Lesser Town - Through Nerudova Street

Nerudova Street - the main connection between the Lesser Town and Hradčany - is among the oldest streets in the Small Quarter, even though its present appearance was formed in the Baroque period. The coronation processions of the Czech kings came this way and there was always an air of busy activity. The steepness of the street was not conducive to traffic and so wooden posts were fixed underfoot, running across the surface of the road to give the horses purchase. At the end of the 19th century, a cogwheel tramway to go up the slope was being considered .On our walk we will pause by only some of the houses even though the others also have interesting facades and house signs, for which the street is famous.

Around 1490 the house U černého orla (At the Black Eagle) [No.205/2], with the pub U kocoura (At the Tomcat) used to be the court pharmacy. It has two Renaissance stone portals and stucco decoration above the first floor. Further up on the left side is the Morzin Palace (No. 256/5). It was built on the site of four older houses and its current appearance is from 1713- 1714 by the eminent architect of the Czech high Baroque Giovanni Santini. The facade is decorated by Ferdinand Maximilián Brokoff with statues of Moors (using a motif from the Morzin coat of arms), with allegorical busts of Day and Night at first floor height, with a relief of the Morzin crest in the centre of the facade and with allegorical statues of the Four Corners of the World on the roof. In this building we can observe one of the guiding principles of Baroque design: the desire to create symmetry along the vertical axis; the entrance portal on the left is balanced by an identical portal on the right, where however instead of gates there are windows.

Opposite the Morzin Palace is the house U tří housliček (At the Three Little Fiddles) [No. 210/12]. After 1667 it belonged to the widow of a well known lute maker Ondřej Otto, who made the two oldest surviving violas. Later on Tomáš Edlinger of Augsburg founded a renowned school for violin makers here.

We pass the house U zlaté číše (At the Golden Chalice) [No. 212/16], whose house sign is the symbol of the goldsmith's craft, and we stop in front of the Thun-Hohenstejn Palace (No. 214/20). This was originally the Kolowrat Palace and is one of the most beautiful examples of secular, Baroque architecture in Prague. It was built between 1721-1726 by Giovanni Santini for Count Kolowrat, who requested a building “according to good proportions and symmetry for the beautification of the town and myself for comfort”. The width of the facade is fully utilised and creates an affect through the basic contrast between the orderly articulation of the surface and outstanding architectural decoration, especially of the doorway, adorned by two gigantic eagles with the Kolovrat coat of arms by Matyáš Bernard Braun.

The same sculptor placed above the entrance the figures of Jupiter and his goddess wife Juno, whose expression indicates perhaps how unhappy she was with her philandering husband. Under a huge ledge above the central window are two Kolovrat family emblems. The grandeur of the facade is heightened by the architect placing on either side of the main entrance for carriages, smaller entrances for pedestrians. The Palace stands on the site of five houses and was at first connected with the Palace of the Lords from Hradec in Thunovska Street.

The Church of the Virgin Mary under the protection of God's Providence was built by the congregation of the Theatins. In honour of the founder of the Order, St. Theatin (Cajetanus) the church is frequently called “At St. Theatin's”. It was built between 1691-1717 probably after designs by Jean Baptiste Mathey. The facade was evidently finished by Giovanni Santini, who decided to emphasize the height of the building in contrast to the neighbouring, elongated Thun Palace.

Passing the house with the house sign of the Nativity - Osel u kolébky (a donkey by a crib) [No. 244/25] we reach Jánský vršek Street. Standing here is the Bretfeld Palace (No. 240/33) also called Summer and Winter. In this palace with a Rococo facade, Count Josef of Bretfeld gathered together a collection of paintings and books. He also gave sumptuous balls attended by Giovanni Casanova and in 1787 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The house opposite U zlatého lva (At the Golden Lion) [No.219/32], contains the preserved interior of a Baroque pharmacy. In the house lived Professor Václav Vilém Štech, an art historian, connoisseur and lover of Prague. The neighbouring house U zlaté podkovy (At the Golden Horseshoe) [No.220/34] has an interesting house sign. It is a Baroque painting of St. Wenceslas with a real horseshoe fastened to the painted hoof of the horse. Several houses higher up on the left, we see an early Baroque facade of the house U dvou slunců (At the Two Suns) [No.233/47] made famous by the writer Jan Neruda, who lived here between 1845-1857.

The last house in Nerudova Street is called U zlaté hvězdy (At the Golden Star) [No. 171/2]. It stands at the junction of Úvoz and Radniční schody streets. On the right is the street Ke Hradu, hewn from the rock between 1638-1644 which allowed easier access to the royal residence. Towering right above us is the high Renaissance Schwarzenberk Palace, which we mentioned during the walk around the Hradčany Square. Here at the junction of the three streets we end our walk.

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Walking Tour Route Map

Tour Legend

1. Lesser Town Square (Malostranské náměstí)
2. Nerudova
3. Úvoz