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The grande dame of Czech cinematography – her best film is Daisies (1966).

The former fortress of Vyšehrad (see Vyšehrad Sights) is steeped in legend. Bedřich Smetana paid tribute to the second seat of the Přemyslid dynasty that resided here in the 10th century in his opera Libuše and in his rousing patriotic work Má vlast (see Bedřich Smetana). The composer is buried here in the National Cemetery, as are many other luminaries of Czech culture.

The fair grounds here were originally built at the end of the 19th century to host trade shows, but nowadays you’re more likely to see a hockey match or a rock concert at Paegas Arena, or a Shakespeare performance at a replica of London’s Globe Theatre. There’s an amusement park with rides for the kids, an outdoor cinema and the oddly charming musical Křižík Fountain. If you want to see the original statues that graced Charles Bridge, rather than today’s replicas, pay a visit to the Lapidárium, where they are preserved (see Lapidarium).

General Wallenstein pulled out all the stops creating what is essentially a monument to himself. On the palace’s frescoes, the Thirty Years’ War commander had himself depicted as both Achilles and Mars.

The “Good King” (actually a prince) was the second Christian ruler of Czech lands, succeeding his grandfather Bořivoj. Wenceslas solidified ties with Rome and with German merchants. Murdered by his brother in 935, he was later canonized.

This former horse market, in contrast to its medieval counterpart in the Old Town (see Old Town Square), expresses the history of 20th-century Prague, from its beautiful Art Nouveau façades to the memories of the many marches, political protests and celebrations that have shaped the city over the past 100 years.

Prague and Vienna continue to duel over the musical genius’s legacy, with the Czechs always claiming that Mozart loved them better. The composer premiered his opera Don Giovanni in Prague’s Estates Theatre (see Stavovské divadlo) and Prague residents mourned spectacularly upon his death in 1791. Regular Mozart concerts are held in the city.

The First Republic had barely stretched its legs when the Munich Agreement of 1938 gave Czech lands to Nazi Germany. Nearly 80,000 Czechs died in the Holocaust (see The Jews in Prague). After the war, the nation exacted revenge by expelling its German citizens.

The city’s most hated building among Praguers was built in the 1970s, and was intended, according to rumour, to jam foreign radio signals or emit nefarious radiation. Despite its ugly, utilitarian design, however, the view of Prague’s skyline from the top of the 100-m (330-ft) tower is spectacular on a clear day.

The Communists unashamedly cleared away a Jewish cemetery on the site in the 1970s to make way for this eyesore, reaching almost 100-m (300-ft) in height. However it didn’t begin transmitting until after the Velvet Revolution. Despite a viewing platform, the tower is actually too tall to see anything clearly, but thrill-seekers may want to try.