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Even though today Prague is quickly linked to crowds of tourists in search
of cheap, tasty Czech beer, the city has a more intricate history than its
Disney-like facade leads on. Often referred to as the “Paris of the East”,
Prague for centuries has been the center of cultural and architectural magnificence:
It is the city where the legend of the Golem originated and where age-old
Jewish life and culture can still today be traced. It is the golden city
where Mozart's Don Giovanni had its debut performance in 1787 and where
Dvorak composed his music. Where Kafka lived and worked for an insurance
company, while simultaneously writing his impressive literary oeuvre. The
city where decadent Art Nouveau buildings add to the medieval architectural
opulence and where Alphonse Mucha created his famous posters, before reaching
fame in France. The city of the infamous Prague Spring and of the famous
playwright Vaclav Havel, the first freely elected president of Czechoslovakia.
And last but not least, home of the renown “Reduta” jazz club where former
President Clinton performed on his saxophone.
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