The city's golden age commenced when Charles IV of Bohemia was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1346. The ambitious Gothic building programme including St Vitus Cathedral, the Charles Bridge, the University, and the New Town (Nove Mesto) centred on Wenceslas Square, transformed the city into one of the greatest and most powerful in Europe. In reaction to Hapsbrug rule, Czech nationalism re-asserted itself in the late eighteenth century. Throughout the nineteenth century, the development of a nationalistic architectural style brought further changes. Later still, the Jewish ghetto was razed to make way for Art Nouveau buildings.
At the end of World War I, Czechoslovakia gained its independence. Freed from the censorship and constraints of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Prague blossomed as new artistic styles were embraced and developed; Cubism, Art Deco and Functionalism found a niche in its arts and architecture. Strong influences came from America as Prague was ripe for the importation of Jazz Age popular culture. Parallels with the 1990s are inescapable; in both cases, Prague took what it wanted while retaining its unique identity. Not even decades of Nazi and Communist suppression successfully stifled the Czech spirit. Prague dramatically threw off stark social realism and in the 1990s has reclaimed its reputation for cultural excellence.