Prague City Architecture Walk 2

The last Sunday in November saw a small group of students and guests brave the wet and snowy weather to examine the historic district of Malá Strana. The group started their journey outside the Divadlo Na Prádle theatre. It was named after the local church, which became a laundry (prádelna) in the 18th century when many Catholic churches were closed as a result of the Edict of Toleration.

Nosticova Street

The group then looked at the original baroque houses that line the quaint Nosticova street, before arriving in front of the Nostic Palace itself, today the Ministry of Culture. Built in 1660, this is a grand example of high Baroque architecture, with a doorway designed by Carlo Lurago, one of dozens of expert architects to have come to Prague from the Como region. A descendant of this Nostic family later paid for the building of the famous Estates Theatre, where Mozart premiered Don Giovanni.

Havel's Place

Before continuing, the group paid their respects at the unobtrusive 'Havel's Place' - two chairs under a tree designed to encourage dialogue, erected in memory of former Czech president Václav Havel.

Maltézské náměstí

In Maltézské náměstí, named after the Order of the Knights of Malta, the group looked at an early statue by Ferdinand Brokoff, who later went on to design several of the statues on the Charles Bridge; and the gothic church of St Mary 'under the chain', so-called because of the chain that once stretched across the river at this point and which would be lifted to allow through river traffic once customs duties had been paid.

Nerudova Street

From there, the walk took in Nerudova Street, with its multiple ancient house signs and embellished doorways, and the great Cathedral Church of St Nicholas.

This cathedral was redone in the baroque style after the Thirty Years' War, in a project that took a lifetime to complete. All the architects were connected with the Dientzenhoffer family. The father, Kryštof, began the work; his son Kilián took over the project and completed the iconic dome; and Kilian's son-in-law, Anselmo Lurago, was responsible for the bell-tower.

Walk Three: Nove Město

The next walk in the series will examine the architecture of Nove Město and Vinohrady on 9 January 2022.  You do not have to be a part of the architecture course to attend, all walks are open to all PCU students, staff and alumni. To join simply meet at the lower end of Wenceslas Square in front of the New Yorker building at 10.00am. Details can be found on the Events page here.