Prague Revisited

This book of over 200 photographs by Bernis and Peter von zur Muehlen covers the sweep of Prague’s history from World War II to the “Velvet Revolution.”

• This book of photographs contains images and descriptions of personal experiences covering the sweep of history encompassing four visits between 1985 and 1992 and begins with an account of one of the photographers' life in Prague as a five-year-old in the last nine months before the end of World War II
• This monograph is not a typical travel book. Instead, in image and text, it presents the photographers' personal experiences during three important epochs in the history of Prague that include the Nazi occupation, Communist dictatorship, and finally liberation from the yoke of totalitarian rule in 1990
• The emphasis is aesthetic with the intention of shedding light on the city's charm and soul that lie beneath its surface

The first chapter, illustrated by his mother’s black and white snapshots of the city, is an account of Peter’s life in Prague as a young boy during the months leading up to the end of World War II and of his family’s narrow escape days before the Red Army entered the city. The following chapters describe four visits by Bernis and Peter between 1985 and 1992, an epoch that saw Czechoslovakia’s transformation from Communist dictatorship to the restoration of democracy. The images reveal not only a glorious city, but also the many less prominent sites that give Prague its unique charm. Haunting images of the Old Jewish Cemetery remind the reader of the turbulent history of the Jews, nearly exterminated by the Nazis. One chapter traces the evolution of the Lennon Wall, a famous symbol of Prague’s long struggle for freedom. Lively accounts of the photographers’ travel experiences document a city slowly coming to terms with its own history. A foreword by John Rasmussen, Director and Curator of the American University Museum at A the Katzen Arts Center, sets the stage for the story and images in this book. An afterword by Ori Z. Soltes, noted lecturer and author of twenty books, illuminates the city’s Judaeo-Christian history.

Review

"The book is intensely personal, focusing not only on views of a glorious city, but also on visual ironies produced by five decades of political upheavals." --What We Reading

About the Author

The work by Peter and Bernis von zur Muehlen ranges from images of the male and female nude, still life, and natural as well as urban landscapes. Their photographs from Nepal received a museum exhibit. Since 1974, both photographers have had work published and exhibited widely in commercial galleries as well as in museums in the US and abroad.