Come to Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) and enjoy a trip back in time. This square, Prague’s oldest, known for its ancient buildings, fascinating churches and street artists, is one of the most beautiful public spaces in the world. Once a political and economic centre, Old Town Square embodies various stages of Czech history, and you will see them at every turn.

At the beginning of the 12th century Old Town Square was the site of the most popular market place in Prague. From then on a great deal of attention was paid to the square, and maybe this is the reason why the buildings lining it are of many architectural styles – Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque. Old Town Square was known as Great Square for centuries, with the current name coming into use at the end of the 19th century.

The most popular sights in Old Town Square are of course the Astronomical Clock (Orloj), the Church of Our Lady before Týn (chrám Matky boží před Týnem), the Old Town Hall (Staroměstská radnice) and the magnificent St Nicholas Church (kostel sv. Mikuláše).

But the most popular of these sights is, without a doubt, the fabulous Astronomical Clock on the Old Town Hall. It is an amazing fact that this instrument was created in 1410, almost 600 years ago, and is still in operation today. It is the work of Mikuláš of Kadaň, in collaboration with Jan Ondřejův. Eighty years later the famous Master Hanuš added the figures, and legend has it that the city councillors blinded him so he could not repeat his work. The story also says that before Master Hanuš died, he damaged the clock so seriously than no one could fix it again. He is said to have had some power to curse the machanisms, so that any who tried to repair it went mad or died!

On every hour the figures of the 12 apostles appear in the clock, accompanied by a skeleton ringing a bell. A cockerel crows when the spectacle finishes. Strangely enough, you can read almost everything on the clock but the time, unless, according to legend, you are a descendant of Master Hanuš.

On the dial you can see the most important astronomical events – movements of the sun as it circles around the earth, phases of the moon, equinoxes, seasons, days and the Signs of the Zodiac.

In the centre of the Square you can see the Jan Hus statue, which was placed there to mark the 500th anniversary of the reformer’s execution for heresy. Jan Hus is one of the most famous people in Czech history, and he was ready to die for his beliefs. His determination was the reason for his supporters going to battle during the 14th and 15th centuries in the Hussite wars.

Tragic events such as executions also took place on Old Town Square. For example, the leader of Prague’s poor, Jan Želivský met his death there, sparking protests. It could be said that a historical turning point not only for Old Town Square but for the whole of Prague, was the execution of 27 leaders of the rebellion against Emperor Matthias in 1621. The 27 white crosses which you can see set into the paving by the Old Town Hall commemorate this event. If you come here on 21st June, you may encounter the ghosts of the executed noblemen, who return to this place on the anniversary of their execution.

Also set in the cobbles of Old Town is a meridian marking “Prague Time”, Prague’s very own time zone until it was abolished in 1912. The meridian indicates the place where the former Plague Column used to cast its shadow at noon.

Today the square is a popular space for political speeches, large public gatherings and for Christmas festivities. So, if you visit the Czech Republic during Christmas, you can‘t miss the traditional Christmas Market held there.

If you want something special you might try a ride in a horse-drawn carriage. For a few hundred crowns you can see the most beautiful parts of the Old Town of Prague.

Old Town Square is full of romance, history and traditional Czech art. Don’t miss it when you are in Prague!