Prague’s “New” Town

An embankment of the Vltava (Moldau) River in New Town - photo by Vita Valka - reprinted with permission from Pixabay.com

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​If you’ve taken one of my Prague tours, you know that I cover the four main historical areas of the city: Old Town, the Jewish Quarter, the Lesser Quarter and Prague Castle. But did you know that Prague also has a New Town (Nove Mesto)? In fact, it was, along with the others named here, one of the five original towns of Prague. 

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​New Town, however, is not very “new” - it’s 700 years old. So don't let the name fool you! It was founded by King Charles IV in the 14th century. The name derives from the fact that it’s “newer” than Old Town. In fact, when New Town was founded, what is now called Mala Strana (or the Lesser Quarter) was called New Town. But when Charles founded the current New Town, he changed the name of the district below Prague Castle to Mala Strana.

Prague's National Theater from the 19th century - photo by author

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Being one of the five historical districts and dating to the 14th century, New Town naturally contains many historical landmarks, just as the other areas do. But I don’t (yet) do tours of it because:

• I don’t know it well enough from a historical perspective to regularly do tours of it (though I will cover certain sites on request).
• It’s much larger than the other areas, so logistically speaking, it’s harder to do tours of it in a reasonable amount of time.
• The other areas have a greater concentration of significant historical sites in them. This is because: 1) They are, technically, older, so they have more of the older sites; 2) They’re smaller in area, so a greater number of sites are crammed into a smaller space, making a walking tour of, say, two hours in length incredibly rewarding in terms of covering significant sites; and 3) much of New Town was demolished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the “new republic” of Czechoslovakia was born and the nation wanted to create a new, modern city akin to the newer parts of Vienna to compete on the world (or at least the European) stage of metropolises.

The Adria Palace is a fine example of Rondocubist architecture - photo by author

​Thus, a tour of New Town involves seeing some sites that aren’t so “historical” in terms of age, but which might otherwise be historical in terms of significance. The famous Wenceslas Square, where all of Prague’s revolutions have taken place, including the Velvet one, is just one such example.
 
And if you’re a fan of 20th-century architecture, especially of the Central European variety, as I am, then Prague - and especially New Town - has a lot to offer. But New Town, like the other areas of Prague, still has several churches, monasteries and Gothic towers for you to see, also.

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It’s summertime, and on a recent particularly beautiful Saturday, I embarked on a stroll through New Town to take some photos of its most important and/or interesting and/or fascinating and/or beautiful sites. I hope you’ll enjoy taking a look at them here, and if you like what you see, consider a stroll through some of New Town when you’re in Prague, if time allows. And if you’d like to be guided through it, contact me for a tour!

​Wenceslas Square (Vaclavske Namesti)

​I already mentioned Wenceslas Square. This “square” (it’s more like a long, wide, boulevard) is undoubtedly the heart of New Town. Known as the “Times Square” of Prague because of the numerous neon signs (nothing like those in Times Square, to be honest, though), shops, pedestrians and, in some cases, a little seediness, Wenceslas Square was originally the horse market of Prague when New Town was founded. 

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Statue of St. Wenceslas on a Horse in front of the National Museum at the top of Wenceslas Square - photo by Jiri reprinted with permission from Pixabay

​The National Museum and the Statue of St. Wenceslas

​Standing majestically at the top of it is the National Museum (Narodni Muzeum). Built in the late 19th century as part of a Czech national revival (see my book, Prague Walks for more on the national revival) taking place at the time. This archeological museum has just undergone a renovation (and it’s top notch), but before that the bullet holes that the Russian and other Warsaw Pact invaders put in it were still visible. It looks as though now the spots have been repaired but are marked with a different color paint so as to remind people of what happened. The museum’s interior is gorgeous.

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​In front of the museum building is a statue of St. Wenceslas (the good King Wenceslas of the Christmas carol), who is patron saint of Prague. Wenceslas was martyred when his brother, Boleslav the Cruel, hacked him to death (or perhaps only put his henchmen up to it). In any case, Wenceslas was never a king in life - he was a duke who was posthumously made king after his death. The statue is by Myslbek, a famous Czech sculptor. He also did the sculptures in the garden at Vysehrad.
 
It was in front of this statue that Jan Palach, a Czech student, set himself on fire to protest the communist regime. He died of his burns.

The Lucerna

​Near the center of the Square where Jindrisska Street on one side and Vodickova on the other come into it is the famous Lucerna. This mixed-use structure was the brainchild of Vacslav Havel, the grandfather of the man who would become the first democratically-elected president of Czechoslovakia in 1989 - 40 years after the communist takeover of the country. President Havel was also called Vaclav, though his first name was spelled differently, and he was relentlessly persecuted by the soviet-dominated government - mainly for being from a wealthy family. The Havel's were builders, and the Lucerna is but one of their constructions.

​A Retro Cafe

​You’ll find many interesting things in the Lucerna, but the best part about it is its “retro-ness.” walk into the “pasaz” off of Vodickova, marked by a lantern hanging above it, or the one from Stepanska, and keep going until you come to a big open “atrium” with a colored-glass dome, noting the very retro features along the way, such as the original brass trim around the doors and the unique font used in the lettering that lines the way. This is undoubtedly the most beautiful part of the Lucerna, but it’s also where you’ll find a piece of art by David Cerny: a statue of St. Wenceslas on an upside own dead horse. 

​The Art of David Cerny

​You will have probably seen this online or in guidebooks, but here it is in person if you're using this post as a walk. This is Cerny’s take on the statue by Myslbek at the top of the square, and it’s typical of Cerny’s work. He’s my favorite contemporary Czech artist, and here’s why: Whenever you see one of his works, you either love it or hate it. But he always gets an emotional reaction. And to me, getting an emotional reaction - one way or the other - is what art is all about.
 
I could write a whole blog post on Cerny and his work (and maybe one day I will), but for now we have to stick to New Town. Other features you can see while standing under the horse are the large arched windows of the very retro Lucerna Cafe (have a drink or just take a look inside to see the light fixtures, the original wallpaper and the very retro bar. If you get a seat at one of the arched windows, the views of the horse statue are great, but the main thing about the cafe are its all-original features everywhere.

Statue of St. Wenceslas on an upside down horse byt Czech artist David Cerny in the Lucerna arcade - photo by author

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​When under the horse you can also see a staircase leading up to a landing with a bust of the grandfather of Vaclav Havel on it. And, yes, the stairs are marble - a rare feature in Prague, for if you’ve read my book, Prague Walks, you’ll know that there is no indigenous marble in Bohemia, so any marble is imported. There’s precious little of it in the historical sites (it would have been too costly, difficult and time-consuming to import it from southern Europe prior to the 19th century), so what little there is tends to be in newer structures. But it’s all imported.

​A Beautiful, Retro Cinema

When facing the marble staircase, behind you is the box office to Kino Lucerna (the cinema housed in the building). This is an incredibly beautiful, totally retro, cinema. If you see a movie poster on display on the stairs next to the box office, look closely at the border within the frame that is around the movie poster itself. It’s a bit fuzzy, but you should be able to see some lamps on the walls and decoration, too. This is the interior of the movie hall.

Grand Hotel Evropa

​New Town is full of “pasazy” (passageways or arcades), especially on Wenceslas Square. Leading off of the Lucerna atrium (to the sides of the staircase) in a northerly direction is the Rococo Pasaz. Follow the pasaz and emerge on Wenceslas Square and across from you will be the impressive facade of the Grand Hotel Evropa. This Prague Art Nouveau landmark has been under reconstruction since before the pandemic, and it’s finally about to open! I can’t wait, and I hope they’ve left its uniquely historical Art Nouveau cafe intact.

The Art Nouveau Grand Hotel Evropa on Wenceslas Square - photo by author

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Across Vodickova Street is the Svetozor pasaz. In here you’ll find a very retro ice cream parlor, with space-age colors, and a large stained-glass window emblazoned with the word “Tesla” on it. This was an ad for Tesla radios, the first outdoor advertisement in Prague. ​

​Rondocubism

​Returning to Vodickova Street from the Svetozor pasaz, turn right and walk south on Vodickova. Soon you’ll pass the Mysak building on your right, a rare example of Rondocubist architecture, and across from it you’ll see a grand Art Nouveau building called “U Novaku” (“At Novak’s”). This was what was called a department store back in the day, but the main thing you want to see now is its incredible Art Nouveau facade. 

The Mysak building is another rare example of Rondocubist architecture - photo by author

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​Charles Square and the New Town Town Hall

​Keep walking and on your left you’ll see a building covered with beautiful red and white sgraffito. This was originally a girl’s school that’s now a co-ed grammar school from the 19th century. A little further South along Vodickova you’ll see the 14th-century town hall and tower of New Town. This is where the so-called First Defenestration of Prague took place in 1419. one of many Protestant-Catholic skirmishes in the Czech lands.
 
Just past the town hall you’ll see a large park - this is Karlovo Namesti (Charles Square). Back in the day, it was the site of Prague’s cattle market. Today it’s lined with apartment buildings, an 18-century church (St. Ignatius) and monastery that’s now a hospital, the technical university building and Faust House (Faustuv Dum).

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​Operation Anthropoid

​Jecna Street bisects the square running east-west, and if you turn west on it, you’ll eventually come to the Cyril and Methodius Church. In addition to being a beautiful Baroque structure that is home to one of Prague’s few Orthodox Christian congregations, this church is significant because it was here that the Czech paratroopers who successfully assassinated Reinhart Heydrich, the “Reichsprotektor” of Bohemia and Moravia and the highest-ranking Nazi officer to be assassinated during WWII, hid after they carried out the task and their identities had become known.
 
The Church’s priest hid them in the crypt. Eventually the paratroopers were ratted out and their location revealed, and the Nazis tried everything to get them out or to kill them, including using water cannon to try to flood the crypt. On the south side of the church building, bullet holes are still visible where shots were fired into the crypt window opening.

In the end, the Nazis were not successful in killing the paratroopers, but they all perished anyway. Realizing that they would not make it out alive, they each took their own lives. Now the church’s crypt houses a very well-done and informative exhibition and memorial to the heroes who carried out the attack on Heydrich, which was called “Operation Anthropoid.” It’s free to enter, but donations are welcome.
 
Several books have been written and movies have been made about Anthropoid. ​

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​The Dancing House

​From the church, head downhill (west) on Jecna until you come to the river. On your left will be the famous “Dancing House,” or “Fred and Ginger,” as it’s known. Built on an empty lot in the 1990s, this very modern, playful building is the work of Czech architect Ivo Mulanovic and Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. You can go up to a cafe at the top and visit the roof terrace for great views.

The so-called "Dancing House" - photo by author

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​The Petschek Palace and the Bourne Identity

Another of New Town’s most interesting and imposing buildings is the Petschek Palace. Julius Petschek built this building as a bank in the 1920s. During WWII this building served as the Gestapo headquarters in Prague, with interrogations and torture taking place in the bank’s vaults. Now it serves as the Czech Ministry of Industry.
 
If you’ve seen the first installment in the Bourne Identity series of films, you might recognize this building as the bank that Jason Bourne entered in order to retrieve his passport and other belongings from a safe deposit box inside. Although the interior scenes were shot elsewhere, the exterior scenes were shot here, and you’ll also see an aerial shot of this building when Bourne emerges and starts his run. 

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The Last Palace

Julius Petschek who built the bank also built a palatial residence for himself and his family that is now the American Ambassador’s residence in Prague. Being Jewish, the Petschek’s had to leave their home behind in order to escape the Nazis. Former U.S. Ambassador Norman Eisen, whose mother was from former Czechoslovakia, has written a wonderful book about his time in the "palace."

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Learn more about the Petscheck Palace and also about Czech history in this wonderful book by Norman Eisen, former U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic.

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A Stunning Synagogue

​Another of New Town’s most beautiful buildings is the Jerusalem Synagogue on Jerusalem Street. This stunning building with its brightly contrasting colors was designed by Wilhelm Stiasstny, an architect from Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. he also designed many Jewish sites in Vienna. 

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A Beautiful Train Station

Just east of the Synagogue and up the hill a bit is Prague’s main train station (Hlavni Nadrazi). The “old” part of this building is done in a stunning Art Nouveau style, and it has also just undergone a much-needed and much-deserved renovation. Have a coffee in the stylish Fantova Kavarna to experience days of old.

Interior of the original part of Prague's main train station - photo by the author

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There’s much more to be seen in and to be said about New Town, but for a blog post, this is a start. Keep an eye out for a book about the area that I hope to write soon! In the meantime, enjoy this taste and please share it with your friends, family and colleagues who might find it interesting using the links below, even it they’re not planning to visit Prague.
 
And, as always, get in touch if you’d like to book a Prague tour or if you want help with planning your Prague vacation. And my Prague guidebooks make a great start!