Why is Prague called Praha in Czech?
Why? That’s the most popular question all over the world. Everyone wants to know why things are the way the are and why they are not the other way. Well, let’s answer one of those questions starting with why.
The legend says that the Czechs lived happily in the Czech lands after the forefather Czech settled with his people round the Rip (?íp) mountain. Couple years later, the Czechs had a new leader called Krok living at Vysehrad, which is now the Czech National Cemetery. Krok had three daughters. The youngest one, princess Libuse, ruled the Czech people after her father’s death. She was a woman of great beauty and wisdom who possessed prophetic powers.
One day, she had a vision foreseeing the founding of Prague – in Czech Praha. She stood atop Vysehrad hill, overlooking Vltava river, and said: „I see a large city whose fame will touch the stars!“ Immediately, she instructed builders to go in direction of her vision, which was across the river, and build a castle where a man was making a threshold – prah in Czech – and so they named the new city Praha.
You can visit Vysehrad, the original residence of the Czech kings and the legendary seat of Princess Libuse as well as the Vysehrad´s cemetery were the Czech outstanding personalities such as artists, scientists and academics are buried. To name some of them – world famous composers such as B. Smetana or A. Dvorak rest here.
The cemetery is open daily from 8 AM till 7 PM. You just take the subway – red line C and get off at the station Vysehrad and follow the signs, how easy
