In 1992, the historical center of Prague was declared a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site, and was one of the nine cities awarded the EU title of European Metropolis of Culture for the year 2000. The Velvet Revolution of 1989 ended Communism in the former Czechoslovakia, leading to the dissolution of the nation itself and the birth of the New Czech Republic in the northern lands. By the greatest of fortunes, Prague has never been bombed, as have most European cities, and has survived the many tragic events of the last millennium with hardly a scratch, which is why it retains the look and feel of antiquity.

Prague's classical buildings and cobblestone streets have witnessed royal processions, Nazi invasions, Soviet coups, student revolts and, after the Iron Curtain was torn away, endless streams of visitors. The "Paris of the 30s in the 90s" is a moniker bestowed on Prague because of the wave of American expatriates seeking a cheap, bohemian lifestyle like the one that drew Hemingway and company to Paris. With them have come multitudes of new restaurants, shops, galleries, cafés, and clubs. All this exhilarating and thoroughly modern activity is unfolding against the backdrop of "The City of a Thousand Spires," with towering cathedrals, centuries-old bridges, impressive squares, and maze of medieval alleys. Gorgeous, historic, and off-beat Prague is an essential millennium destination!