Prague city of culture

On this page you can find lot of useful information about famous Prague monuments.

The Astronomical Clock

The famous astronomical clock on the Old Town Hall, made in 1410 by Mikuláš of Kadaň and improved in 1490 by Hanuš of Růže, with its late Gothic Decoration, is the most admired attraction in Prague. Each hour, to visitor's delight, moving Apostles appear in the upper windows, and their walk is terminated by the bell of Death and the crowing of the clock. The clock consists of two parts. The upper part shows the revolution of the Sun and the Moon and the time of the day, the calendar below shows the days and months of the year. The calendar, with pictures from the Czech countryside, was painted by Josef Mánes. The figures of Apostles along with the sculptures on the lower part of the clock are work of Vojtěch Sucharda. (can be seen with: walk tour)

St. Vitus Cathedral 

St. Vitus Cathedral is the main church of Bohemia. This gothic cathedral was founded by Charles IV in connection with rising of Prague Bishopric to the status of an Archbishopric in 1344. The cathedral’s design is the work of French master Matthieu d’Arras, who directed the construction until 1352, and the builder Peter Parléř who succeeded him and completed the choir, the lower part of the main tower and the adjoining Golden Portal, the staircase, and the vaulted chancel. The eastern part of the cathedral was secrated in 1385. After Parler, construction was taken over by his sons. The next stage in the construction did not unfold until during the reign of the Jagellon dynasty. But the actual completion of the cathedral came only in the second half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. Work was completed in 1929 under direction of architects Josef Kranner, Josef Mocker and Kamil Hilbert. The western neo-gothic facade consits of a pair of slender towers surrounding a high gable. 

The Golden Lane

The most popular and most often visited part of the Prague Castle si the Golden Lane (zlatá ulička) with its small, narrow, mostly two-floor houses, built against the ramparts during the time of Jagellon dynasty. They housed the castle archers as well as gold-smiths and according to legend, perhaps also alchemists. The house at No.22 deserves visitors’ special attention: here for a time lived the writer Franz Kafka.

The Church of St. Nicholas

The Baroque architecture of the Church of St. Nicholas on the Lesser Side is uniquely impressive even among the imposing churches of Prague, and this church isone of the most valuable religious landmarks in all of central Europe. The church, to which is attached a former Jesuit college, stands on the upper part of Lesser Side Square (Malostranské náměstí). Both of the Dienzenhofers, father and son, shared in building this unique structure, in 1703-11 and 1737-52, allong with Anselmo Lurago, who was responsible for the high bell tower (1750-56). In the nave of the church we may admire paintings and statues representative of the High Baroque. The ceiling fresco above the nave, celebrating St. Nicholas, is one of the largest in Europe, painted by JanLukáš Kracker. The Fresco in the dome, devoted to the Holy Trinity, is by F. X. Balko. The four massive statues of the Church Teachers are by the sculptor Ignác František Platzer.

Dancing Building

On the site of a building that was bombed in 1945 A rose in 1992-1996 the Dancing Building by architects Frank O. Gehry and Vlado Milunić, and formed a special, completely modern corner of Jirásek Square and Rašín embankment. The bold exterior of the building has a whole does not disturbed the appearance of the row along the embankment, which represent architecture of the early twentieth century. Next to the Dancing Building is the Art Nouveau Building “U dvou tisíc” (at two thousand) No. 2000/78 which Vácslav Havel (Grandfather of the czech president) had build in 1904. 

National Theater

In its stylistic perfection its architectural beauty, its setting, and its well-thought-old execution, the National Theater represents one of the pinnacles of Czech architecture in the nineteenth century. The building, erected in 1868-1883, is associated with the names of architects Josef Zítek and Josef Schulc, and with whole series of czech artists who shared in decorating the exterior and interior. Outstanding decoration is found not only in the theater’s foyer but in the hall wise leading to the main viewing area and the loges. The stage curtain is the work of the painter Vojtěch Hynais, who conceived the painting such as to celebrate the construction of the National Theater. It captures the artists, workers, and all who shared in the construction along with many particular period details. Above the curtain in the proscenium is expressed the idea of the theater, which originated through nationwide donations- “from the Nation to Itself” (Národ sobě). 

The State Opera

Near the Main Train Station (Hlavní nádráží) in Prague stands the neo-renaisance building of the State Opera, which was erected according to plans by Viennese architects Hermann Helmer and Ferdinand Fellner in 1886-1887. The building served the New German Theater in Prague, which had a share in introducing the music of Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler to Bohemia. The theater orchestra maintained direct contacts with Mahler, which significantly contributed to the formation of Mahler cult in Prague. On the facade of the theater are busts by the sculptor Otto Menzel, and gable is adorned by Dionysus and Thalia in chariots- The work of Theodor Friedl. 

National Museum

the monumetal Neo-Renaisance building of the National Museum (Národní muzeum) closes off the upper part of Venceslas Square. It was erected in 1885-1890 according to a design by Josef Schulz. The sculptural decoration of the facade is by Antonín Wagner, Josef Mauder, Antonín Popp, Bohuslav Schnirch, Františk Hergesel, Antonín Procházka and others. Below the museum is an equestrian monument to St. Venceslas from 1912 by Josef Václav Myslbek. Prince Venceslas is surrounded by statues of Czech saints- Prokop Vojtěch (Adalbert), Ludmila and Anežka (Agnes). Alois Dryak shared in designing the monument, and the ornamentation is the work Prof. Celda Klouček. The show place of the National Museum is the Pantheon, where important social and cultural events are held. It is dedicated to the memory of figures important in Czech history, whose busts and bronze statues adorn the whole space. The wall murals where painted by František Ženíšek and Václav Brožík. The Pantheon occupies all floors of the front tract and has a glass dome. The decorative paintings beneath it artwork of Vojtěch Hynais. The museum staircase, also decorated with statues and paintings is the frequent site for concerts organized here “on the stairs”. In the National Museum are deposited and exhibited valuable prehistoric, archeological, mineralogical, geological, and zoological collections. The museum library contains many precious volumes.

Wenceslas Square

Originally called the Horse Market, this  square originated in association wit construction of the New Town under the reign og Charles IV. The name Wencesles Square (Václevské náměstí) has been use since 1848. This Square is the main artery of Prague and a center of commercial and cultural life. It is almost a half mile long, and 200 hundred feet wide. Since the mid-nineteenth century it has gradually changed  to an urban boulevard, and in the modern era a new character of architecture has developed, so that the buildings are mostly Neo - Renaissance, Neo - Baraque, and Art Nouveau. Architecture from the most modern periods has been used here as well. The upper part of the square, were the city gate stood, is dominated today by the building of the National Museum. The square has many famous building - above all the Art Nouveau Hotel Evropa and the hotels Ambassador, and Zlatá husa (The Golden Goose), the Koruna Palace, and the Peterka Building No. 777/12, and a noble Art Nouveau structure by architect Jan Kotěra.