Franz Kafka and Krystof the knitter

One has to come to lovely Prague, the exciting Capital of the lovely Czech Republic. We did it, Cath and I, a few days ago. The weather was great. We felt like coming home to some part of Mitteleuropa as known during the pre Second World War period. Walking past the Old Jewish Cemetery we found the Old-New Synagogue, a place where you breathe history, and also visited the Spanish Synagogue, all quite near the ancient centre of Prague.

In the Synagogue

The synagogues tell the story of Jewish live, the history and assimilation process of the Jews from Bohemia and Moravia. The Old-New Synagogue is a particularly precious piece of architecture, dating from 1270 or so. The style is early Gothic, a really beautiful place of worship visited by numerous people who may find reminders of the shoah.

Kafkaesque, isn't it?

But Prague is of course also a rather cosmopolitan place, the Czech culture being the outcome of various influences. Jiddish was and is one of the languages practised besides Chech. The Slovac part has moved away after the separation of Slovakia from Chechoslovakia. German also was a widely spoken language, practised by Jewish authors like Franz Kafka or his friend Max Brod. I may have been too young when my father gave me Kafka's The Castle to read. I was fascinated by his style, a sort of anguish, shy but very precise German one couldn't forget again. Absurdity and alienation was what made me addicted to Kafka. That he was Czech I learned much later. What a modern piece of literature  his Metamorphosis is. It went around the World, making him famous posthumously. Our stroll brought us also to his monument, a rather abstract, somewhat kafkaesque piece of art.

Krystof the Knitter

So, Prague is good for all sorts of surprises. Whereas Franz Kafka mainly lived during the Austria-Hungarian Empire period of Prague, Krystof Klestil who is a young Czech from Prague lives on a park bench not far from the Old-New Synagogue. To be precise, he spends sunny moments on that bench, knitting gloves and caps and other things. He reminded us of a new concept of life in a modern World, where you have to find your own way. And Prague can help you to find it. Just try.