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It's advertised as the most beautiful library in the world and delivers on the hype. The origins of this massive, ancient complex date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, but it's best known as the stronghold of the Jesuits, who occupied it for more than 200 years beginning in the early 1600s. Though many buildings are closed to the public, the resplendent Baroque Library is a hidden gem featuring fabulous ceiling murals that portray the three levels of knowledge, with the "Dome of Wisdom" as a centerpiece. Next door, the Mirror Chapel is a symphony of surfaces, with acoustics to match. Mozart played here, and the space still hosts chamber music concerts, as does the library itself if you're lucky. The Astronomical Tower in the middle of the complex offers stunning 360-degree views of Staré Mĕsto and was once used by game-changing astronomer Johannes Kepler and afterward functioned as the "Prague Meridian," where the time was set each day. Nowadays, you can visit the complex and glimpse the beauty, as well as some historic astronomical instruments, only on guided tours, which run every half hour. There is no elevator to the Astronomical Tower rooftop and the steps are steep, so you may want to avoid this section if you have walking difficulties.
Mariánské nám. 5, 110 00, Czech Republic
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Rate Includes: 300 Kč (incl. tour)
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Hundreds of visitors gravitate here throughout the day to see the hour struck by the mechanical figures of the astronomical clock (although it's absolutely worth a look, don't be disappointed by the lack of drama. Focus on its astonishing age instead: it was first installed on the tower in 1410). At the top of the hour, look to the upper part of the clock, where a skeleton begins by tolling a death knell and turning an hourglass upside down. The 12 apostles promenade by, and then a cockerel flaps its wings and screeches as the hour finally strikes. This theatrical spectacle doesn't reveal the way this 15th-century marvel indicates the time—by the season, the zodiac sign, and the positions of the sun and moon. The calendar under the clock dates to the mid-19th century, although it's a replica rather than the original.
Old Town Hall served as the center of administration for Staré Mĕsto from 1338 when King John of Luxembourg first granted the city council the right to a permanent location. The impressive 200-foot Town Hall Tower, where the clock is mounted, was built in the 14th century. For a rare view of Staré Mĕsto and its maze of crooked streets and alleyways, climb the ramp or ride the elevator to the top of the tower.
Walking around the hall to the left, you can see it's actually a series of houses jutting into the square; they were purchased over the years and successively added to the complex. On the other side, jagged stonework reveals where a large, neo-Gothic wing once adjoined the tower until it was destroyed by fleeing Nazi troops in May 1945.
Tours of the interiors depart from the main desk inside (most guides speak English, and English brochures are on hand). There's also a branch of the tourist information office here. Previously unseen parts of the tower have now been opened to the public, and you can now see the inside of the famous clock.
Staroměstské nám., 110 00, Czech Republic
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Rate Includes: Tours 250 Kč, Closed Mon.
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Staré Mesto
The hype about Old Town Square is completely justified. Picture a perimeter of colorful baroque houses contrasting with the sweeping old-Gothic style of the Týn Church in the background. As the heart of Staré Mĕsto, the majestic square grew to its present proportions when Prague's original marketplace moved away from the river in the 12th century. Its shape and appearance have changed little since that time. During the day the square pulses with activity. In summer the square's south end is dominated by sprawling (pricey!) outdoor restaurants; during the Easter and Christmas seasons it fills with wooden booths of holiday vendors. At night, the brightly lit towers of the Týn Church rise gloriously over the glowing baroque façades. The square's history has also seen violence, from defenestrations (throwing people from windows) in the 15th century to 27 Bohemian noblemen killed by Austrian Habsburgs in 1621; 27 white crosses embedded in the square's paving stones commemorate the spot.
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The original church was built at the end of the 14th century, and the Czech religious reformer Jan Hus was a regular preacher here from 1402 until his exile in 1412. Here he gave the mass in "vulgar" Czech—not in Latin as the church in Rome demanded. After the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century, the chapel fell into the hands of the Jesuits and was demolished in 1786. Excavations carried out after World War I uncovered the original portal and three windows; the entire church was reconstructed during the 1950s. Although little remains of the first church, some remnants of Hus's teachings can still be read on the inside walls.
Betlémské nám. 3, 110 00, Czech Republic
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Rate Includes: 60 Kč
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Staré Mesto
This is the main thoroughfare connecting Old Town Square and Náměstí Republiky; it's packed day and (most of the) night. Many of the street's façades are styled in the classic 17th- or 18th-century manner, but appearances are deceiving: nearly all of the houses in fact have foundations that, astonishingly, date back to the 12th century. Be sure to look above the street-level storefronts to see the fine examples of baroque detail.
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This building, designed by Josef Gočár, is a shining example of (relatively) modern Czech architecture amid Staré Mĕsto's historical splendor. In the second decade of the 20th century, young Czech architects boldly applied cubism's radical reworking of visual space to architecture and design, with the characteristic geometric lines and sharp angles of the building's exterior the result. Once a department store, there's now a permanent Czech cubism exhibition inside and a café. Its name---House at the Black Madonna---comes from the 17th-century sculpture that still sits on the building's northeast corner.
Ovocný trh 19, 110 00, Czech Republic
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Rate Includes: 150 Kč, Closed Mon.
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Few memorials in Prague have consistently elicited as much controversy as this one, dedicated in July 1915, exactly 500 years after Hus was burned at the stake in Constance, Germany. Some maintain that the monument's secessionist style (the inscription seems to come right from turn-of-the-20th-century Vienna) clashes with the Gothic and baroque style of the square. Others dispute the romantic depiction of Hus, who appears here as tall and bearded in flowing garb, whereas the real Hus, as historians maintain, was short and had a baby face. Either way, the fiery preacher's influence is not in dispute. His ability to transform doctrinal disagreements, both literally and metaphorically, into the language of the common man made him into a religious and national symbol for the Czechs.
Staroměstské nám., Czech Republic
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Near the river between Pařížská and Revoluční ulice, in the northeastern corner of Staré Mĕsto, this peaceful complex has Prague's first buildings in the Gothic style. Built between the 1230s and the 1280s, St. Agnes's Convent provides a fitting home for the National Gallery's marvelous collection of Czech and Central European Gothic art, including altarpieces, portraits, and statues from the 13th to the 16th century. There is an interesting collection of contemporary Czech sculpture in the gardens, too, which are free to enter and open year-round.
U Milosrdných 17, 110 00, Czech Republic
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Rate Includes: 220 Kč, Closed Mon.
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The twin-spired Týn Church is an Old Town Square landmark and one of the city's best examples of Gothic architecture, looming over the former school building below. The church's exterior was in part the work of Peter Parler, the architect responsible for the Charles Bridge and Katedrála sv. Víta (St. Vitus Cathedral). Construction of the twin black-spire towers began a little later, in 1461, by King Jiří of Poděbrady, during the heyday of the Hussites. Jiří had a gilded chalice, the symbol of the Hussites, proudly displayed on the front gable between the two towers. Following the defeat of the Czech Protestants by the Catholic Habsburgs in the 17th century, the chalice was melted down and made into the Madonna's glimmering halo (you can still see it resting between the spires). Much of the interior, including the tall nave, was rebuilt in the baroque style in the 17th century. Some Gothic pieces remain, however: look to the left of the main altar for a beautifully preserved set of early carvings. The main altar itself was painted by Karel Škréta, a luminary of the Czech baroque. The church also houses the tomb of renowned Danish (and Prague court) astronomer Tycho Brahe, who died in 1601. The church's full name---Church of Our Lady before Týn---comes from the name of the courtyard behind it.
Staroměstské nám. between Celetná and Týnská, 110 00, Czech Republic
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Rate Includes: Closed Mon., Free
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Replete with buttresses and a characteristic portal, this church's exterior is a powerful and beautiful example of Gothic architecture—famed Czech director Miloš Forman certainly thought so, shooting some of his hit film Amadeus inside. An important outpost of Czech Protestantism in the 16th century, the church reflects baroque style inside, with a design by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and sweeping frescoes by Václav Reiner. The interior can be viewed during the day from the vestibule or at the evening concerts held several times a week.
Husova 8, 110 00, Czech Republic
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Rate Includes: Free
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It was here, in this humble-looking corner church, that Holy Communion was first given to the Bohemian laity in the form of both bread and wine, way back in 1414. (The Catholic custom of the time dictated only bread would be offered to the masses, with wine reserved for priests and clergy.) From then on, the chalice came to symbolize the Hussite movement. The church's interior doesn't rival other grander religious buildings in Staré Mĕsto, but neverthless it is open to the public for a quick peek every afternoon. German- and Czech-language services are held, too, and evening concerts.
Martinská 8, 110 00, Czech Republic
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Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun. and until 3 pm and after 5 pm daily (excl. services)
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While there has been a site of worship at this location since the 13th century, the church still standing was designed in the 18th century by Prague's own master of late baroque, Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. Overall, it's probably less successful in capturing the style's lyric exuberance than its name-twin across town, the Kostel sv. Mikulase (Church of St. Nicholas) in Mala Strana; but Dientzenhofer utilized the limited space to create a well-balanced structure, and it can offer a moment of peace from Staré Mĕsto crowds. The interior is compact, with a beautiful chandelier and an enormous black organ that overwhelms the rear of the church. Afternoon and evening concerts for visitors are held almost continuously—walk past and you're sure to get leafleted for one.
Staroměstské nám., 110 00, Czech Republic
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Rate Includes: Free, fee for concerts
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Nové Mesto | Museum/Gallery
This museum is dedicated to the history of the city, and though it's technically in Nové Město, it's relatively easy to reach from Old Town because it's near the Florenc metro and bus stations. The highlight here is a cardboard model of the historic quarter of Prague; it shows what the city looked like before the Jewish ghetto was destroyed in a massive fire in 1689 and includes many buildings that are no longer standing.
Na Pořící 52, Prague, Praha, 180 00, Czech Republic
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Rate Includes: 120 Kč, Closed Mon.
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This exuberant building, built in 1765 from Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer's design, is considered one of Prague's finest rococo, late baroque structures. With its exaggerated pink overlay and numerous statues, it looks extravagant when contrasted with the marginally more somber baroque elements of other nearby buildings. (The interior, alas, was "modernized" under communism.) The palace once contained a German school—where Franz Kafka studied for nine misery-laden years—and now houses revolving temporary exhibitions and a shop. Communist leader Klement Gottwald, alongside comrade Vladimír Clementis, first addressed the crowds from this building after seizing power in February 1948—an event recounted in the first chapter of Milan Kundera's novel The Book of Laughter and Forgetting.
Staroměstské nám. 12, 110 00, Czech Republic
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Rate Includes: 220 Kč, Closed Mon.
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Once used as storage space for gunpowder, this dark, imposing tower, covered in a web of carvings, offers a striking view of Staré Mĕsto and Prague Castle from the top. King Vladislav II of Jagiello began construction—it replaced one of the city's 13 original gates—in 1475. At the time, the kings of Bohemia maintained their royal residence next door, on the site now occupied by the Obecní dům (Municipal House). The tower was intended to be the grandest gate of all. Vladislav, however, was Polish and somewhat disliked by the rebellious Czech citizens of Prague. Nine years after he assumed power, fearing for his life, he moved the royal court across the river to Prague Castle. Work on the tower was abandoned, and the half-finished structure remained a depository for gunpowder until the end of the 17th century. The golden spires were not added until the end of the 19th century. The ticket office is on the first floor after you go up the dizzyingly narrow stairwell.
Nám. Republiky 5/1090, 110 00, Czech Republic
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Rate Includes: 150 Kč
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