Hradčany Square

Hradčany Square (Hradčanské náměstí) is a square in Prague in front of the entrance to Prague Castle.^[1] It is now a pedestrian zone. The Royal Route led to the Castle across its southern part.^[2]*

History

The name of the square is documented in the 14th century. Around 1320 the Supreme Burgrave Hynek Berka of Dubá founded the town of Hradčany on the open space in front of the Castle.^[2] The square was the centre of this subject town. In 1784 Hradčany merged with the other Prague towns into a single city.^[2]

Buildings

On the north side stands the Archbishop's Palace, the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. Next to it is the Sternberg Palace, built in 1697–1708 for Václav Vojtěch of Šternberk, which houses collections of the National Gallery. The northern side is closed by the Renaissance Martinic Palace.^[1] The western side is formed by the Tuscan Palace, built in 1689–1691 to a design by Jean Baptiste Mathey, with statues by Jan Brokoff on the attic.^[1] On the south side stand the Church of St Benedict with the Carmelite convent, the Renaissance Schwarzenberg Palace, originally the Lobkowicz Palace, and the Salm Palace. The Schwarzenberg Palace has sgraffito decoration and houses an exhibition of the National Gallery.^[1]

Monuments

In the middle stands the plague column of the Virgin Mary by Ferdinand Maximilian Brokoff, consecrated on 13 May 1736. The square also has a cast-iron gas lamp post made in 1867 by the Komárov ironworks.^[1] By the Salm Palace stands a monument to Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. The 3 m statue is a threefold enlargement of a work by Otakar Španiel from 1937 and was unveiled on 7 March 2000.^[1] From the east side of the square one enters the Castle, above which rise the towers of St Vitus Cathedral.^[2]

Sources

1. Magistrát hl. m. Prahy (Praha virtuální)
2. Městská část Praha 1