This historical center of Prague witnessed many major events that shaped the course of history for the country and the whole region:


  1. BulletPublic executions of the leaders of the defeated rebellion against Habsburgs took place here in 1621, at the beginning o the 30-year war between Catholics and Protestants that started in Prague.


  3. BulletCommunist takeover in February 1948 led by Gottwald sealed the communist grip on power and Soviet domination of the country for 41 years. 

 

The oldest structures date back to the 12th century when the first burghers’ houses began to be built around the marketplace at the intersection of trade routes.


The site, located low above the river, was often threatened by floods, and so the terrain was gradually raised with landfills. The construction continued; the old lower buildings were just built up with a higher story, and the ground floor became a cellar. The Old Town marketplace was originally perhaps 3.5 m lower than the current Old Town square.


Today the square offers a view of the full range of architectural styles from Romanesque, through Gothic and Renaissance, to Baroque and Classicism.

Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square)

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Old Town Square

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cca. 1930

A view from the Staroměstská radnicni vez (Old Town Hall Tower) (Photo Rich pick/Flickr 2008)