Old Town Square (Staroměstské Náměstí): Heart of Bohemia

Why is it significant?

Stand right here in the center of the vast cobblestones of Old Town Square and look around at the breathtaking parade of pastel Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque palaces.

Key Facts

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Stand right here in the center of the vast cobblestones of Old Town Square and look around at the breathtaking parade of pastel Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque palaces. Dating back to the tenth century as a bustling crossroads on the European trade routes, this square is the historic stage where the dramatic destiny of Bohemia was repeatedly decided. In the center rises the dark bronze monument to religious reformer Jan Hus, who was burned at the stake for heresy in fourteen fifteen, sparking the Hussite Wars. On the pavement nearby, look for twenty-seven white stone crosses inlaid directly into the cobblestones: they mark the exact spot where twenty-seven Czech Protestant nobles were beheaded on June twenty-first, sixteen twenty-one, following their defeat at the Battle of White Mountain. Towering over the eastern edge are the dark Gothic twin spires of the Church of Our Lady before Týn. Look closely: the two spires are not identical. The slightly thicker right tower represents Adam, while the narrower left tower represents Eve, a deliberate symbol of medieval cosmic balance. Walk a few paces toward the stone wall of the Old Town Hall to behold the Astronomical Clock.