Sights in Prague - Part 2
To find out what it’s like to try every possible way to enter restricted territory illegally and which is the largest castle in the world, read this travelogue, part of the travelogue series: “At the Peak of the Delta: A Trip to Iceland via Poland and the Czech Republic”
BACK TO THE PREVIOUS TRAVELOGUE –> Travel to Czech Republic. Sights in Prague - Part 1.
More information about the route, costs and all travelogues of the trip can be found here.
DAY 9: Škoda Museum and Factory
The next morning, we visited the nearby Lidl, where we stocked up on sandwiches, croissants, and other pastries. Then we headed to our main attraction for the day—the Škoda Museum and Factory. It’s not that we’re big fans of the brand, but I really wanted to go inside the factory itself and see firsthand how a car is assembled. Škoda is located in Mladá Boleslav—about an hour’s drive from Prague. Free parking.
To my great disappointment, it turned out that we could visit the Škoda Museum, but not the factory, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I had booked a factory tour, and even though we were denied access, we decided to walk around the factory—which was surrounded by a massive fence—in search of a spot where we could sneak in. We were in full adventure mode! We tried here, we tried there. At one point, as we were driving around and trying yet again, we ended up at a cemetery! Yes! It turned out there’s a small, old cemetery right in the middle of the factory grounds. It was just unique. We even joked that maybe this is where they bury the people who sneak in illegally.
The Škoda plant is e.n.o.r.m.o.u.s It employs 25,000 people. It has several entrances and exits, as well as a train station. It has a parking lot for trucks and huge parking lots for employees. Unfortunately, it was completely surrounded by a fence/barrier, and we couldn’t sneak in.
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However, here’s what we learned at Škoda’s “boring” Muzeum. The company Škoda Auto was founded in 1895 as a bicycle repair shop called “Laurin & Klement”; it began manufacturing motorcycles in 1899 and cars in 1905. In 1925, the factory was purchased by the industrial conglomerate “Škoda Works” and began using the “Škoda” brand name. In 1948, it was nationalized and separated from the other enterprises of “Škoda Works,” and later became the property of the German company “Volkswagen Group.” In the years that followed, the plant was modernized and its production grew, reaching 1.1 million in 2021.
Next stop - the museum with old planes - Metoděj Vlach Air Museum, which is also located in the town of Mlada Boleslav.
Then we returned to Prague and went directly to the Prague Palace, which can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. Built in the 9th century, Prague Castle is considered the largest palace complex in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. Cathedral of St. Vit is located in the middle of the complex and is a wonderful example of a Gothic cathedral. Its impressive size makes it one of the largest in Europe.
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From there, we finally walked past the National Theater and continued on to the National Museum, where there were small Christmas stalls set up. There, we bought a sausage, potatoes with ham, and other things—everything was very tasty.
This is how the last day of our journey passed quickly before we started to return to Bulgaria a little less.
TO THE NEXT TRAVELOGUE —> Traveling from Czech Republic to Bulgaria. Bratislava
