Hradcany District

::Strahov Monastery::
This eighteenth century baroque building has its origins in the twelth century and has more recently been renovated. The monastery houses the magnificent Strahov Library and Theological Hall with their famous ceiling paintings "The History of Mankind" by the Viennese Rococco artist Franz Maulbertsch. The monastery also houses the Museum of National Literature.

::Loretto::
Located on Lorettto Square and just down from the monastery is the complex of the the Prague Lorreto with its Church of the Nativity (1735) this place of pilgrimage used building materials brought from Nazareth. The front tower of the Loretto houses the Marian bells which ring with the sound of twenty seven bells. On the second floor of the Loretto is the Treasury and the most famous item in the collection the "Diamond Monstrance" or "Prague Sun" which has over six thousand diamonds mounted on it's cover.

:: Prague Castle ::
The castle is collection of buildings known as the Hradcany district.The castle contains the gothic St Vitus Cathedral, the foundation stone was laid in 1344, but the complete building took six centuries to complete. Not to be missed is the St Wenceslas Chapel (1366), which leads to the Coronation jewels of the Czech Kings and the magnificent "new style" stained glass windows which were designed during the Czech Art Nouveau period by important Czech painters including Alfons Mucha.

The Spanish Hall in the north wing of the second courtyard of the castle, originally the show piece of the castle, has paintings by Brueghel, Holbein, Titian and Leonardo da Vinci. Guided tours of the castle are highly recommended.

Located on St George's Square, and opposite the Castle is the Romanesque Saint George's Basilica and Benedictine monastery which was founded around 920. A little further on is the much loved Golden Lane with its small and narrow two storey houses, originally the home of the castle archers and goldsmiths, the buildings have been renovated and now include craft shops. No 22 Golden Lane deserves special mention as the one time home of the author Franz Kafka.

:: St Nicholas Church ::
Is a magnificent building at the bottom of Neruda Street which you can reach from the castle. As you walk down Neruda Street look above the doors where some of the original signs of the owners are to be seen.

:: Charles Bridge ::
From Mala Strana you will cross Charles Bridge (Karluv Most) which was built in 1357. This is one of the evocative views of Prague where the bridge is lined on either side with a gallery of statues mainly from the Baroque period. of the eighteenth century. Considerd to be the most beautiful is the statue group of St Luitgarda by Mathias Bernard Braun.

At the far end is the Old Tower, once the entrance to Old Town (Starometske), there is a splendid view of the castle from the bridge. In summer it is best to go early as the bridge gets crowded and its hot!

:: Old Town Square ::
Reportedly a market square since the eleventh century this is the centre of the tourist trail. The restored St Nicholas Church, built in the 13th century, now has concerts. The massive square tower of the Old Town Hall dates from 1338 and its magnificent Astronomical Clock was made in 1410. The square is full of restaurants and is a good place to relax after your walking!

:: Obecni Dum (Municipal House) ::
Built between 1905-1911 this splendid art nouveau building recently restored, you can take a guided tour. It now houses art exhibitions and has murals and stained glass by important Czech artists including Alfons Mucha. The Municipal House stands on the site where in medieval times the Royal Court was located and adjoins the Powder Tower.

:: Powder Gate ::
Part of the original fortifications of Old Town built in 1475 and renovated in the nineteenth century.

:: Estates Theatre ::
The Estates Theatre was built in 1783 and witnessed on the 29th October 1787 the premier of Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. The entrance to the theatre is on Zelezna Street 540/11

:: Jewish Quarter ::
The oldest synagogue in Central Europe is located here with another six synagogues in the same area. One of these is the Jewish cemetery from the fifteenth century with 12000 graves in twelve layers.

The New Town

:: Wencelas Square (Vaclavske namesti) ::
Originally called the Horse Market it formed part of the New Town, but has since the mid nineteenth century been called Wenceslas Square. This major Prague thouroughafare, more than half a mile long, has many impressive buildings but the view is dominated by an equestrian statue of St Wencelas outside of the monumental National Museum.
There are plenty of shops and restaurants in the vicinity. The Square was the famous site of "The Prague Spring" demonstrations of 1968-69.

:: Vysehrad ::
Just out of town along the river the old burial place of kings and Czech national figures including the composers Smetana and Dvorak,good views of Prague along the river.

:: The Rudolfinum ::
The Rudolfinum on the commemorative Jan Palach Square has at its centre the Dvorak Hall home of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

:: The State Opera ::
Near the main train station Hlavni nadrazi is the home of the State Opera. This imposing 1886 neo Renaissance building has a superb facade and magnificent interior.

:: The National Theatre ::
The national Theatre in the New Town overlooks the River Vlatava. This is one of the finest nineteenth century Czech buildings. Built between 1868 -83 it is a demonstration of the idea of a "total work of art" exemplifying the achievemnts and collaborative efforts of architects, artists and designers in realising a National stage.

::Zofin::
In the immediate vicinity of The National Theatre is Zofin Island, on which stands the Zoflin Building(1886) which has a great tradition as the venue for Czech ceremonial balls and concerts including those given by the composer conductors Franz Liszt and Hector Berlioz. This artistic tradition continues to the present day.