A couple of work colleagues and I spent a few hours wandering Prague upon our mid-Sunday arrival.  As we worked our way toward the castle having crossed the Charles Bridge, we came upon St. Nicholas’ Church.  We ascended some 300 steps to the bell tower for a spectacular view of the city.  Little did we know, this was a location of historical significance.  The StB (communist secret police) used this tower as a place to spy on the nearby embassies below.  We learned of this when we reached the very top of the tower where a man in StB uniform shared the history.  There are 4 “port holes,” one peering in each direction.  The U.S and other embassies could be seen through one of the lookouts, while the British embassy was visible from the another.  Due to the vantage point and the relative secrecy due to this being a church, it was an ideal place from which to spy.  One thing that astonished me was that this location was used by communist spies up until the fall of the communist regime in 1989 … barely more than 20 years ago.  It is easy to imagine this being the case in WWII, or even during the 50’s.  But using it for such operations within the prime of my lifetime is still somewhat hard for me to comprehend.

I love the patterns and shapes of the terracotta roofs throughout the city, as well as the curves of the meandering streets below.

Prague street from atop St. Nicholas' Church

5D MkII, 35L f/1.4, 1/200 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 500, handheld

Prague street and rooftops from atop St. Nicholas' Church

5D MkII, 35L f/1.4, 1/400 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 500, handheld

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