Old Town Square
Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) is a square in the Old Town of Prague and one of the oldest places of settlement and economic life in the city.[1] It is very large and square in shape, with an elongated south-western part. It was already lined with stone houses in the early Middle Ages.[1]*
Old Town Hall and the astronomical clock
In 1338 King John of Luxembourg allowed the Old Town to build its own town hall.[3] The town hall tower was completed in 1364 and its chapel was consecrated in 1381.[4] The astronomical clock was installed in 1410.[2] It was made by Mikuláš of Kadaň and improved at the end of the 15th century by master Hanuš.[4] From 1784, after the four towns of Prague were merged, the town hall housed the joint municipal administration.[4] On 7 May 1945 the town hall was shelled and set on fire.[4] Its eastern wing, known as the Sprenger wing, then had to be demolished.[2]
Monuments and memorial sites
Almost in the middle of the square stands the Jan Hus Memorial.[1] The monument, dating from 1915, is the work of the sculptor Ladislav Šaloun.[3] Crosses and a date in the paving in front of the town hall's eastern façade mark the place where Czech noblemen were executed.[1] On 21 June 1621, 27 Czech noblemen were executed here.[3] A metal strip with a plaque in the paving marks the meridian by which Prague time was once set.[1] Since 2020 the Marian Column, which stood here until 1918, has again stood in the square.[3] The buildings around the square include the Church of Our Lady before Týn and the Rococo Kinský Palace, home to the National Gallery's collection of prints and drawings.[3]
September 2026
On 28 September 2026 the Million Moments association held an anti-government demonstration in the square. It called on people to vote in the municipal elections and in the first round of the Senate elections on 9 and 10 October. The square was largely full.[5]
Sources
* The sources are collected and the preliminary text of this entry is drafted with artificial intelligence, on the instruction of the editorial staff; the entry has not yet been verified by an editor — report a mistake.