olšanské hřbitovy

in žižkov (prague 3), there is an old, seemingly endless collection of twelve cemeteries called olšanské hřbitovy.  one of them, called prague cemetery, is where the victims of the 14th century plague epidemic are buried in mass graves.  there is a cemetery reserved for orthodox and greek catholics, and a jewish cemetery, where franz kafka is buried.  also here is jan palach, a student who committed suicide by self-immolation on václavské náměstí in 1969, in protest of the soviet occupation of czechoslovakia (the square on which my school is - náměstí jana palacha - is named after him).  i went on a quiet walk among old and forgotten graves, some completely overgrown with vines.  i didn't look for any of the famous graves - in fact i didn't think of them until now - but i think maybe that is better, as in search of them i would have missed everything else.

gold lion's gonna tell me where the light is

how many lions live in prague?  the czech lion (český lev) is the symbol of the medieval coat of arms of bohemia, where he is represented as a crowned, double-tailed lion rampant.  the symbol dates back to the 13th century, but nobody really seems to be sure of the reason for the second tail.  i found this unusual lion on the corner of one of the houses in my neighborhood.  maybe i can find more in the old town.

about my school

the academy of decorative and applied arts (or academy of art, architecture and design) was founded in in 1885, then being the first and only state art school in the czech republic.  since its founding, the school has been the center of many important artistic movements and in 1900 became the czech representative at the world exhibition in paris, where it was awarded the grand prix.  a staggering amount of famous czech artists and architects studied here, later taught here, and some went on to become headmasters of the school.  the school got so many makeovers with the cultural and political changes during the 20th century; it's impressive to think of the people that walked in the same dark hallways and used the ancient workshops.  

it's probably the only thing about prague that i won't miss.  it seems to me like it is so prestigious that sometimes it forgets that it is a school.  i never did take MICA for granted, but now i really appreciate it.

faustův dům

(illustration of faustův dům by jiří šlitr, which i incidentally found in a book today)

the "faust house" (karlovo náměstí, 40) did not strike me as very mysterious in today's sunny weather, but it is actually the subject of many strange legends about its eccentric inhabitants.  despite its rather modern appearance (fully renovated in 1769) the mansion dates back to the 15th century.  the faust house changed owners through the centuries: prince vaclav of opava in the 15th century, edward kelley in the 16th, knight ferdinand antonín mladota of solopysk in the 18th; all of these inhabitants practiced alchemy, and i am sure that the mysticism surrounding this house resulted from centuries of outsiders' curiosity.

the strangest person to live in this house was a karl jaenig, in the 19th century. he is said to have been an avid collector of skulls, a functioning gallows, and other death-related objects. he inscribed funeral text on the walls and even allegedly slept in a coffin.

another story tells of a student who needed a place to live and settled in the then-abandoned mansion.  he found dark magic books and tired something out i suppose, because afterwards he was carried away through the ceiling by the devil himself!  which is why, in a swoosh of 19th century romanticism, it was not hard to fabricate (?) the building's connection with the dr. faustus legend.

mystery somewhat solved

it took me a very long time to find any information about this house, since it doesn't even seem to have a name. but what i was finally able to find out is that stromovka park was first conceived in the 13th century as a hunting grounds for bohemian kings. this house, which sits on the park's highest point, was a hunting lodge built in the 15th century. in the early 19th century, the lodge was rebuilt in the neo-gothic style. it now houses the newspaper and periodical archive of the national museum.