The Golden Maze

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Beloved ABC broadcaster and bestselling author Richard Fidler returns with a personally curated history of Prague. In 1989, while part of the Australian comedy trio The Doug Anthony All Stars, Fidler witnessed the Velvet Revolution firsthand, as a police state crumbled under the weight of ecstatic citizens. This transformative experience stayed with him, prompting a return to uncover the city’s rich and tumultuous history. Prague, with its gothic towers and baroque palaces, has endured plagues, pogroms, Nazi terror, and Soviet oppression. Founded in the ninth century, it is the birthplace of the golem, the robot, and housed the world's largest statue of Stalin, a monument that brought misfortune to many. Fidler recounts tales of a reclusive emperor who gathered brilliant minds at Prague Castle to explore the occult, and delves into the Black Palace, the Nazi SS's wartime headquarters, while meeting victims of the communist regime. He also revisits the mythic past, highlighting the city's founder, the pagan priestess Libussa, who prophesied its glorious future. Fidler masterfully guides readers through Prague's medieval origins to its complex present, offering an engaging and enlightening narrative that reveals the city’s hidden stories.