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Updated: 9 months ago
In the street Na Perštýně used to be the Zderaz Gate, through which led the road from the Old Town to Vyšehrad. On the site of the modern building, now the House of Children's Books (No.342/11), was the famous literary coffee house “Union”, frequented by Karel Čapek, Eduard Bass, Jaroslav Hašek, Josef Lada and other literary figures. In the yard of the next house, Na Perštýně (No.344/5), masonry is preserved from the Old Town fortifications. The Baroque painter Václav Vavřinec Reiner lived in this house and in 1744 died here. The neighbouring house U medvídků (At the Little Bears) [No.345/7], with a charming Renaissance house sign, is known for its tavern, which previously used to have its own brewery.
In the opposite house U tří zlatých koulí (At the Three Golden Orbs) [No.360/4], Jaroslav Hašek served an apprenticeship with the pharmacist Mr Kokoška. This continued however only until he finished off the picture of a grazing cow (painted by Mr Kokoška) with a pair of spectacles and a beard like his boss.
We turn into Bartolomějská Street. Within the houses No.314/4 and 310/10, towers of the Old Town fortifications are preserved The house No. 291/11 is the well known Konvikt, to which is joined the Church of St. Bartholomew with a Convent of the Order of the Grey Sisters (No.308/9). In the Middle Ages this used to be a district of ill repute called Benátky (Venice). In its place in 1372, the reformation preacher, Jan Milíč of Kroměříž, founded the institution called Jerusalem with the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene and a refuge for repentant women sinners. After his death, the buildings were used by the university as halls of residence and after 1660 it was modified for use as a Jesuit college - a boarding house for young noblemen.
After the dissolution of the Order in 1773, the buildings were used as warehouses. The former refectory became an exhibition and concert hall. In 1798 Ludwug van Beethoven gave a concert here and in 1863 Richard Wagner. Antonín Dvořák studied in the local organ school. In 1840 the first Czech public ball was organised here and in 1862 for the first time the česká Beseda was danced.
The Church of St. Bartholomew acquired its present appearance when it was redesigned by Kilián Ignác Dienzenhofer between 1726-1731. It is a high Baroque, hall church with its main facade facing into the courtyard. The wall paintings in the interior are by Václav Vavřinec Reiner. After 1854 the church was used by the Order of the Grey Sisters who resided in the neighbouring convent.
Through the narrow Průchodní Street we reach Betlémské náměstí (Bethlehem Square), and emerge close to the Betlémská Chapel, which was an important centre for the beginnings of the Czech reformation movement, linked with the name of Master Jan Huss. Credit for its founding between 1391-1394, must go to the courtier Hanuš of Mühlheim and the Old Town merchant Kříž who donated his garden for the building. At that time there was no square here because in front of the chapel was the Church of SS Philip and Jacob with a cemetery, destroyed during the Hussite Wars. Hidden beneath the roof of the Chapel was the original street well. According to legend, a long time ago bad mothers threw their new-born babies into the well and for this reason the Chapel was dedicated to the Bethlehem baby innocents. Apart from Master Jan Huss, Master Jakoubek of Stříbro, one of the ideologicxal leaders of the Hussite reformation movement, preached in the Chapel. In 1541 the representative of the radical wing of the German reformation, Thomas Münzer, continued the reformation tradition in his sermons here. Between 1609-1620 the Chapel was used by the United Brethren. After the Thirty Year War the Chapel came into the hands of the Jesuits and in 1786 it was pulled down and later rebuilt as a house, which preserved three walls from the original Chapel. On the initiative of Zdeněk Nejedlý it was reconstructed by the architect Jaroslav Frágner between 1950- 1954.
In the interior, remains have survived of some original Gothic window surrounds, the portal into the preachers' house and vestiges of wall inscriptions of tracts by Jan Huss and Jakoubek. To the Chapel is connected the preachers' house, where Master Jan Huss lived. Part of this house is still paved with the original small cobbles. Below ground level in the Chapel it is possible to see the remains of graves, the original pillars and three smelting ovens from the 11th century. Under the preachers' house a large malt house was constructed.
In the house U Halánků (No.269/1), which in the 19th century belonged to the well known philanthropist, Vojtěch Náprstek, is the Náprstek Museum of Asian, African and American cultures.
We leave the square passing the preachers' house, into Husova Street. On the left is the Baroque building of the Svatováclavského semináře (St. Wenceslas Seminary) [No.240/5]. Since 1786 the School of Engineering of the Czech Estates, now the Czech Technical University, has occupied it, using the Bethlehem Chapel as its graduation hall.
On the right, we pause in front of the Church of St. Jiljí (St. Giles), with a Dominican Friary (No.234/8). The original church already mentioned in 1238, was rebuilt in the 14th century in Gothic style. Jan Milíč of Kroměříž, the founder of the previously mentioned Jerusalem Refuge, used to preach here. In 1626, the Order of the Dominicans acquired the church and they built their monastery on to it. Their sign - a dog with a burning torch in his mouth - is on the south portal of the church, in Zlatá Street. The Church's exterior has retained its Gothic appearance but the interior was transformed in the Baroque period. The frescos were created by Václav Vavřinec Reiner. The central one depicts the defence of the building of the church from heretical attacks, while the ones on the sides illustrate the lives of SS Thomas and Dominic. The Monastery, dating from the middle of the 17th century, is a four winged building constructed around a courtyard with cloisters. The preserved refectory is decorated with paintings of biblical scenes.
Passing the house U zlatého tygra (At the Golden Tiger) [No.228/17], which contains a well known tavern, we reach the house U černého hada (At the Black Snake) [No.156/21], where nowadays the Středočeská Galerie (Central Bohemian Art Gallery) is situated. It is basically a mediaeval house rebuilt in Renaissance style with a beautifully preserved cellar which is part of the exhibition space. We cross Karlova Street and stop in front of the wide facade of the high baroque Clam-Gallas Palace (No.158/20). The Palace was built between 1715-1730, designed by the architect Jan Fischer of Erlach and it is among the finest examples of Prague palace architecture. Matyáš Bernard Braun contributed to the rich, sculptural decorations on the facade. The same artist also adorned the monumental staircase of the interior with sculpture. The frescos on the ceiling of the staircase and in the halls on the second floor were created by Carlo Carlone. The Gallas family used to give concerts in their Palace; and in 1796 Ludwig van Beethoven performed here.
We return through Husova Street somewhat behind Karlova Street, and turn right, into Řetězová Street.
The street starts as a relatively wide thoroughfare with sumptuous houses on either side but further on leads through a poorer quarter, where it narrows and the houses are plainer. In the house U tří divých (At the Three Wild Ones) [No.224/3], at the beginning of the 20th century was opened a well known bar called Montmartre, frequented by among others, Vlasta Burian and writers Jaroslav Hašek and Eduard Bass. The cabaret performers “Red Seven” gave shows here and the avant garde painters - Tvrdošíjní (The Stubborn Ones) - held meetings here.
Where the street narrows we can enter the courtyard of the house 222/3 where there remains, preserved, two floors of a Romanesque palác Pánů z Kunštátu a krále Jiřího z Poděbrad (Palace of the Lords of Kunštat and King George of Poděbrady). The cellar area, whose rooms used to be at ground floor level, has the most beautiful Romanesque vaulting, where the imprints of wooden planking are clearly visible .In the time when the future King George of Poděbrady, was governor of the land, this palace was his main residence. The quality and the fine standard of preservation of the structure makes this building a monument of European significance.
We continue along the narrow řetězová Street, lined on the sides by a number of guard stones, which prevented carriages from scraping the plaster off the houses. Further on we reach Anenská Street, which leads to Anenské Square. This quiet area, with a fountain transferred here from the újezd Barracks, is dominated by the front wing of the Dominican Convent at St. Anne (No.211 and 213/2). On the site of today's buildings were originally the romanesque rotunda of St. Lawrence and a monastery of the Order of the Templars. In 1312 the Order was abolished and Dominican nuns, who built on the site of the old rotunda a new Church of SS Anne and Lawrence, moved in. It is in keeping with the conservative character of the Old Town, that the Convent survived intact even during the time of the Hussite Wars, (according to legend because the abbess was Žižka's aunt). The current, monumental facade, hiding the view of the church, dates from the early, baroque rebuilding in 1676. In 1782 the Convent and the Church were dissolved and the buildings turned into a printing works.
From the history of the church it is worth noting that in 1553, the chronicler Vacláv Hájek of Libočany was buried here. In the first half of the 18th century the church organ was played by Christoph Willibald von Gluck during his Prague studies.
Next to the Rococo Palace of the Pachts of Rájov (No.208/4), is the, divadlo Na zábradlí (the Theatre on the Ballustrade) [No.209/5]. Not far away stood one of the oldest Prague churches, from around ll2O, the important romanesque Church of St. John On the Ballustrade from around 1120. This outstanding monument was destroyed in 1896.
Through Anenská Street we walk to the Vltava and the Novotného lávka (footbridge). Next to the water tower stand the Staroměstské mlýny (Old Town Mills). The mills, forming a picturesque corner, were founded in the 15th century, though their appearance frequently changed. They were damaged not just by floods but also by fire, because enemy artillery always concentrated their aim at mills and water towers in order to disrupt the life of the besieged town. The present appearance of the mills is in the neo-Renaissance style. The building of the city Water Authorities (No.201/1), stands directly above the river and was built by Antonín Wiehle in 1883 also in the Czech neo-Renaissance style. Nowadays the museum of the composer Bedřich Smetana is here. From the composer's statue in front of the building we can admire the panorama of Charles Bridge, the Small Quarter and Hradčany rising above the wide sweep of the river.
The Old Town Water Tower was built in 1489 but over the centuries it underwent considerable alterations. The water was driven by the mill wheel into a metal cistern on the top level, below which in winter there was a fire to prevent it from freezing. From there it flowed by gravity into the town fountains. They were also protected against severe winter weather: above the fountains wooden constructions were erected on which carriageloads of manure were heaped to keep away the frost. Most water however was not consumed by the city's public fountains but by the breweries. For that reason a master plumber had to report any disruption in the pipework first of all to the brewers.
We return to Anenské Square, from where, via a passage in the house No.185/3, we come to Karlova Street. At the end of the passage on the left is a commemorative plaque informing us that here, in the house U francouzské koruny (At the French Crown) [No.188/4], the astronomer Johannes Kepler lived and wrote some of his books. In the neighbouring Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace (No.189/2), which has an interesting courtyard, there was a professional fencing school, closed in 1914.
On the left of the street is the exceptionally long side of the Church of St. Salvátor (St. Saviour). Its facade and interior were discussed earlier during the walk through the Křížovnické Square and along Charles Bridge. Now we only add that the church towers were - perhaps for the first time in Prague - constructed at the east end of the church. In counter- reformation churches, they began to be thought of as “the protectors of the altar” and so became the outward sign differentiating the catholic from the protestant churches with their towers traditionally placed on the west facade.
Among the houses on the right, let us note at least the house U kamenné mořské panny (At the Stone Mermaid) [No.183/14], with a sculpted house sign and the house U zlatého hada (At the Golden Snake) [No.181/18], with a renaissance facade and a charming house sign. Here in 1714, the Armenian Deodatus Damajanus sold coffee for the first time in Prague. The house U modré štiky (At the Blue Pike) [No.180/2], stands, according to tradition, on the site of a tavern which was frequented in the 14th century by Wenceslas IV, with the magician Žito and his favourite dog. In the present house in 1907 Viktor Ponrepo installed the first Prague cinema.
On the left the facade of the house U zlaté studně (At the Golden Well) [No.175/3] protrudes into the street .Its rich, baroque exterior is decorated with stucco reliefs of St. Wenceslas, St. John of Nepomuk, St. Roch, St. Sebastian, St. Ignatious, St. Francis Xavier and St. Rozálie. In most cases they are revered as protectors against the plague. According to legend the headless figures of two Spanish noblemen, murdered for money by the owner of the house, appear here at night.
We return to the front of the house, At the Golden Snake. Looking back through Karlova Street we can see the noble facade of the Vlašská Kaple (the Italian Chapel), with a Baroque, illusionary grill. The Italian Chapel of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was built in the grounds of the Klementinum between 1590-1600 by Domenico Bossi and was used by Italians who settled in Prague. It stands on an oval ground plan, and is decorated with a seven arched arcade. This rejection of the static, peaceful, circular ground plan in favour of the dynamic oval which appears different from every angle, suggests a change from the rational Renaissance aesthetics, to the sensuous aesthetics of the Baroque. On account of this change, the Italian Chapel is one of the world's most significant buildings of its time. By the Chapel with the decorated grill is the entrance into the Church of St. Kliment, built to meet the needs of the Jesuits at the beginning of the 18th century, on the site of an older church. The church with high baroque decorations has now been completed with an iconostas and is used by the Greek Orthodox church.
Opposite the house At the Blue Pike, we enter through a passage way, the courtyard of the Klementinum (No.1040/1), a vast Jesuit college built on the site of 32 houses, three churches, two gardens and burnt out ruins.
Resident here by the Church of St. Kliment after 1232, were Dominican monks, whose monastery was destroyed by the Hussites. The Jesuits came in 1556 and built, what was after the Castle, the largest architectural complex of old Prague. The west wing of the college (facing towards Křížovnické Square) was built by Francesco Caratti after 1653 and the other wings were under construction until 1726, designed by František Maximilián Kaňka.
In the cloisters is an early Baroque fountain from the second half of the 17th century. The Astronomical Tower, with a metal statue of Atlas on top, soars above the third courtyard. In the tower, the astronomer Josef Stepling founded an observatory, where for more than 200 years unique metereological records have been collected. Noon was also determined here by the accurate sundial and a signal sent to Castle bastion No. XIX from where it was announced with a cannon shot. The fourth courtyard provides an entrance to the richly decorated Zrcadlová (mirror) Chapel dating from 1724, which at present is used as a concert hall. The summer refectory (now a reading room of the National Library) has Baroque, stucco and picture decorations. On the ceiling of the Baroque library Jan Hiebl painted in 1727 in trompe l'oeil fashion, a cupola of the Church of Wisdom. In the rococco Mozart Hall composers manuscripts are preserved. The Hall was established in the former chapel of St. Eligius, patron saint of goldsmiths. In the rococco Mathematical Hall, there is a collection of remarkable astronomical clocks.
Other halls and rooms also have rich stucco and painted decorations. The Klementinum, at the present time, is the home of the Naárodní Knihovna (National Library) and here among other items invaluable bibliographical archives are concentrated. In this incomparable and spiritually stimulating area, we end our wandering through the streets of the Old Town.