1000 Places to See Before You Die 18 - The Old Town Square, Prague

On the eastern side of the Vltava River lies the oldest part of the city of Prague right by the Charles Bridge. In the 10th century AD a marketplace was founded her, right by the crossroads of the trading routes of Central Europe. Over 1000 years later the old city square (Staromestske namesti) is still a bustling centre of activity. Only now it is bustling with shops, tourists and cafés instead of medieval traders. 

Central to the square is the 600 year old astronomical clock. It is set on the wall of the former city hall, and every hour as it strikes the time, a wealth of apostles and allegorical figures carved in wood move around the clock. It was made in 1410 and is the oldest astronomical clock still in operation. There are two other clocks older than this one, but they do not operate anymore. The top clock face shows the rotations of time, the sun, the moon and the planets, while the bottom face shows the day and the month. You can enter the 60m high tower for a breathtaking view of the city. 

The old town hall, the site of the astronomical clock

The astronomical clock

The Apostles peeping out the windows

On the square you can also find the Church of Our Lady before Týn, built in a Gothic style and the Baroque St. Nicholas Church. 

During Christmas and Easter the square hosts markets that are visited by hundreds of thousands of people. The Christmas market is the largest in the Czech Republic, and a decorated tree and a musical stage are set up for entertainment. 

The Storch house on the square with a mural of Saint Vaclav

If yo want to see what else there is to see in Prague, make sure to check out my post on the Charles Bridge here and an upcoming post on the Castle District of Prague. 

All facts above are from “1000 Places to See Before You Die” by Patricia Schultz, my notes from the trip and Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town_Square