The St Nicholas Municipal Bell Tower is a Baroque tower in Malá Strana in Prague, standing next to the Church of St Nicholas. It is managed by the municipal company Prague City Tourism.[1][2]
The building was designed and begun by Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer. Anselmo Lurago completed it in 1755 according to his plans. Until 1891, when a modern fire telegraph was introduced in Prague, it served as an alarm tower. Under the communist regime the State Security (StB) had an observation post in it.[2]
The viewing gallery is at a height of 65 metres and is reached by 215 steps. More than 50 thousand people from the Czech Republic and abroad visit the tower every year.[2] The bell chamber holds the Mikuláš bell from the 16th century, which weighs more than three hundred kilograms. It used to call the inhabitants of Malá Strana to Mass and warn them of disasters.[1]
The Guardian of Safety exhibition
A new version of the Guardian of Safety (Strážce bezpečí) exhibition has been open since 6 October 2026. Its theme is safety, in connection with the watchman service and with the time when the tower was used by the State Security. The conceptual design was created by the writer Vratislav Maňák. Visitors can play the sound of the Mikuláš bell, and an audio guide is available in Czech and English.[1][2]
Next to the bell there is also an exhibition on the Bells of Memory project, which uses bell ringing to commemorate people who stood up to totalitarian regimes. The tower keeper’s flat, the black kitchen and the Wallpaper Room, with an exhibition on the housing of the poor in the late 19th century that opened in 2025, remain open.[1][2]
The monument has undergone a partial revitalisation. The spiral staircase to the bell chamber, the watchmen’s room and the clock mechanism were repaired, as was the entrance portal from the church roof. A new ticket office and an entrance hall by the architectural studio Olgoj Chorchoj were added.[2]
Chronology
- — From 6 October 2026, the St Nicholas Municipal Bell Tower in Malá Strana, Prague, has a new exhibition, Guardian of Safety, in which visitors can play the sound of the 16th-century Mikuláš bell. Pražský patriot Pražský deník
Sources
- Pražský patriot — 5 October 2026
- Pražský deník — 6 October 2026