Astronomical Clock | Flickr: gravitat-OFF CC-BY 2.0Prague City Hall (Staroměstská radnice)
The Prague City Hall is an imposing Gothic building on the Old Town Square and houses the famous Prague Astronomical Clock. The tower offers a great view of the city.
Teyn Church | Unsplash: Leonhard NiederwimmerTeyn Church (Kostel Matky Boží před Týnem)
The Teyn Chruch is a Gothic church with distinctive, pointed towers. The interior impresses with its rich furnishings and artworks.The house “At the Minute” (Dům U Minuty)
To the left of the Old Town Hall is the House 'at the minute'. The facade of this building is characterized by striking Sgraffito decorations from the 17th century. These artistic representations include biblical episodes, motifs from ancient mythology, and scenes from life during the Renaissance.St. Nicholas Church (Chrám svatého Mikuláše)
This baroque church on the Old Town Square is known for its magnificent interior furnishings and the impressive dome.Goltz-Kinsky Palace (Palác Goltz-Kinských or Palác Kinských)
The Rococo Palace Golz-Kinsky was designed by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer and built by Anselmo Lurago between 1755 and 1765. In the 19th century, the building served as a German-speaking grammar school attended by Franz Kafka and Max Brod. Today, the palace houses the Prague National Gallery (Národní galerie v Praze), which uses it for art exhibitions. It also encompasses the meticulously restored Kinsky Library as well as the Administration of the National Gallery.House at the White Unicorn (U Bílého jednorožce)
In the cellar of the house, remnants of the original Romanesque building with Gothic vaults can still be found. In the 19th century, the house hosted the Pharmacy at the White Unicorn, named after the house sign from the 16th century – a lamb with a horn.
In the early 20th century, the property belonged to the couple Berta and Max Fanta. Max Fanta, a pharmacist, invented the Fantashell here. Berta Fanta ran a literary salon on the first floor, which served as a meeting point for well-known Prague intellectuals, including Franz Kafka, Samuel Hugo Bergmann, Franz Werfel and Max Brod. The founder of anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner, and the renowned physicist Albert Einstein, who taught at Prague University from 1911 to 1912, were also guests. A bust of Einstein next to the entrance commemorates his visit today.
Palais Glotz-Kinsky | Flickr: Björn S... CC-BY 2.0The House at the Stone Bell (Dům U Kamenného zvonu)
This now Gothic house is one of the oldest buildings on the Old Town Square. It was built in the 14th century, Baroque-ized in the 17th century, and returned to its Gothic state in 1961. Today, it hosts a small exhibition about the history of the house and its reconstruction.
Old Town Square | Unsplash: aestelleMonument for Jan Hus (Pomník mistra Jana Husa)
The bronze monument commemorates Jan Hus, an important reformer who played a significant role during the Hussite Wars.Marian Column (Marianslázně)
Since June 2020, the Marian Column once again adorns the Old Town Square. It was originally torn down by demonstrators in 1918, as a symbol of defeat following the proclamation of independent Czechoslovakia.Prague Meridian (Pražský poledník)
The line of the meridian at the coordinates 14°25’17’’ was once used for the determination of noon. Since the 1990s, the meridian has been marked with a brass rail with Latin and Czech inscriptions. Translated, the inscription reads: “The meridian through which Prague time was once aligned.”Monument to the Executions of 1621 (Pomník popravených z roku 1621)
27 crosses commemorate the executed 27 leaders of the Bohemian Estates' Revolt against the Habsburgs in 1621. The names of the victims are listed on the bronze commemorative plaque on the town hall's wall. The monument was erected in the 1960s to remember the victims of Habsburg King Ferdinand II.