This is the Vltava river seen from the Charles Bridge, the longest river in the Czech Republic, which has it source up in the Bohemian mountains near Cesky Krumlov where will be visiting in a couple of weeks. I've noted the importance of rivers before the invention of the steam engine and the internal combustion engine; it was the only way to move bulk cargo over long distances affordably. That's why all those castles are on rivers; they serve a strategic purpose. They usually serve both a military and commerical purpose too. Like houses, it's all about location, location, location.
The old medieval town of Prague is situated on a loop in the river, which means that it has water on three sides meaning an invading army would have to attack frontally, which is not a favourable tactical situation. In the old days there was only one bridge, the Charles Bridge, that lead up to the hill to Prague castle. The castle is on the German side of the border the likely approach of any army that managed to make it over the mountains. There is a fresh water stream up there, which would have filled up water tanks for an extended siege. It's a pretty impressive castle as it dominates the hill and it was at one time the seat of the Holy Roman Empire in Middle Ages. You have to remember it was very hard for an army to take a castle before the development of gunpowder weapons.
The commercial purpose I've touched on before with the Vlatva linking up with the Elbe and flowing through Dresden and eventually to the great port of Hamburg in Germany. However, from Cesky Krumlov and the cities would have to send their goods to Prague, where of course the King could easily place taxes on it, but also protect all the merchants. This trade of course built up capital that paid for the beautiful city and allowed skilled artisans to develop. Remember, to be a skilled artisan was one step up from a peasant, so it allowed someone to move up in the world to a certain extent. You could never be an aristocrat, but you could have a materially better life. A good King, like King Wencelas, realised the importance of trade, and protected it, because he of course had a vested interest.
The Communists could never erase history, although they tried, and there is still the tradition of skilled artisans and commercial enterprise in the Czech Republic. In only 25 years the Czech Republc has one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and Prague is one of the most popular destinations in Europe. The stories we tell about the past have a political impact in the present. At one stage Bohemia was one of the most powerful States in Europe, with a thriving commerical sector. Yesterday, we saw the resistance to the Communist State with the grafitti on the Lennon Wall. Freedom is something we often take for granted in the West. It's why we have to fight so hard in the present to preserve our own liberty.
