Page 77 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Prague
P. 77
OLD T OWN 75
VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Practical Information
Staroměstské náměstí 1.
Map 3 C3. Tel 236 002 629.
∑ staromestskaradnicepraha.cz
Tower: Open 11am–10pm Mon,
9am–10pm Tue–Sun. 7
Halls: Open 11am–6pm Mon,
9am–6pm Tue–Sun. & 8
Transport
X Staroměstská (line A), Můstek
(A & B). v 17, 18.
. Old Town Hall Tower
In 1364, the tower was added
to what was the private house
of Volflin of Kamen. Its gallery
provides a fine city view.
Oriel Chapel
The original stained-glass
windows on the five-sided
chapel were destroyed in the
last days of World War II, but
were replaced in 1987.
Oriel Chapel Ceiling
The chapel, which was built on the first floor
of the tower in 1381, has an ornate ceiling.
. Astronomical
Clock
Mechanical figures
perform above the
zodiac signs in
the upper section
(see p76); the lower
section is a calendar.
Executions in the Old Town Square
A bronze tablet below the Old Town Hall chapel records
the names of the 27 Protestant leaders executed here by
order of the Catholic Emperor Ferdinand on 21 June 1621.
This was the humiliating aftermath of the Battle of the
White Mountain (see pp32–3). This defeat led to the
emigration of Protestants unwilling to give up their faith,
a Counter-Reformation drive and Germanization.
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