The Lesser Town Square (Malostranské náměstí) lies at the heart of the Lesser Town (Malá Strana), and has been the hub of this side of the river in Prague since the 10th century. At the centre of the square is the magnificent St. Nicholas Church, the Lesser Town’s primary landmark. All around are a mixture of restaurants, quaint old pubs, small shops and a host of international embassies housed in the wonderful old Baroque buildings. The Lesser Town Square serves as the main tram stop for the Lesser Town. From here you can go in one direction to Wenceslas Square, and in the other to the Castle District (Hradcany), at the back of Prague Castle. Amongst the many impressive buildings around the square is the Old Town Hall, once a place of great importance. Here in 1575, non-Catholic nobles wrote the “Ceske Konfese” (Czech Confession), a pioneering demand for religious tolerance addressed to the Habsburg emperor and eventually passed into Czech law by Rudolf II in 1609. Another building of note is Smiricky Palace at No. 18. It was here that Czech nobles gathered on May 22, 1618. The next day they threw two Habsburg councillors out of a window in Prague Castle, setting off the Thirty Year’s War. -----------------------------------------------
To explore the sights in Prague, take a Prague tour. |