Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP SIGHTS
ST NICHOLAS CHURCH
OFFLINE MAP
Malá Strana is dominated by the huge green cupola of St Nicholas Church, one
of Central Europe's finest baroque buildings. It was begun by baroque architects
Kristof and Kilian Dientzenhofer; Anselmo Lurago finished it in 1755.
On the ceiling, Johann Kracker's 1770 Apotheosis of St Nicholas is Europe's
largest fresco (clever trompe l'oeil technique has made the painting merge al-
most seamlessly with the architecture). In the first chapel on the left is a mural
by Karel Škréta, which includes the church official who kept track of the artist as
he worked; he is looking out through a window in the upper corner.
Mozart himself tickled the ivories on the 2500-pipe organ in 1787, and was
honoured with a requiem Mass here (14 December 1791). Take the stairs up to
the gallery to see Škréta's gloomy 17th-century Passion Cycle paintings and the
scratchings of bored 1820s tourists.
You can climb the church's bell tower OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP ( adult/child
70/50Kč; 10am-10pm Apr-Sep, to 8pm Mar & Oct, to 6pm Nov-Feb) via a separate en-
trance on the corner of Malostranské náměstí and Mostecká. During the com-
munist era, the tower was used to spy on the nearby American embassy - on
the way up you can still see a cast-iron urinal that was installed for the use of the
watchers.
DON'T MISS...
» Ceiling frescoes
» 2500-pipe organ
» Gallery
» Bell Tower
 
 
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