GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PRAGUE
Geographical Location:
Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic is situated in the very centre of Europe, at 50° 05”N and 14°27”E. It spreads over an area of 496 square kilometres on the banks of the river Vltava in a basin encircled by seven hills. The city lies at 303 metres above sea level.
Population of Prague:
Throughout its history Prague has always been a multi-ethnic city. The latest statistical estimate of the capital’s population reached 1.21 million. The resident nationalities include Czechs, Moravians, Silesians, Slovaks, Romanies as well as expatriate foreigners.
| Selected Distances from Prague: | |
| Berlin | 282 km |
| Paris | 864 km |
| London | 1 030 km |
| Moscow | 1 665 km |
| New York | 6 561 km |
| Vienna | 308 km |
Health Care:
The quality of health care in Prague is commensurate with the highest standards in developed countries. It is provided by over 5 000 doctors in a dense network (42 doctors per 1000 inhabitants). 36 hospitals and other specialised medical facilities in Prague have a total of 12 000 beds and staff of circa 1500 doctors. Emergency medical care is the responsibility of the road ambulance service.
Transport System:
Prague has an average of 505 cars per 1 000 inhabitants. In spite of that, the city’s dense network of public transport interconnecting metro, tram, bus and rail services remains highly popular. It is cheap, efficient and runs round the clock.
Prague boat companies offer tourists riverboat sightseeing cruises on the Vltava river. The Ruzyně international airport, situated 18 km outside the city center, a second terminal opened in 2006 making the airport capacity approximately 20 million travelers per year.
Culture:
The choice of cultural events organized in Prague is so rich and varied that the city was nominated as one of the European Cities of Culture for the Year 2000. The city has 36 museums, 95 art galleries, 27 theatres and 20 concert halls. Important international events take place in Prague every year, including the Prague Spring Music Festival in May.
Shopping in Prague:
There are numerous new shopping and trade centres in Prague as well as big supermarkets with large parking lots catering to drive-in shoppers. Many of the newly reconstructed passages in historical buildings in downtown Prague were converted to shopping malls. The most popular are the Černá Růže passage at the bottom of the Wenceslas Square and the nearby Myslbek shopping gallery, a modern glass construction from the 1990´s. International fashion can be found especially in Pařížská Street in the center of the Old Town. The traditional Czech producers of Bohemia crystal glass, Karlovy Vary chinaware and garnet-adorned jewellery all have their factory shops in Prague.
Restaurants:
Prague is known as a city of pubs and beer, though it also features hundreds of wine bars and a wide variety of excellent restaurants.
Leisure Activities:
Sport enthusiasts find that Prague has an ever expanding network of fitness centres, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a choice of squash and tennis courts and over 100 golf courses throughout the country. Riding stables offer accompanied rides on trails to experienced riders. Diving, paragliding, bungee jumping and parachuting lessons are in demand. The city´s many nightclubs cater to all areas of interest, be it bowling and pool or disco and techno parties.