Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sical facades line the square, imitating the colour and grandeur of those of Hradčanské and
Staroměstské náměstí.
Lichtenštejnský palác
Malostranské náměstí 258/13 • 234 244 136,
hamu.cz
• Tram #12, #20 or #22 to Malostranské náměstí
The largest Baroque facade to be added to Malostranské náměstí is the
Lichtenštejnský
palác
, occupying the entire west flank. Today it's home to the university music and dance
faculty(HAMU),aswellasbeingaconcertvenue,artgalleryandcafé,butthepleasingfront-
age hides a history linked to repression: first as the home of Karl von Liechtenstein, the man
whopronouncedthedeathsentenceonthe27Protestantleadersin1621;thenasheadquarters
for the Swedes during the 1648 siege; and later as the base of the Austrian General Windis-
chgrätz, scourge of the 1848 revolution.
Dům Smiřických (Smiřický House)
Malostranské náměstí 18 • Tram #12, #20 or #22 to Malostranské náměstí
On the northeast side of Malostranské náměstí, distinguished by its two little turrets and
pistachio-and-vanilla colour scheme, is the
důmSmiřických
where the Protestant posse met
in 1618 to decide how to get rid of Emperor Ferdinand's Catholic governors: whether to at-
tack them with daggers, or, as they eventually attempted to do, kill them by throwing them
out of the window (see
The Second Defenestration
)
.
Sněmovna (Czech Parliament)
Sněmovní 4 • 257 174 117,
psp.cz
• Tram #12, #20 or #22 to Malostranské náměstí
Sněmovní, the side street that runs alongside the western facade of the Dům Smiřických,
takesitsnamefromthe
Sněmovna
,theNeoclassical palacethatservedastheprovincialDiet
inthenineteenthcentury,theNationalAssemblyoftheFirstRepublicin1918,theCzechNa-
tional Council after federalization in 1968 and, finally, since 1993, as home to the Chamber
of Deputies, the (more important) lower house of the
Czech Parliament
. Only groups can
take a prearranged guided tour of the building but anyone can wander into the public gallery
to watch the sluggish wheels of Czech coalition politics turn.
