Prague, the ‘city of a hundred spires,’ with its castle on the hill and astrological clock in the big town square, has a very fairytale look about it. Like all fairytales, below the beautiful city lies a lost labyrinth of tunnels that have intrigued historians, archaeologists, and adventurers alike. Beneath the cobblestone streets and Gothic spires lies a subterranean world that tells tales of mediaeval engineering, wartime secrets, and urban legends.
Prague didn’t build its tunnels all at once or for a single purpose. Like most other growing cities, they arose out of necessity. The most important factor was the Vltava River, which runs through Prague and has historically posed a flooding risk. To mitigate this, various drainage and sewage systems were developed over the centuries. These efforts intensified in the 19th century with the construction of modern sewer systems, resulting in an extensive network of tunnels designed to manage water flow and prevent flooding. Over centuries of development, the city, which is now at a higher level, has left an intricate maze of tunnels below. Through the ages, tunnels have served a plethora of purposes. The city’s growing need for storage, defence against invasion, merchants’ smuggling routes, and the ideal hiding place for alchemists during Emperor Rudolf II’s reign are just a few of the uses for tunnels.
Today, Prague’s tunnels are not just conduits of history and engineering, but also vessels of legend and folklore from bygone eras. Stories of hidden treasures, secret societies, and ghostly apparitions add an air of mystery to these subterranean passages.
For Wise Bohemian River, they are the perfect venue for an incentive enhancement, where secret societies can gather under the glow of candlelight to listen to music while an alchemist concocts an ideal mixture of spirits that will leave the group euphoric!
