Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Attend a performace of Dvořák's music in the Víla Amerika by the
Original
Learn about a dramatic WWII assassination in the
National Memorial to the
Discover the beautiful art-nouveau masterpieces of Prague's most famous artist at
Explore: Nové Město
Nové Město means 'New Town', although this crescent-shaped district to the east and
south of Staré Město was new only when it was founded by Charles IV in 1348. It ex-
tends eastwards from Revoluční and Na Příkopě to Wilsonova and the main railway
line, and south from Národní třída to Vyšehrad.
Most of Nové Město's outer fortifications were demolished in 1875 - a section of
wall still survives in the south, facing Vyšehrad - but the original street plan of the
area has been essentially preserved, with three large market squares that once
provided the district's commercial focus: Senovážné náměstí (Hay Market Square),
Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí; originally called Koňský trh, or Horse Market)
and Charles Square (Karlovo náměstí; originally called Dobytčí trh, or Cattle Market).
Though originally a medieval neighbourhood, most of the surviving buildings in
this area are from the 19th and early 20th centuries, many of them among the city's
finest examples of art-nouveau, neo-Renaissance, Czech National Revival and func-
tionalist architecture. Many blocks are honeycombed with pedestrian-only arcades -
Prague's famous
pasážy
(passages) - lined with shops, cafes, cinemas and theatres.