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66°F / 19°C
(Passing Clouds. Mild.)
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Tour One: Old Town & Jewish Quarter
The long, gentle sloping Wenceslas Square, the dividing line between the Old and New Towns, is the appropriate place to start a tour of the Old Town. The bustling space, lined with shops, restaurants and hotels, has been the focal point of popular discontent for decades. Long before gathering here during the heady days of 1989’s Velvet Revolution to bring down the communist regime, Praguers assembled in front of the National Museum, topping the square, to protest Habsburg rule in 1848 and the Nazi occupation in 1939. Also here, in 1969, Czech student Jan Palach set himself on fire to protest the Communist invasion of the country. A memorial in his name lies some meters down from the Wenceslas Monument, also at the top of the square.
After reaching the bottom of the square, continue one block along Na Mustku Street. Off to the right stands the magnificent Stavovske Divadlo (or Estates Theater). Built in the 1780s, originally in a neo-classical style, and reopened in 1991 after a mammoth renovation, the green and cream colored theater is most famous for hosting the premiere of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, which the master himself conducted.
After continuing past the theater across the wide courtyard, turn right on Celetna Street to the gothic Powder Tower, one of the city’s original 13 gates and a gunpowder storage space, hence the name. Next door, the exquisite Municipal House (Obecni dum) is the city’s finest example of art nouveau. Renovated in 1996-1998, it houses two quaint cafes and the Pilsen Restaurant downstairs. Smetana Hall (Smetanova Síň), Prague’s largest concert hall, hosts many of the Prague Spring festivities.
Returning to Celetna Street towards the Old Town Square takes visitors on the famous Royal Way, the coronation route of Czech kings ending at the castle across the Vltava River. The Celetna entry to the square is considered the city’s most stunning.
The heart of Prague, this one-time marketplace is surrounded by a pastel baroque mantle, dwarfed by the huge gothic towers of the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, looming ominously in the background. The church served as the Hussite main place of worship until their defeat by the Catholics in 1620. Below, the Jan Hus Monument, erected in a secessionist style in 1915 to mark the 500th anniversary of his death, stands in the square’s center.
Used mostly these days for exhibitions and ceremonies, the Town Hall’s northern wing was never rebuilt after the Nazis set it ablaze in 1945. Today, the open, bench-lined space provides refuge for weary tourists and locals to people-watch and take in the sights. The town hall’s most striking feature is the amazing Astronomical Clock, dating from 1410. Visitors gather on the hour to watch the display of wooden figurines, highlighted by the procession of the apostles, added in the 19th century.
Pass by the extravagant, baroque St. Nicholas'Church (1735) atop posh Parizska Street on the way to Josefov, the Jewish Quarter. Turn left on Cervena Street to enter what remains of the Jewish ghetto. After Nazi occupation, only 1200 of the pre-war 35,000 Jews returned to live there.
At Cervena No. 2, the Old-New Synagogue is the oldest standing synagogue in Europe. Opposite the synagogue lies the baroque-style Jewish Ceremonial Hall, the headquarters of the Prague Jewish community. Behind the town hall stands the High Synagogue where tickets for all sights of the quarter can be purchased. At the point where Cervena becomes U Stareho Hrbitova Street lies the horrifically amazing Old Jewish Cemetery – 12,000 graves piled upon each other in 12 layers. Off to the right of the entrance lies Ceremony Hall with drawings from children held at the Terezin concentration camp in North Bohemia. Head back up U Stareho Hrbitova and turn right on Maislova Street; at Maislova No. 10 lies the Maisel Synagogue, which contains a fine collection of artifacts used during various religious ceremonies.
Tour Two: Charles Bridge, Lesser Quarter & Castle District
The Old Town Bridge Tower is the most appropriate place to start this tour. Enjoy the breathtaking views of the Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral, both perched above the red-roofed Lesser Quarter across the Vltava River. Straddling the Charles Bridge, the tower was partially destroyed by invading Swedes in 1648, yet a handful of sculptures facing Old Town have survived to date.
The stone Charles Bridge has linked the Old Town and Lesser Quarter since the 14th century. Of the 30 statues lining the bridge, the oldest (eighth on the right) is that of St. John Nepomuk (1683), who was drowned in the Vltava River below on the orders of Wenceslas IV for refusing to disclose the secret confessions of his wife, the queen. A center of activity for centuries, the bridge today buzzes with street performers and artists, selling their wares alongside visitors strolling lazily back and forth.
Reaching the Lesser Quarter side, the St Vitus Cathedral, crowning Castle Hill, dominates the skyline to the right while The Lesser Quarter Bridge Towers frame the quaint cobbling of buildings closely surrounding the bridge. Pass under the tower arches onto Mostecka Street and turn left on Lazenska Street to the romanesque-gothic Church of Our Lady Beneath the Chain (Panna Marie Pod Retězem), the oldest place of worship in the Lesser Quarter. Continue through the adjoining Velkoprevoske namesti, past the Czech Museum of Music (České Muzeum Hudby), housing a fine collection of musical instruments and manuscripts. At the bottom of the square, a small bridge crosses the Certovska channel to peaceful Kampa Island, a favorite gathering space for young and old alike on its huge lawns.
Retrace your steps to the far side of Velkoprevoske Namesti which leads to Maltese Square, where the Ministry of Culture stands in the posh Palais Nostiz. Turn right at the main street, Karmelitska, and continue on to the Lesser Quarter Square (Malostranske namesti), dominated by the massive, high-baroque St Nicholas' Church from the early 1700s. The attention to detail in the green domed structure is amazing, especially the overwhelming ceiling frescoes inside.
Circle around the church to steep Nerudova Street, lined with a smorgasbord of baroque, neo-classical and renaissance buildings. The views from the top of Nerudova, back towards the Lesser Quarter and Old Town, make the climb worthwhile. Before entering the Castle proper, dip into the Castle Square’s Schwarzenberg Palace which houses the Museum of Military History, and the Sternberg Palace, which contains the National Gallery’s excellent collection of pieces from various European artists.
Two stoically dressed Czech soldiers on the ground and the massive Battling Titans statues above guard the wrought-iron gate entrance to the Castle’s first courtyard. The stone Matthias Gate frames the narrow entrance to the Second Courtyard, highlighted by the Chapel of the Holy Cross to the right and the Castle Gallery, housing a collection of rediscovered Habsburg works of art from the 16th and 17th century, to the left. Further left, a causeway leads across the Stag Moat to the beautifully landscaped Royal Gardens.
The spires of the gothic St Vitus Cathedral, completed in 1929, direct you to the giant Third Courtyard, the heart of the Castle. Just opposite, Czech kings did not have to travel far to the Royal Palace. Take the Bull Staircase beside the palace to find the best view of the city from the Garden on the Ramparts(Zahrada Na Valech) and Ledeburg Gardens.
Beyond the cathedral lies the red, weathered Basilica of St George, the city’s best romanesque interior. Circumvent the basilica and turn left uphill to the famous Golden Lane, one-time home to Franz Kafka, lined with tiny shops selling arts and crafts. Descend the steps at the lane’s end and turn right to Lobkowicz Palace / Lobkovický Palác housing the Historical Museum. From the adjacent Black Tower, take in one last panoramic view of the city below before descending the Old Castle Steps.
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