Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ery is employed in order to explore the torment, alienation and claustrophobia Kafka felt
throughout his life and expressed through his writings.
Vrtbovská zahrada (Vrtbovská Gardens)
Karmelitská 25 • April-Oct daily 10am-6pm • 62Kč •
vrtbovska.cz
• Tram #12, #20 or #22 to Malostranské
náměstí
On the corner of Karmelitská and Tržiště is the entrance to another one of the most elusive
of Malá Strana's many Baroque gardens, the
Vrtbovská zahrada
, founded on the site of the
formervineyardsoftheVrtbovskýpalác.LaidoutonTuscan-styleterraces,dottedwithorna-
mental urns and statues of the gods by Matthias Bernhard Braun, the gardens twist their way
up the lower slopes of Petřín Hill to an observation terrace, from where there's a spectacular
rooftop perspective of the city.
Maltézské náměstí
Tram #12, #20 or #22 to Malostranské náměstí
From the trams and traffic of Karmelitská, it's a relief to cut across to the calm restraint
of
Maltézské náměstí
, one of a number of delightful little squares between here and the
river, with a plague column at the north end. The square takes its name from the Order of
the Knights of St John of Jerusalem (or Maltese Knights), who in 1160 founded the nearby
church of
Panna Maria pod řetězem
(St Mary Below-the-Chain), so called because it was
the Knights' job to guard the Judith Bridge. The original Romanesque church was pulled
down by the Knights themselves in the fourteenth century, but only the chancel and towers
had been successfully rebuilt by the time of the Hussite Wars. The two bulky Gothic towers
are still standing and the apse is now thoroughly Baroque, but the nave remains unfinished
and open to the elements.
Velkopřevorské náměstí
Tram #12, #20 or #22 to Hellichova
The Knights who built the church of St Mary Below-the-Chain still own the building and the
adjacent Grand Priory, which backs onto
Velkopřevorské náměstí
, a pretty little square to
the south, which echoes to the sound of music from the nearby Prague conservatoire. On one
side of the square, behind a row of lime trees, is the apricot-coloured Rococo
Buquoyský
palác
, built for a French aristocratic family and appropriately enough now the French em-
bassy.
