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Jul 25, 2008
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Prague

Prague (präg, prāg) [key], Czech Praha, Ger. Prag, city (1993 pop. 1,216,500), capital and largest city of the Czech Republic and former capital of Czechoslovakia, on both banks of the Vltava (Ger. Moldau) River. A road, rail, and air transportation hub, the city also has an inland harbor that is the terminus of shipping on the Vltava river. Prague is a leading European commercial and industrial center and is the Czech Republic's most important industrial city. There are large engineering plants, machine-building and machine tool enterprises, printing and publishing houses, electronics factories, chemical plants, and breweries.

Prague is also the see of a Roman Catholic archbishop, an Eastern Orthodox archbishop, and the archbishop of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. Educational and cultural facilities in the city include Charles Univ. (founded 1348), one of the oldest and most famous in Europe; a technical university (1707); the Czech Academy of Sciences; the National Gallery; the National Museum; and many other museums and theaters.

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The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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More on Prague from Infoplease:

  • Thirty Years War - Thirty Years War Thirty Years War, 1618–48, general European war fought mainly in Germany. ...
  • University of Prague - Prague, University of: Prague, University of: see Charles Univ.
  • Peace of Prague - Prague, Peace of Prague, Peace of, 1635: see Thirty Years War.
  • Treaty of Prague - Prague, Treaty of Prague, Treaty of, 1866: see Austro-Prussian War.
  • Prague: Bibliography - Bibliography See P. Demetz, Prague in Black and Gold (1997).

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Czech Political Geography