Prague

"Praha" redirects here. For other uses, see Praha (disambiguation).
This article is about the capital of the Czech Republic. For other uses, see Prague (disambiguation).

Prague
Praha (Czech)
Capital city
Panorama with Prague Castle
National Theatre
Pankrác district
Old Town Square
Malá Strana
Flag of Prague
Flag
Coat of arms of Prague
Coat of arms
Official logo of Prague
Wordmark
Nickname: 
City of a Hundred Spires
Mottoes: 
"Praga Caput Rei publicae" (Latin)[1]
"Prague, Head of the Republic"
other historical mottos  
  • "Praga mater urbium" (Latin)
    "Praha matka měst" (Czech)[1]
    "Prague, Mother of Cities"
  • "Praga Caput Regni" (Latin)[2]
    "Prague, Head of the Kingdom"
Map
Prague is located in Czech Republic
Prague
Prague
Location within the Czech Republic
Prague is located in Europe
Prague
Prague
Location within Europe
Coordinates: 50°5′15″N 14°25′17″E / 50.08750°N 14.42139°E / 50.08750; 14.42139
Country Czech Republic
Founded8th century
Government
 • MayorBohuslav Svoboda (ODS)
Area
[3]
 • Capital city496.21 km2 (191.59 sq mi)
 • Urban
298 km2 (115 sq mi)
 • Metro
11,425 km2 (4,411 sq mi)
Highest elevation
399 m (1,309 ft)
Lowest elevation
172 m (564 ft)
Population
 (2024-01-01)[5]
 • Capital city1,384,732
 • Density2,800/km2 (7,200/sq mi)
 • Metro
2,267,817[4]
 • Metro density237/km2 (610/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Praguer, Pragueite
Pražan (male)
Pražanka (female)
GDP
[6][7]
 • Capital city€78.414 billion (2022)
 • Metro€109.990 billion (2022)
 • Per capita (city)€59,404 (2022)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes
100 00 – 199 00
ISO 3166 codeCZ-10
Vehicle registrationA, AA – AZ
HDI (2022)0.965[8] – very high · 1st
Websitepraha.eu

Prague (/ˈprɑːɡ/ PRAHG; Czech: Praha [ˈpraɦa] ⓘ)[a] is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic[9] and the historical capital of Bohemia. Situated on the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.4 million people.

Prague is a political, cultural, and economic hub of Central Europe, with a rich history and Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectures. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia and residence of several Holy Roman Emperors, most notably Charles IV (r. 1346–1378) and Rudolf II (r. 1575–1611).[9] It was an important city to the Habsburg monarchy and Austria-Hungary. The city played major roles in the Bohemian and the Protestant Reformations, the Thirty Years' War and in 20th-century history as the capital of Czechoslovakia between the World Wars and the post-war Communist era.[10]

Prague is home to a number of cultural attractions including Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square with the Prague astronomical clock, the Jewish Quarter, Petřín hill and Vyšehrad. Since 1992, the historic center of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

The city has more than ten major museums, along with numerous theatres, galleries, cinemas, and other historical exhibits. An extensive modern public transportation system connects the city. It is home to a wide range of public and private schools, including Charles University in Prague, the oldest university in Central Europe.

Prague is classified as an "Alpha-" global city according to GaWC studies.[11] In 2019, the city was ranked as 69th most livable city in the world by Mercer.[12] In the same year, the PICSA Index ranked the city as 13th most livable city in the world.[13] Its rich history makes it a popular tourist destination and as of 2017, the city receives more than 8.5 million international visitors annually. In 2017, Prague was listed as the fifth most visited European city after London, Paris, Rome, and Istanbul.[14]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Vojtisek was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Milan Ducháček, Václav Chaloupecký: Hledání československých dějin Archived 18 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine (2014), cited after abicko.avcr.cz Archived 16 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ "Demographia World Urban Areas" (PDF). Demographia.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  4. ^ "OECD - Metropolitan areas - Population, all ages". OECD. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2024". Czech Statistical Office. 17 May 2024.
  6. ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". www.ec.europa.eu. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices by metropolitan regions". ec.europa.eu. Archived from the original on 15 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Sub-national HDI – Subnational HDI - Global Data Lab". Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Brief History of Prague, Czech Republic | Prague.com". prague.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Short History of Bohemia, Moravia and then Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic". hedgie.eu. 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  11. ^ "The World According to GaWC 2020". GaWC. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Quality of Living City Ranking". Mercer: Global Mobility Solutions. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  13. ^ "The PICSA Index". PICSA. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Top 100 City Destinations Revealed: Prague among Most Visited in the World". Expats.cz. 8 November 2017. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.


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