia and Moravia. Entire communities were flattened, and much of Prague's ancient districts of Old Town and Malá Strana drowned under flows that reached high above the door frames. A wide swath of the underground metro system was destroyed. Some of the finest restaurants not only lost their alfresco dining areas for months, but were put completely out of business.

But the city responded quickly to its biggest test yet, and returned to its former glory after just a few months of hard work. The metro has been fully restored, cultural landmarks have been cleaned and polished (though not all of them), and most restaurants and shops have reopened and even improved their decor with the insurance money provided, although some had to call it a day.

At the Crossroads of Europe

Prague lies at the epicenter of Bohemia, which borders Germany to the north and west and Austria to the south. Slovakia to the east (which joined with the Czechs at the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 to form the Republic of Czechoslovakia) split with its Slavic neighbor in 1993 to form the independent Czech and Slovak republics in the "Velvet Divorce. "

About 10.3 million people inhabit the Czech lands of Bohemia and Moravia, with about 1.2 million living in the dozen districts comprising the Prague metropolitan area. A small percentage of Praguers live in the city center, which is most frequented by visitors, although that number is dropping as many buildings are bought and remodeled to satisfy the high-paying demand for quality office space.

Most Praguers actually live in the Communist-built housing estates (paneláky) ringing the city. In the high summer season, visitors outnumber locals two to one in most main areas in the city, taking away much of Prague's indigenous character.

The Czech Language

Bohemia, through good times and bad, has been under a strong Germanic influence, and throughout a great deal of its history, German was the preferred language of the power elite. The Czech language, however, stems from the Slavic family, which includes Polish, Russian, Slovak, and others, though German has altered many Czech words. Czech uses a Latin alphabet with some letters topped by a small hat called a hácek to denote Slavic phonic combinations like "sh" for s, "ch" for c, and, everyone's favorite, "rzh" for r. Slovak differs slightly from Czech, but Czechs and Slovaks understand each other's language.

English, however, has become the postrevolutionary foreign tongue of choice for Prague movers and shakers, though German is more abundant in border areas. Outside Prague, it's rare to find someone who speaks English fluently, so be patient, expect to be misunderstood, and cultivate a sense of humor. Many newer words in the Czech vocabulary derive from capitalist English, like marketink and e-byznys, or from pop culture (rokenrol).