Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
New Town Hall
In 1419, an anti-clerical mob
led by Jan Δelivsk† hurled the
Catholic mayor and his council-
lors from a New Town Hall
window in the first of Prague's
defenestrations
(see p11)
. The
Gothic tower on the building's
eastern end was added a few
years later; its viewing platform
is open to the public. The crowds
that gather round the tower's
base nearly every Saturday are
there to congratulate newly-
weds, married in the building's
Gothic hall.
d
Karlovo nám∂stí 23
• Map F5 • Closed to the public
A Day in New Town
Morning
Start your day with
breakfast at
Break Café
(see p113)
, then head to
Wenceslas Square
(see
pp30-31)
to begin the
day's sightseeing. A quick
peep inside the
National
Museum
(see p36)
will
probably suffice unless it's
raining or you're a big fan
of natural history. From
there, proceed to St
Wenceslas's statue and
the monument to Com-
munism's victims, where
you can pay tribute to the
nation's growing pains.
Palackého nám∂stí
The riverside square is
named for the 19th-century
historian Franti√ek Palack†,
whose work was integral to the
National Revival. Stanislav
Sucharda's sweeping monument
to him stands at the plaza's
northern end, while the modern
steeples of the Emaus
Monastery rise from the eastern
edge. The church grounds are
also known as the Slavonic
Monastery, named after the
liturgy the resident Balkan
Benedictines used
(see p52)
.
Sadly, American bombs
demolished the monastery's
original Baroque steeples on St
Valentine's Day 1945, as part of
the Allies' World War II military
campaign.
d
Map E6
Get in a bit of retail
therapy along the square
as you walk up to M∞stek,
then visit the
Museum of
Communism
(see p37)
,
ironically located above
McDonald's and a casino.
Take the metro to Národní
t∫ída, and linger over a
book or newspaper at the
Globe
for a leisurely lunch.
Afternoon
After lunch, head up to the
National Theatre
and
then follow the Vltava's
Right Bank upstream to
Jiráskovo nám∂stí.
Modern-art buffs should
take in
Galerie Mánes
(see p110)
on the way.
Follow Resslova up the hill
to the
Church of Sts Cyril
and Methodius
and its
monument to Czecho-
slovak resistance fighters.
In the evening, take in a
performance at the
National Theatre -
Vas-y
Vas-y
(see p113)
is the
obvious choice for dinner,
before or after. If you still
have the energy, head to
Radost
(see p111)
to dance
the night away or to
U
Havrana
(see p112)
for a
local, smoky atmosphere.
Emaus Monastery, Palackého nám∂stí
Following pages:
National Museum and Wenceslas statue at night
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