Page 148 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Prague

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2 Church of Our pewter font, is Baroque. The
Lady of the Snows monumental three-tiered altar
Kostel Panny Marie Sněžné is crowded with statues of saints,
and is crowned with a crucifix.
Jungmannovo náměstí 18. Map 3 C5.
Tel 222 246 243. X Můstek.
Open 9am–6pm daily. 5 7am, 8am 3 Franciscan Garden
& 6pm Mon–Fri, 8am & 6pm Sat, 9am,
10:15am, 11:30am & 6pm Sun. 7 Františkánská Zahrada
∑ pms.ofm.cz Map 3 C5. X Můstek.
Open Apr–Sep: 7am–10pm (Oct: to
Charles IV founded this church 8pm; Nov–Mar: 8am–7pm). 7
to mark his coronation in 1347.
The name refers to a 4th-century Originally the garden of a
miracle in Rome, when the Franciscan monastery, the area
Virgin Mary appeared to the was opened to the public in
pope in a dream telling him 1950 as a tranquil oasis close
to build a church to her on to Wenceslas Square. By the
the spot where snow fell in entrance is a Gothic portal
August. Charles’s church leading down to a cellar restau-
was never completed, and rant – U Františkánů (At the
the building we see today Franciscans). In the 1980s, several
was just the presbytery of of the beds were replanted
the projected church. Over with herbs, cultivated by the
33 m (110 ft) high, it was Franciscans in the 17th century.
Wenceslas Monument in Wenceslas Square finished in 1397, and was
originally part of a Carmelite
1 Wenceslas Square monastery. On the northern 4 Museum of
Václavské Náměstí side, there is a gateway with a Communism
14th-century pediment that
Map 3 C5. X Můstek, Muzeum. Muzeum Komunismu
v 3, 9, 14, 24. marked the entrance to the Na Příkopĕ 10. Map 3 C4. Tel 224 212
church graveyard.
The square has witnessed A stee ple was added in the 966. X Můstek. Open 9am–9pm
daily. ∑ muzeumkomunismu.cz
many key events in Czech early 1400s, but further building
history. It was here that the was halted by the Hus site Wars This museum explores how
student Jan Palach burnt (see pp28–9). The Hussite fire- Communism affected various
himself to death in 1969, and brand Jan Želivský preached areas of Prague society, such as
in November 1989, a protest at the church and was buried politics, sports and everyday life,
rally in the square against here after his execution in 1422. during the totalitarian regime
police brutality led to the The church suffered damage of 1948 to 1989.
Velvet Revolution and the in the wars, and in 1434, the On display are original artifacts,
overthrow of Communism. steeple was destroyed. For a gathered from the museum’s
Wenceslas “Square” is long time, the church was left archive, along with other rare
something of a misnomer, to decay. In 1603, Franciscans items acquired from public and
for it is some 750 m (825 yd) restored the building. The private collections. These include
long and only 60 m (65 yd) intricate net vaulting of photos, propaganda material
wide. Originally a horse market, the ceiling dates from this and film footage. There is also a
today it is lined with hotels, period, the original roof having recreation of an interrogation
restaurants, clubs and shops, collapsed. Most of the interior room, complete with a spotlight
reflecting the seamier side of decoration, apart from the 1450s and a typewriter.
global consumerism. The
huge equestrian statue of
St Wenceslas that looks the
length of the square from in
front of the National Museum
was erected in 1912. Cast in
bronze, it is the work of Josef
Myslbek, the leading Czech
sculptor of the late 19th
century. At the foot of the
pedestal, there are several other
statues of Czech patron saints.
A memorial near the statue
commemorates the victims of
the former Communist regime. A view of the Church of Our Lady of the Snows from the Franciscan gardens

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