Attractions in Prague

Areas of the historical center:
Hradcany, Mala Strana (Lesser Town)
Stare Mesto (Old Town) including Josefov, Nove Mesto (New Town) and Vysehrad
The main attraction for many is simply walking along the winding cobblestone streets and enjoying the unique atmosphere. Exquisite examples from the history of European architecture--from Romanesque to Renaissance, baroque to art nouveau and cubist--are crammed next to one another on twisting narrow streets.

Alfons Mucha Museum (Muzeum A. Muchy):
Panská 7, Praha 1.
02/628 4162.
Daily 10am-6pm.
Admission charged.
Metro: Mustek.
This museum opened in early 1998 near Wenceslas Square to honor the high priest of art nouveau, Alphonse (Alfons in Czech) Mucha. The new museum, around the corner from the Palace Hotel, combines examples of his graphic works, posters, and paintings as well as shows his influence in jewelry, fashion, and advertising.

Bedr[av]ich Smetana Museum (Muzeum B. Smetany):
Novotného lávka 1, Praha 1.
02/2422 9075.
Tues-Sun 10am-5pm.
Admission charged.
Metro: Starome[av]stská; tram 17 or 18.
Concerts are held here, and you can buy tickets on site or at Prague Information Service, Na Pr[av]íkope[av] 20, Praha 1 (187 in Prague or 02/264 022 outside Prague). This museum, opened in 1936 (in what was the former Old Town waterworks) jutting out into the Vltava next to Charles Bridge, pays tribute to the deepest traditions of Czech classical music and its most patriotic composer, Bedr[av]ich Smetana.

Bertramka (W. A. Mozart Museum):
Mozartova 169, Praha 5.
02/543 893
Daily 9:30am-6pm.
Admission charged.
Tram: 2, 6, 7, 9, 14, or 16 from Ande[av]l metro station.
Chamber concerts are often held here, usually starting at 5pm. Tickets are available on site or at Prague Information Service, Na Pr[av]íkope[av] 20, Praha 1. Mozart loved Prague, and when he visited, the composer often stayed at this villa owned by the Dus[av]ek family. Now a museum, it contains displays with his written work and his harpsichord. There's also a lock of Mozart's hair, encased in a cube of glass. Much of the Bertramka villa was destroyed by fire in the 1870s, but Mozart's rooms, where he finished composing the opera Don Giovanni, have miraculously remained untouched.

Bethlehem Chapel (Betlémská kaple):
Betlémské nám. 4,
Praha 1. (Praha 1).
Apr-Oct, daily 9am-6pm; Nov-Mar, daily 9am-5pm.
Admission charged.
Metro: Line B to Národní trída.
This is the site where, in the early 15th century, the Czech Protestant theologian Jan Hus angered the Catholic hierarchy with sermons critical of the establishment. He was burned at the stake as a heretic in 1415 at Konstanz in present-day Germany and became a martyr for the Czech Protestant and later nationalist cause. A memorial to Hus dominates the center of Old Town Square. The chapel was completed in 1394 but reconstructed in the early 1950s. In the main hall you can still see the original stone floors and the pulpit from where Hus preached; it's used as a ceremonial hall for Czech national events.

Church of Our Lady Victorious--Holy Child of Prague (Kláster Prazského):
Karmelitská 9, Praha 1.
Mon-Sat 9:30am-5:30pm, Sun 1-5:30pm.
Fee for occasional concerts.
Museum of the Infant Jesus: Admission charged.
Metro: Line A to Malostranská.
This 1613 early baroque home of the Carmelite order is famous throughout Italy and Latino countries for the wax statue of Jesus displayed on an altar of the right wing of the church. The Bambini di Praga (Baby of Prague) was presented to the Carmelites by the Habsburg patron Polyxena of Lobkowicz in 1628 and is revered as a valuable Catholic relic from Spain. Copies of the Bambini are sold frequently on the Lesser Town streets outside the church, angering some of the faithful.

Church of St. Nicholas (Kostel sv. Mikulás[av]e):
Malostranské nám. 1,Praha 1.
Free admission.
Metro: Line A to Malostranská.
This church is one of the best examples of high baroque architecture north of the Alps. However, K. I. Dienzenhofer's 1711 design didn't have the massive dome that now dominates the Lesser Town skyline below Prague Castle. Dienzenhofer's son, Krys[av]tof, added the 260-foot-high dome during additional work completed in 1752. The gilded interior is stunning. Gold-capped marble-veneered columns frame altars packed with statuary and frescoes added through the centuries. A giant statue of the church's namesake looks down from the high altar, as the midday sun strains through the domes, lighting it and the frescoes.

Church of St. Nicholas (Kostel sv. Mikuláse):
Old Town Square at Parízská, Praha 1.
Tues-Sun 10am-5pm.
Free admission, except for occasional concerts.
Metro: Line A to Staromestská.
At the site of a former Gothic church begun by German merchants, this St. Nicholas church was designed in 1735 by the principal architect of Czech baroque, K. I. Dienzenhofer. He's the same Dienzenhofer who designed Prague's other St. Nicholas Church, in Lesser Town (see above). This church isn't as ornate as the other but has a more tumultuous history. The Catholic monastery was closed in 1787, and the church was handed over for use as a concert hall in 1865. The city's Russian Orthodox community began using it in 1871, but in 1920 management was handed to the Protestant Hussites. One notable piece inside is the 19th-century crystal chandelier with glass brought from the town of Harrachov. Concerts are still held here.

Dvor[av]ák Museum (Muzeum A. Dvor[av]áka):
Ke Karlovu 20, Praha 2.
02/298 214
Tues-Sun 10-5.
Admission charged.
Metro: Line C to I. P. Pavlova.
Built in 1712, the two-story rococo building, tucked away on a Nové Me[av]sto side street, was Dvor[av]ák's home for 24 years until his death in 1901. In the 18th century when the building was erected, this part of Prague was frontier land. Czechs willing to open businesses so far from the center were called "Americans" for their pioneer spirit. This building came to be known as America. Opened in 1932, the museum shows an extensive collection, including the composer's piano, spectacles, Cambridge cap and gown, photographs, and sculptures. Several rooms are furnished as they were around 1900.

Kinsk‡ Palace (Palác Kinsk‡ch):
Staromestské námestí, Praha 1.
02/2481 0758.
Tues-Sun 10am-6pm.
Admission charged.
Metro: Line A to Staromestská.
The rococo Kinsk‡ Palace houses graphic works from the National Gallery collection, including pieces by Georges Braque, André Derain, and other modern masters. Pablo Picasso's 1907 Self-Portrait is here and has virtually been adopted as the National Gallery's logo. Good-quality international exhibits have included Max Ernst and Rembrandt retrospectives, as well as shows on functional arts and crafts.

Loreto Palace (Loreta):
Loretánské nám. 7, Praha 1.
02/2051-6740
Tues-Sun 9am-12:15pm and 1-4:30pm.
Admission charged.
Tram: 22 from Malostranská.
Loreto Palace was named after the town of Loreto, Italy, where the dwelling of the Virgin Mary was said to have been brought by angels from Palestine in the 13th century. After the Roman Catholics defeated the Protestant Bohemians in 1620, the Loreto cult was chosen as the device for a re-Catholicization of Bohemia. The Loreto legend holds that a cottage in which the Virgin Mary lived had been miraculously transferred from Nazareth to Loreto, an Italian city near Ancona. The Loreto Palace is thought to be an imitation of this cottage, and more than 50 copies have been constructed throughout the Czech lands. The Loreto's facade is decorated with 18th-century statues of the four writers of the Gospel--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John--along with a lone female, St. Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary.