I am visiting Prague this coming weekend 25th to 28th november and wonder if there is achristmas market I could go to.
Hi Roy, You can find a lot of information on Christmas in Prague on My Czech Republic (this site), including an event calendar and a description of the Christmas markets. The ones on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square open up on November 26. Jeff
Jeff, Perhaps you could take some photos of the christmas markets and stalls and post them on myCZ to give an idea of what these markets are about for those of us who haven't visited Prague during winter. Thanks. :?: Robin.
Robin, I will be out there again this year taking pictures of the markets and decorations. The Christmas market at náměstí Míru just opened up. Last year I went out with my tripod and braved the crowds on opening day of the market on Old Town Square. My pictures can be found in the Prague Christmas section on this site (see above) and in the Prague photo gallery on my own site.
Dana and I dropped by Old Town Square last night to watch them decorate the Christmas tree and take some pictures. They were still putting together the stalls for the market. Dana wrote about our visit in her The Christmas Tree is Up! post on our blog.
Well we are coming out on Monday until next Saturday so i cannot wait to see the Old Town Square and hope for some snow.
They are boasting this years tree as the biggest ever! I guess they have selective memory and fail to remember last year (and a few before) how the tree has fallen in high winds injurying tourists! The Brit last year got some meger settlement, however, his injuries appeared real and for life... Beware of the poorly secured tree :lol:
The incident with the Christmas tree falling on the British tourist happened in 2003. He supposedly received a settlement of 14 thousand EUR from the Prague town hall. That tree was almost 30 meters tall and as far as I remember, the accident caused the city to announce that shorter trees would be used from then on. So I don't know why anyone would claim that this year's tree is the biggest ever (it's about 20 m tall). KJP, are you sure you didn't hear that in connection with the artificial tree on Wenceslas Square? Because that's supposedly the tallest artificial tree in the country (15 m).
Hello Christmas Market watchers, I went to look at Old Town Christmas Market and they are still building booths in centre of the square. Market shops are still not set up. Tree is lovely and still lots of tourists.........they never quit.
Just remember Magan, when it comes to tourists - when they've folded up their tourist guides and taken all their cr@ppy souvineers and unoriginal photos back home to bore all their friends and family with their false impression of the touristy theme-park....we'll still be living here for real 8) (just try to forget the fact that as quick as they leave, there's always another chav-air flight a-coming to replace them... :? )
I LIVE in touristy theme-park............(I also grew up here).........and I remember times when only people there were few old neighbours sitting on park bench gossiping...gone are those times............well, it's nice to share.
You think you have tourists? I remember when Florida was just gators, mosquitoes, and an occasional water-ski show. :wink:
Dana, you said the one on Vaclavak was larger, are you sure? It appears smaller. Also, you said that it fell in 2003 (which was correct) and that the Brit received compensation of XXX euros (I forget the amount you said). Taiko has opted to erect an artificial tree in the heart of the Wenceslas Square market, and has changed the appearance and decorations of many of the booths throughout its two markets. Even though the man is in a chair for life, the tree is now the largest ever! Couple that with the promise to close some of the booths due to overcrowding, but the company says the number of food stands has increased by 16 this year... But one thing is clear: Ever since a windstorm in 2003 felled the large Christmas tree that's always the focal point of the crowded market on Old Town Square, all eyes have been on these annual gatherings. And in the aftermath of the incident two years ago, which injured several tourists and hospitalized a British man who is still seeking compensation, the markets remain under increasing pressure to represent the country well to hordes of foreign visitors British tourist Malcolm Tuffin was back in the news Nov. 29, threatening the city and the former operator of the Old Town Square market with a lawsuit if the parties do not admit fault in the Christmas tree accident that broke his femur and has confined him to a wheelchair. http://www.praguepost.com/P03/2005/Art/1201/news1.php I could be wrong, but I think the tree is the largest and there are more booths and more overcrowded than before....I go down there often, I like to watch the pickpockets and the Police van, surrounded by cops just standing there, doing nothing...
It is not the largest ever. ČTK, November 27, 2005: "Dvacetimetrový smrk z Rudolfova dolu v Janských Lázních v Krkonoších ...Je ukotven dva metry v zemi a drží ho i ocelová lana. Bezpečnému zajištění stromu pořadatelé věnovali zvýšenou pozornost, protože před dvěma lety se kvůli silnému větru zřítil třicetimetrový smrk a zranil několik lidí." (full article) Translation: "The 20-meter tall spruce from the Rudolph Valley in Janské Lázně in the Krkonoše Mountains... It is anchored two meters in the ground and is also held by steel ropes. The organizers paid special attention to the secure setup of the tree because two years ago, high winds caused a 30-meter tall spruce to fall and injure several people." Prague Post, December 11, 2003: "A British tourist remains in intensive care with serious multiple injuries after a raking windstorm ripped a 31-meter (102-foot) Christmas tree from its moorings Dec. 6 in Old Town Square, sending it tumbling into a crowded open-air holiday market." (full article) Regarding the number of booths on the two main Christmas markets this year, there truly appear to be fewer of them than last year. Information Server of the City of Prague: "Stánků bude letos v obou lokalitách stát celkově méně kvůli zajištění lepší průchodnosti, orientace i bezpečnosti návštěvníků." (full article) Translation: "In total, there will be fewer booths in both locations this year to enable people to pass through easier and to improve orientation and safety of the visitors." Taiko (a good part of the Prague Post article you linked to seems to be based on this source) "Stánků bude letos v obou lokalitách stát 160 (87 Staroměstské a 63 Václavské náměstí). Počet prodejních stánků je nižší než loni, naopak na šestnáct se zvýší počet míst zajišťujících občerstvení." (full article) Translation: "There will be 160 booths in both locations this year (87 on Old Town Square and 63 on Wenceslas Square). The number of booths (selling products) is lower than last year. On the other hand, the number of food stands will increase to sixteen." Note: There must be a mistake in the number of booths since the two numbers add up to 150, not 160. The correct number on Wenceslas Square is probably 73, not 63. Radio Praha, December 9, 2004: "We have 80 stands on the Old Town Square with traditional and Christmas merchandise and eight stands with fast food. For Wenceslas Square we prepared 70 stands with traditional Christmas merchandise and five stands with fast food." (full article) That's a total of 163 booths in 2004 as opposed to 160 this year. I said that the tree on Václavák was the largest artificial tree in the country. It is not larger than the tree on the Old Town Square, which is supposedly the largest real tree in the country.
