Renaissance Astronomy in Kepler’s Prague

Itinerary

• Day 1 - Fly to Prague

  Flying direct into Prague, you will be met at the airport and transferred to the 4* K+K Hotel Central in the centre of the city. The afternoon is at leisure and you will meet Martin in the bar for a drink before an introductory talk. We will then proceed to a local restaurant for dinner.

• Day 2 - Prague

  This morning you shall be met by an expert local guide who will give a guided walking tour of Prague’s mediaeval Old Town. Highlights include the Old Town Square where you will see the Prague Astronomical Clock, which is the oldest continuously functioning example in the world. There will also be a visit to the National Technical Museum including its fascinating astronomical section and to the Tyn Church where Kepler’s mentor Tycho Brahe is buried. Martin will accompany the group throughout the day and give a second talk before dinner this evening.

• Day 3 - Benatky Castle

  We start today at Benatky Castle, where Tycho Brahe lived from August 1599 to June 1600. These magnificently decorated Renaissance and Baroque palaces were not only the site of Brahe’s observatory, but were also home to the Czech composer Smetana. In the afternoon we return to Prague, to visit the Klementinum, a historic former college, now home to the national library of the Czech Republic. Here we see the magnificent Baroque library hall as well as the Astronomical Tower (steep steps and no lift), and the Meridian hall, previously used for determining noon. In the evening we head to the Stefanik Observatory. Here, with Martin’s guidance and advice from the expert observatory team, we will observe the same night sky which once fascinating the Renaissance astronomers.

• Day 4 - Castle district, Prague

  The morning is devoted to the Castle District of Prague. Staring at the castle itself, there will be time to explore the complex here including a visit to St Vitus Church and the fine Renaissance palace of the Lobkowicz family, with art works of Velazquez and Canaletto and original manuscripts of Beethoven and Mozart. In the afternoon we will visit the village of Nelahozeves, birthplace of the composer Antonin Dvorak.

• Day 5 - Kutna Hora

  The beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site of Kutna Hora is situated about 1 hour from Prague. One of the most fascinating historic towns in Central Europe, highlights include the spectacular Gothic St. Barbara Cathedral and the Sedlec Ossuary – the unique complex of the former Cistercian monastery, also known as the Church of Bones, which is decorated with the bones of 40,000 skeletons. After returning to Prague we shall dine together in a local restaurant this evening.

• Day 6 - Fly to London

  We shall depart after breakfast this morning.