Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Malá Strana, Prague's picturesque “Little Quarter”, gathered around the Baroque
masterpiecethatistheChurchofsvMikuláš,sitsbelowtheCastleandis,inmanyways,
the city's most enchanting district. Its peaceful, often steep, eighteenth-century back-
streets have changed very little since Mozart strolled them during his frequent visits to
Praguebetween1787and1791.Despitethequarter'sminusculesize-ittakesupamere
600 square metres squeezed in between the river and Hradčany - it's easy enough to
lose the crowds, many of whom never stray from the well-trodden route that links the
Charles Bridge with the castle. Its streets conceal a host of quiet terraced gardens, as
wellasthewoodedhillofPetřín,whichtogetherprovidetheperfectinner-cityescapein
the busy summer months.
Long before the Přemyslid king Otakar II decided to establish a German community on the
Vltava's left bank in 1257, a mixture of Jews, merchants and monks had settled on the slopes
below the castle. But, as with Hradčany, it was the fireof1541 - which devastated the entire
area - and the expulsion of the Protestants after 1620 that together had the greatest impact
onthevisualandsocialmake-upofthequarter.InplaceoftheoldGothictown,thenewlyas-
cendant Catholic nobility built opulent palaces here, though generally without quite the same
destructive glee as up in Hradčany.
In 1918, the majority of these buildings became home to the chief foreign embassies in
Czechoslovakia and remain so to this day. After 1948 the rest of the district's real estate was
turnedintoflatstoalleviate thepostwarhousingshortage.Thingshavecomefullcircleagain
with property in Malá Strana now among the most sought-after in Prague. Yet despite all the
changes, the new hotels and the souvenir shops, much of Malá Strana remains relatively un-
disturbed and, in parts, remarkably tranquil. The island of Kampa ,in particular,is one ofthe
most peaceful stretches of riverfront in Prague.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search