traveldk.com

The dam in the Vltava not only helps prevent flooding, it makes a nice swimming and boating reserve.

Comparable to fried mozzarella sticks, this battered block of deep-fried mild cheese is usually served with French fries (hranolky ) and a tangy tartare sauce. As with much of Czech cuisine, try not to think about the cholesterol.

The home-town favourite has a light, fruity flavour. Brewed in the Smíchov district, its popularity owes as much to marketing as it does to local pride.

This is goulash’s sweet cousin: slices of pot-roasted beef tenderloin are served in a carrot-sweetened cream sauce, topped with a dollop of whipped cream and cranberries. Apparently, this is one of President Václav Havel’s favourite dishes. Like goulash, it’s unthinkable to eat it without the dumplings to mop up the sauce.

Also known as olomoucké tvaružky , these small cheese rounds immediately announce themselves by their pungent aroma. Eat them as a snack or light lunch, accompanied by beer, bread and onions.

When the bicycle was all the rage in the late 19th century, young Bobeř Říma stole one and rode it into the river. If a soggy young fellow tries to sell you a bike near the Old Town end of Charles Bridge, just keep walking.

Rabbi Loew created his clay robot to help out around the house. When the creature raised a ruckus on the sabbath, Loew was forced to deactivate him and stashed him in the attic of the Old-New Synagogue (see Attic).

Believing his fiancée had been untrue, a knight called off his wedding. After she drowned herself in grief, he realized his mistake and hanged himself. Every 100 years he “appears” in Platnéřská Street, hoping to find a young woman to free him. His next appearance is due in 2009.

When a local barber foresook his home and family after he became caught up in alchemical pursuits, his daughters ended up in a brothel and his wife killed herself. He is said to haunt the vicinity of Karlova and Liliova streets, hoping to return to his honest profession and make amends.

The town of České Budě-jovice (Budweis in German) was producing beer before the US brewer, but didn’t register copyright on the name.