Day two of our trip was packed with fascinating lessons and incredible insights into Czech history, culture, and innovation. We started our morning at Charles University with a history session focused on the origins of the Czech Republic, especially between the years 1918 and 1989. While I already had some understanding of key events like the formation and later dissolution of Czechoslovakia, I learned so many new details. One thing that truly intrigued me was how diverse the Czech people are. Due to the country’s central location—surrounded by Austria, Poland, and Germany—it became a cultural crossroads. These neighboring countries played significant roles in shaping the Czech Republic. As a result, most Czech families historically spoke more than one language, making multilingualism a common part of life here.
Next, we visited the Podolí Waterworks, which has been operating for 96 years. At their museum, we saw the evolution of water collection systems—from ancient pipes used over 2,000 years ago to today’s modern infrastructure. I was amazed to learn that Czech water is known to be extremely safe. It goes through three purification processes, including one that uses sand which hasn’t been replaced in 125 years but is cleaned every two hours. We also learned that the Czech Republic is a leading producer of chemicals used in water purification, which are placed at dams throughout the country.
In the afternoon, we returned to Charles University for an engineering lecture that took us through the Czech Republic’s development from an engineering perspective. It all began with silver exploitation, followed by major advancements in construction like bridges and railroads, then moved to car automation and eventually aviation. One surprising fact was that Škoda, the Czech car manufacturer, only contributes about 6% to the country’s GDP. Because of this, there’s been a national push to shift educational focus away from mechanical engineering and toward fields like energy and aviation.
A fun highlight of the day was riding the tram! It glides smoothly through the middle of the road, and there’s something so satisfying about how it weaves through the city. I also noticed that Prague feels incredibly safe—many children were walking alone, likely heading home from school. While I’m not exactly culture-shocked, things are definitely different from the U.S.; for example, public transportation is far more integrated into everyday life here.
Overall, day two was super informative and eye-opening. I’m really looking forward to what day three brings!
Swanson School of Engineering 