Cultural and business center of Prague - Wenceslas Square. This is one of the most famous and visited boulevards in Europe and the largest square in the country, which all residents of the capital simply call Vaclak. With a length of 750 m and a width of 60 m, the square stretches in the New Town (Nové Město) from the National Museum to Na Musteku Street (Na Můstku) - the borders of the Old Town. The square has witnessed important historical events. It is a traditional venue for demonstrations, celebrations, concerts and other public events. According to historian Dušan Tršeštik, Wenceslas Square is the point at which the pulse of the whole country is determined, here is the place where the most significant signs of modern Czech history are collected.
Location and layout
In the lower part of the square begins at the junction of three streets: the butt of Na Musteku (Na Můstku), October 28 (28. Října) and Na prikopě (Na příkopě). A bridge to the gates of the city wall once ran along Na Můstku Street through a fortification drain. Hence the name of the street On the bridge. Perpendicular to Wenceslas Square andNa Můstku, right and left, go streets 28. Října and Na příkopě. The lower area of the square, like Charles Bridge, abounds with spectacular entertainment during the tourist season: puppeteers, potters, blacksmiths, jugglers, living statues, musicians demonstrate their skills. Here, local guides offer services, and among them there are many who are fluent in Russian.
Mustek metro station is located on the corner of 28. Října and Na Můstku, so getting to Wenceslas Square is not difficult. The numbering of houses also begins from here: even numbers are located on the right side and end with No. 66, odd numbers - on the left with the last building under No. 59.
The middle of the square is a wide pedestrian zone, where contemporary art exhibitions take place, and Czech artists display their incredible large-scale sculptures in the open air. In the middle pedestrian area is the Café-Tram, an attractive establishment with an open area and a visitor's hall in the tram itself. Approximately in the middle of its length, the square forms an intersection with Vodičkova and Jindřišská streets. This spacious avenue ends with the building of the National Museum, whose facade, combined with the equestrian monument of St. Wenceslas, has become the most recognizable symbol of Wenceslas Square in the photo.
On both sides of the avenue there are many coffee houses, restaurants, eateries, exchange offices, shops, including jewelry with the famous Czech garnets. But you should be aware that prices here are significantly overpriced, and currency exchange is not the most profitable. If you move withside of the street "Na prikope", then it's better to go to the bank there, where at the same time you can see the stunning murals of Alfons Mucha.
National Museum
The construction of the museum building designed by Josef Schulz lasted 15 years and ended in 1890. The Neo-Renaissance structure with a facade 100 m long and over 70 m high is located at the end of the square and dominates the layout of the entire surrounding area.
There are three sculptures above the facade fountain, symbolizing the historical regions of the Czech Republic. The middle, most significant female figure of the patroness of the arts and sciences embodies Bohemia - an area that occupies half of the country. Sculptures of a young maiden and an old man - allegories of Moravia and Selesia.
72 names of prominent figures in the history of the state are inscribed in gold above the museum windows of the facade. And under the central glazed dome, sculptures of Czech cultural figures are exhibited. The National Museum consists of several branches located in different parts of the city. This historical building of the museum on Wenceslas Square is considered the main one, it houses the library, natural science and history departments. Of particular interest is the archaeological exposition on the second floor and the paleontological collection on the third.
Splinter damage can be seen on the facade masonry. These are memorable marks of the battles of 1968, when Soviet troops were brought into Czechoslovakia, according to the Warsaw Pact. This is a museumthe building is located at Wenceslas Square 1700/68 Prague1, and its numbering refers to a single end number.
Monument to St. Wenceslas
Deep meaning is not only the equestrian statue of the canonized Czech prince, but the overall composition of the monument. St. Wenceslas is the main patron of the country. It is surrounded by four more saints, the most important patrons of the Czech land: St. Agnes, St. Ludmila, St. Procopius, St. Vojtech. And this is symbolic both for the capital and for the entire state.
All sculptural figures were created by the brilliant Czech sculptor Josef Myslbek, who embodied his sculptural portrait in the person of St. Procopius. The general architectural design belongs to Alois Driak, and the original ornament of the monument was carried out by Celda Kloucek. All bronze casting was produced by Bendelmayer. For over 30 years, work continued, from the design to the installation of the monument. The composition was installed (1912) at first with three statues of saints, the fourth figure appeared only 12 years later, and the celebration on the occasion of the final opening of the monument took place in 1935.
In memory of Jan Palach
In front of the very steps of the museum, on the pavement of Wenceslas Square, you can see a cross, as if fused into twisted cobblestones. This is the memorial site of the death of the Prague student Jan Palach, who set himself on fire in 1969, protesting in such a fatal way against the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Soviet troops. His act led to mass indignation and demonstrations. LaterJan Palach has been posthumously awarded the Order of the First Class of Tomasz Masaryk for 32 years.
Sights on the even side of the square
Half of the houses on Wenceslas Square are owned by foreign citizens from Austria, Great Britain, USA, Ireland, Russia and Germany. Most of the buildings are called palaces, that is, palaces. Moving along the even-numbered houses towards the museum, the first palace you see will be the newest building.
Palac Euro (2). This is the last of the buildings built on the square, its construction was completed in 2002. It has a unique system of environmental control and changes in external lighting. The Euro Palace is an end structure, completely covered with glass, and it looks especially interesting with the lights of the evening illumination.
Number 6 is Baťa Shoe House from 1929. This is the first reinforced concrete building in the country with a suspended glazed facade, an architectural monument since 1964. The once famous Czech shoe company belongs today to Bata & Co. (Netherlands, Canada).
Franciscan garden
Through the arched passage of Palác Alfa (No. 28) by architect Ludwik Kisel, you can go to the Franciscan Garden and get into another world, separated from the hustle and bustle. Quiet, relaxing, seductive Franciscan Garden overlooking the Church of Our Lady of the Snows (Panny Marie Sněžné) and the complex of the former Franciscan monastery. The Church of Our Lady Mary was founded by the Czech King Charles IV in 1347 as a temple dedicated to the coronation. The church was to belarger than St. Vitus Cathedral and reach a length of 100 meters, with a nave height of 40 meters. The Hussite wars disrupted the bold project and only the presbytery was completed. But even today's view of the church and its size can tell how magnificent this church is.
The most beautiful house have mercy
Interesting is the corner of Wenceslas Square and Vodičkova Street. No. 32 occupies the Ligna Palace. In 1947, the Světozor passage was built here, adjacent to the Alfa passage, and leading to the Franciscan garden. Bypass passages are a Prague architectural phenomenon adapted to meet the needs of a modern metropolis in the conditions of an old building, allowing the creation of new shopping and entertainment areas without claiming additional street space.
The next corner house (Václavské náměstí 34, Vodičkova 40) is perhaps the most beautiful on Wenceslas Square in Prague. The photo of Vila House appears in all guidebooks of the Czech capital. Initially, there was an ancient building with a brewery, demolished by Antonin Wil, an architect and owner of many monumental buildings. On the site of the brewery, Wil built one of the most amazing houses of the Czech neo-Renaissance in 1895-1896, with rich genre paintings by Mikolas Alyos and Josef Fanta.
One of the standout buildings is a complex of three multi-functional buildings that form the corner of Wenceslas Square and Stepanska Street (No. 38; No. 40 – Štěpánská No. 65). This ensemble was built between1912 and 1916, according to the designs of the Art Nouveau and Czech Cubist architect Emil Kralik. The complex is often referred to as Šupichovy domy. This building is characterized by cubist geometry with elements of Art Nouveau contrastingly expressed on the facade of the building: the separation of gray masonry, rough plaster surfaces and fine geometric finishes. Inside the complex, an extensive system of passageways is unexpectedly revealed: the geometrically elegant Rokoko passage with a stunning umbrella dome; Art Nouveau arcade Lucerna with the entrance to the cinema of the same name and a fantastic patio.
Odd side of the square
The opposite side of the square also contains many architectural sights. Hotel J alta (No. 45) was built in 1958 by Antonin Tenzer in the style of late socialist realism with functionalist influences. In late Socialist Realism, communist symbols were almost not used, ornamental geometric forms were used to a greater extent. In terms of design of its time, this building is very successfully executed. The hotel's underground shelter is unique, with reinforced thick walls and a special coating that was supposed to prevent the penetration of radiation after a nuclear explosion.
Interior for "Titanic"
25 - Hotel Europe (Grandhotel Evropa) was formerly called the Grandhotel Schrubeck, and was originally built (1872) in the neo-Renaissance spirit. The Art Nouveau hotel has been rebuilt since 1905. In fact, these are two houses, one with a facade on the street, the other - in the yard. This wasa very prestigious, luxurious and modern hotel of its time, but its traditions suffered after the nationalization in 1951. Since 2016, reconstruction has begun with the expansion of a new building in the courtyard to increase the capacity of the hotel. The Pilsen restaurant is located in the basement of the building. And the Art Nouveau cafe of the hotel is considered the most beautiful in Prague and was the inspiration for the restaurant interior of the movie Titanic. Also, the hotel's richly decorated interiors have repeatedly become the scenery of films, the most famous of which was the 1996 film Mission Impossible.
The corner of Wenceslas Square No. 19 and Jindrisska Street No. 1 and No. 3 is occupied by Assicurazioni Generali. Here, in the building of the former branch of the Italian insurance company, Franz Kafka worked from 1907 to 1908. This "palace" was built (1848) in neo-baroque style by the architects Bedric Ohman and Osvaldo Polivka.
5 - Ambassador Hotel with arcade, Alhambra cabaret, cinema, casino. The building was originally a department store, built in 1912-1913 according to the design of František Setr, then rebuilt in 1922 as a late modern hotel.
How to get there?
Wenceslas Square in Prague is located above the metro line, the two busiest stations of which, Muzeum and Můstek, exit at the beginning of the square and at the end (behind the museum). These stations form the shortest section of the metropolitan metro. Vehicle traffic is allowed on the square, except for the northwest pedestrian zone.
