OLD TOWN SQUARE

Description

Essentials about the Old Town Square in brief

This square everyone should have seen once in a lifetime. The Old Town Square is not only the most important and oldest square in Prague, but definitely one of the most beautiful squares in the world. The square, which covers more than 9,000 square meters, is framed by an abundance of beautiful historical buildings. It is best to sit down on one of the terraces of the numerous restaurants and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the square against the impressive historical backdrop from there.

The name “Old Town Square”

The oldest known name of the square was “Great Square”. In the 13th century the name “Old Market Square” appeared for the first time, which changed to “Old Town Square” in the 14th century. Over the centuries, the name of the square changed several times; however, since the end of the 19th century, the current name is common.

The history of the Old Town Square

The Old Town Square existed already in the 10th century as a market place at the crossroads of important trade routes. Historical evidence shows that even then there was a hospital with a church of St. Mary, inns and stables. In the course of the 12th and 13th centuries numerous houses were built around the square, in which originally Romanesque and early Gothic foundations, cellars and sometimes parts of the first floor were preserved. In the first half of the 13th century, as part of a flood control action, the area was filled up quite high with soil, which is why the original Romanesque first floors got below the street level.

In the 14th century, two of Prague’s most significant buildings were erected on the square: The Old Town Hall and the Church of Our Lady before Tyn. These buildings contributed significantly to the importance of the Old Town Square, which established itself as the economic as well as political center of Prague’s old town.

In the following centuries, the appearance of the Old Town Square changed several times. Fountains, columns, houses and streetcar tracks were built and later demolished. Probably the most significant structural change took place at the end of the 19th century when the houses on the northern edge were demolished in order to build a new street (Mikulášská).

Throughout history, the Old Town Square has been the venue of many celebrations and popular gatherings, but also the scene of numerous tragic events. In 1422, riots took place here after the execution of John of Seelau, the leader of poor people. In 1437, the last Hussites led by their captain John Roháč of Dauba and of Sion were executed here. And finally, the most historically significant execution in Czech history took place on Old Town Square: In 1621, the 27 leading figures of the Bohemian Estates Uprising against the Habsburg monarchy were executed on the square. In memory of the Bohemian rebels, 27 crosses are embedded in the sidewalk.

The buildings on the Old Town Square

The Old Town Square is dominated by the monument to Jan Hus, which was built in its center in 1915 on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the reformer’s death. Around the square there are numerous historical buildings, such as the Old Town Hall, the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, the Baroque Church of St. Nicholas, the rococo Kinský Palace and the Gothic Town Palace “The Stone Bell”.