The Jetpacker

A walk through Prague’s Old Town is like watching a good movie: it gets better and better the further you get into it.

First stop is the Municipal House, a paradigm of Art Nouveau architecture.  Usually artwork is inside the building; not at Municipal House.  The half-dome features a mosaic called “Homage to Prague,” accentuated by the opulent rust-green dome and flanked by sculptures on either side.  In 1918, the treaty to make Czechoslovakia an independent nation was signed here.  Today, Municipal House is famous for its Smetana Hall, home to the Prague Symphony.

The warm cream colors of Municipal House contrast with the dark, Gothic sight next door: Powder Gate.  Since 1475, back when Prague was a walled-in city, Powder Gate served as one of the only access points into the city (and it happens to look a lot like the Old Town Bridge Tower).  In the 17th century, the tower was used as a storehouse for gun powder, hence the name “Powder Tower.”

A short walk leads to the Church of St. James, which harbors two big sites: an opulent Baroque organ built in the 18th century, and… a 400-year-old severed arm.  Supposedly, the arm belonged to a thief that tried to steal jewels from the church.  Now the blackened arm dangles from a chain in a hallway as a morbid reminder not to break a commandment and steal.

An archway across from the church leads down Tyn Street into a fascinating courtyard that no guidebook told us about.  There were unique sculptures, interesting stores and buildings covered in ghostly religious imagery.

After passing through another archway, we’re suddenly in the historical center of Prague: Old Town Square.  It can feel a bit overwhelming with so much to see, especially with the Christmas Market congesting the square.  The square is home to many major sights, and it’s best to take it one by one.

The 14th century Gothic steeples of the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn create an ominous mood that’s washed away by the square’s many brightly-colored, richly-decorated buildings.  The large pink building with the Rococo stucco is the Kinsky Palace, home to part of the National Museum’s modern art collection.

The Ministry of Development building is a golden yellow structure with a fantastic half-dome mural and statues of late 19th century firefighters.  The angelic white Church of St. Nicholas (one of two famous churches of the same name in English, but in Czech it’s Kostel Sv. Mikulase) and the haunting Jan Hus monument (Hus was a religious reformer who refused to give up his beliefs and was burned at the stake in the 15th century) are two more important sights.

The real star, however, is the Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock, which you can read about here.

Other great sites in Old Town include the neo-classical Estates Theater, where Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” premiered (there’s even a spooky statue of a cloaked figure commemorating the opera outside the theater), Clam-Gallas Palace (another of Prague’s beautifully designed theaters), the Klementinum (read about a concert we attended here) and Knights of the Cross Square, a small square just in front of the Old Town Bridge Tower.

There’s also the Smetana Museum, Naprstek Museum and Havel’s Market — a tourist trap street lined with stores selling overpriced souvenirs.