Velkoprevorské námestí (Grand Priory Square)

Velkoprevorské námestí (Grand Priory Square) Review

This square is south and slightly west of the Charles Bridge, next to the Certovka. The Grand Prior's Palace fronting the square is considered one of the finest baroque buildings in the Lesser Quarter, though it's now part of the Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta—the contemporary (and very real) descendant of the Knights of Malta. Alas, it's closed to the public. Opposite is the flamboyant orange-and-white stucco façade of the Buquoy Palace, built in 1719 by Giovanni Santini and the present home of the French Embassy. The so-called John Lennon Peace Wall, leading to a bridge over the Certovka, was once a kind of monument to youthful rebellion, emblazoned with a large painted head of the former Beatle. But Lennon's visage is nowhere to be seen these days; the wall is usually covered instead with political and music-related graffiti.