|
Where to be a hunter, and not the prey
-Narrated by Deebrau, nomadic Toreador antitribu,
disappeared at the end of 2001.
Right now, all of Prague is a self-service: the
Sword searches for the remains of the Camarilla to
settle accounts with them, and the Camarilla, in turn, strikes
like a hammer to all her enemies, tired of being
always on the defensive. Snakes bite
Necromancers to suck all their blood, while
they assault the still ashen tombs of the
extinct Rogues, who must surely be
stirring in their remains scattered to the four
winds.
You want to know where to feed in Prague and not end up
being the appetizer, right? Well then,
follow me and pay attention, it's going to be a long night...
Hunting Grounds
Prazsky Hrad (Prague Castle)
The original Slavic settlement was rebuilt
several times between the 11th and 20th centuries, if the memory
of my sire was as old as I presumed. Since the 9th century
it was the seat of the Premysls. The Duke's Palace,
originally a wooden building, was converted into
a stone castle in the year 1135 and, during the
reign of Charles IV, was transformed into the
Renaissance Gothic style. During the Rudolfine period, the
castle housed the emperor's court (1584-1612) and,
in a new palace, stables and halls were built
to display the emperor's art collections.
Under the rule of Maria Theresa (1753-77)
the old complex was converted into a Rococo-style
residence with three internal courtyards. After
the First World War, the interior and the gardens
of the castle were rebuilt by the architect J.
Plecnik. Today, the Castle serves as the seat of the
President of the Czech Republic and as the
historical and political centre of both the city and
the country. The changing of the guard takes place
every hour from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m.
At noon, there is also a solemn fanfare.
Hadrëany
This is a small municipal district with many
interesting places, including the Schwarzenberg
Palace, the Renaissance Lobkowitz Palace
(mid-16th century), the Černín Palace of the
early Baroque (1669-97) and the Loreta (1626-1720),
whose Baroque church has a rich interior
decoration and a collection of liturgical vessels
in gold and silver. The Premonstratensian monastery
complex named Strahov was founded in 1140, and
includes buildings from the second half of the 17th century and
a library from 1782-83.
Mala Strana
Mala Strana is a very well-preserved urban area,
with numerous Renaissance and Baroque buildings,
palaces and churches. The Church of St. Nicholas
(1704-1759) is the finest example of Czech Baroque
style in Prague. The Church of Saint Thomas was
rebuilt in Baroque style between 1723-31, with
magnificent structures and sculptures by M. B. Braun.
The Baroque Wallenstein Palace, once the residence
of the Wallenstein family, dates from 1624-30.
Mala Strana and the Old Town are
connected by the Gothic Charles Bridge,
built in 1357 by the master builder Otto and
the famous Gothic architect Peter Parler, who
was only 27 years old at the time. The bridge,
516 m long and almost 10 m wide, rests
on 13 pillars and was later decorated with 30
Baroque sculptures between the years 1683-1724. Every morning,
it is impossible to tell whether what covers its weather-worn
stones is fresh snow or the ash of Cainites
who fell there the night before, casualties of the endless
war against the Camarilla.
Stare Mesto
The Old City, seat of the market — later the Old
Town Square — existed since the end of the 10th century
at the latest and, shortly thereafter, probably
established the Prince's Court in Týn (Ungelt),
where foreign merchants found
protection. Caravans of merchants arrived at this
court to exchange and sell their products. In
1234 Otakar II decided to build fortifications and
founded the first City of Prague. In 1338, the
residents of the Old City were granted the
right to establish their own City Council, which
became the political centre of the city.
The Jewish Quarter and the adjacent streets of the Old City
underwent intense changes at the end of the 19th
century and the early 20th century, a period in which
old buildings were replaced by new ones
built in the Historicist and Art Nouveau styles.
Nove Mesto
The New City was founded by Charles IV in 1348
together with the first university in Central Europe. It became
immediately the largest center in the city for both
cattle and Cainites arriving in Prague around that time. It covers the area that
surrounds St. Wenceslas Square (Vaclavské námestí),
established in 1348 by Charles IV as a horse
market, and where the first Setites to arrive in
the city began to weave their murky and dark
dealings. At the top of the square stands the
imposing building of the National Museum (1885-90) and the
statue of Saint Wenceslas, sculpted by J. V. Myslbek
between 1912-13, which among the Toreador of other
factions is considered a sacred work — and one that
we, the antitribu, love to redecorate
from time to time with a style more in line with our
wishes.
Vyshërad
The second seat of the Premysls. It was originally a Romanesque castle dating to 1070, later rebuilt by Charles IV. In 1654 it was turned into a Baroque fortress. The Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul dates from the latter half of the 14th century, and the adjoining Slavín cemetery is the resting place of several important figures in Czech history, as well as a field of cultivation, or rather enslavement, for the Giovanni of Josefov.
Prague City Hall with the
Astronomical Clock
The Town Hall was founded in 1338 as the seat of Old Town's autonomous administration. The oldest part of the building, Gothic in style, with a tower and a chapel belvedere adorned with rich ornamentation, dates from the second half of the 14th century. Twelve apostles process across the Astronomical Clock, built at the beginning of the 15th century, every hour from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. At the base of the building stands a zodiac calendar by Josef Mánes from 1865. The eastern wing of the Town Hall, Neo-Gothic in style, was destroyed on May 8, 1945, in the final days of the Second World War, and to this day it has not been rebuilt. Its destruction was the result of one of our sect's first attacks against the city in the middle of the last century, and its continued absence reminds the Camarilla and all its cowardly members how far the Sabbat can go without them being able to stop us. Among us, it stands as a symbol of our superiority over them.
Venice Bar
It is an accessible, very youthful bar for experiencing Prague's nightlife, provided you enjoy surrounding yourself with the city's rich and, let us be clear, pampered set. This is where all the spoiled children and well-bred youth of Prague come to get spectacularly drunk and turn the night into a sleepy evening of laughter, jokes and an almost domestic, traditional atmosphere. Perfect for old fossils, but calm enough for anyone in need of a night without surprises.
Chapeau Rouge/Banana Café
Hidden at the end of a street in Old Town, it offers several beers and a range of special drinks. It is lively and very popular, especially among anarchist gangs, who have turned it into one of their favorite haunts and fill it with their small, mocking coteries. For now we leave this little enclosure of amusement to their own devices, but that may change when the children decide they want to play at more serious war games. When that happens, we will be delighted to become their finest, and last, instructors.
It is easy to reach via Námestí Republiky metro station, which therefore remains presumed anarch territory... for the moment.
Die Totentanz
Located in an old, small church in Mala Strana and converted into one of the busiest nightclubs in all Prague. Many regard it as the city's New Age flourish. This venue with the German name appeared only relatively recently, but it swiftly displaced its rivals and carved out an exclusive niche as the place to spend the entire night to the pulse of dance, house and cutting-edge techno.
Within its dark walls, decorated with hundreds of gargoyles, every kind of Cainite gathers, most of them Sabbat, anarchists, and the occasional absent-minded or reckless independent. More than once there have been quarrels and brawls between packs and anarch gangs there, but nothing that, so far, has become truly dangerous.
National Gallery
This museum has two pillars that constitute its
main attractions: on the one hand, a collection of
icons and religious motifs spanning from the
2nd century AD until the year 1500; on the other hand,
original works by painters such as Holbein, Rubens, Dürer,
Brueghel, Van Dyck and Canaletto.
This is one of the private Elysia of our Toreador cousins in the Camarilla and, despite appearances, one of their strongest and most resilient bastions. Many works by our cousins rest among the choicest scraps of cattle art, and the place also serves as a meeting point for the entire clan.
Wallenstein Palace Gardens
During the Thirty Years' War, one of the
Austrian heroes was Albretch von Wallenstein, who
ordered the construction of this palace set amid lush greenery.
Many Gangrel have been seen hanging around
the area lately, so we have begun to suspect that they want to
create a refuge or recreation area among their gardens and
parks. The Gangrel antitribu, for their part,
suspiciously give nothing away about it and,
for the moment, have not mentioned making a courtesy visit
to their weak-blooded brothers.
|