Last Updated on October 20, 2014 by
One of the perks of the AIFS program is the opportunity for cultural activities. Our faculty sends us weekly emails with various announcements about events going on in Prague along with tickets, usually at no extra cost. This varies from day trips to soccer games to the theater. So far, I have gone to two ballets, a street art tour (guided by an actual Czech graffiti artist), a soccer game, and the WWI museum.
Our program also took us on a welcome cruise along the Vtlava River, and organized day trips to Kutna Hora and Lidice. Kutna Hora is about two hours from Prague and is home to the famous Sedlac Ossuary, or Bone Church. After the Plague and Hussite Wars, this village was overwhelmed with people to bury. To manage all the bodies, a partially blind monk built a morbid tribute. The church is decorated in skeletons, including an intricate skeleton chandelier.
Lidice was a heartbreaking experience. During WWII, a town about 30 minutes from Prague was completely destroyed and all inhabitants were killed or put into concentration camps. This was done by the Nazi regime as retribution for the assasination of Reinhard Heydrich. We also visited the church and saw the bullet holes from where the assassins were discovered. It is an intricate and incredibly interesting story, one you most likely have not heard regarding WWII.
I’m extremely happy with my decision to travel with AIFS. Without these organized activities, it would be far more difficult to take advantage of everything Prague has to offer.
