7 visits to Mala Strana, the castle district of Prague

After crossing the Vltava River through Charles Bridge on our walk towards Prague Castle, we enter the Mala Strana neighborhood.

A baroque neighborhood of busy streets and squares with several buildings and monuments that we loved.

The first thing to keep in mind about the Mala Strana neighborhood is that it is the other side of the Vltava River.

To put it roughly, the outskirts of the old city.

Although it is true that it is quite important because the Prague Castle is located in this area, so although it is not the oldest center, it does have great historical value.

If you come from the Old Town of Prague, you cross the Charles Bridge and go under two adjoining towers of Mala Strana you arrive directly at the  Mostrecka street.

This is the street that gives us access to the central square of Mala Strana, which is surrounded by cafes and restaurants and is somewhat the heart of the neighborhood and a point from which the area is distributed.

From this street you can see the tower and dome of the church in the central square. Church of San Nicolás.

Built by the Jesuits in the 18th century, it is a baroque masterpiece, whose interior is worth visiting. The frescoed vaults and the pulpit stand out.

In the Mala Strana Square is also located Kauniz Palace, from 1775, a rococo building which was the headquarters of the embassy of the former Yugoslavia.

This square is divided into two parts, since the aforementioned church of San Nicolás is located in the center. In the eastern part of Mala Strana Square a large plague column, built in 1715.

For the nerudova street It is where you can go up to the Prague Castle grounds. Along it you will find a succession of buildings with facades of great beauty. They highlight the Morzin palace, current embassy of Romania, and the Thun palace, which is the Italian embassy.

As it is a very interesting neighborhood with many places to see, I am going to indicate several very different corners that you may want to visit in Mala Strana.

The narrowest street in Prague with its traffic light

The truth is that this is one of those things that becomes fashionable because of how curious it is and Instagram works its magic and makes it viral.

In reality, there are many people who do not know what the Mala Strana neighborhood is, but they do know that there is a street with a traffic light.

In reality it is a visit that is made in a moment because it has no further history.

We are talking about a very narrow street that goes down to the river that has a traffic light installed to regulate the passage.

But it is not a normal street, it is actually the access to a bar and it closes with the establishment's hours.

If you are not going to consume and it is in high season, you may even have problems seeing it. In summary and in our opinion, one of those things that if you were hesitant to see in Prague you can save.

Church of Saint Nicholas of Mala Strana

The most outstanding monument that you will find on your visit to the Mala Strana neighborhood, during your  trip to Prague, Is the Church of San Nicolás.

 

It will not go unnoticed because if you walk towards Little Country from the Old City, just after crossing the Vltava River along the Charles Bridge, through the arch of the Mala Strana Tower You are going to see the tower and the large dome of the Church of Saint Nicholas.

After walking down the street Mostrecka, you will arrive at one of the sides of the great Mala Strana Square, from where you can already contemplate the Church of San Nicolás, whose main façade is found on the west side of the square.

La Church of San Nicolás of the Mala Strana neighborhood It is not the only one that has that name in Prague, since in the same Old Town Square There is another church with the same name, in the northern part of the aforementioned plaza, on the way to the Josefov Jewish Quarter.

La Church of Saint Nicholas of Mala Strana It is a large building architecture unequivocally baroque, which was built between 1703 and 1761. It is the greatest exponent of the baroque in Prague, and its interior brings together statues, frescoes and paintings made by the most famous artists of the time.

Although externally it is the tower and, above all, its large dome, what will catch your attention the most about the Church of San Nicolás, it will be its interior that will really surprise you.

 

As you enter the central nave of the church, if you turn back, inside the main façade you can see the beautiful baroque organ which dates back to the year 1746. As a curiosity, this organ was played by the same Mozart on a visit he made to Prague in 1787.

But, apart from the numerous statues that you can see in the church, the highlights inside are its enormous summit and pulpit.

La dome of the Church of Saint Nicholas of Mala Strana, which was completed in 1751, shows some frescoes by the artist Franz Palko that illustrate “The Celebration of the Holy Trinity”. In turn, the pulpit, Built with artificial marble, it dates back to 1765, and in its very ornate baroque decoration the golden cherubs stand out.

El Visiting hours of the Church of San Nicolás from Mala Strana ers from 9 a.m. to 17 p.m., from March to October, and from 9 a.m. to 16 p.m., from November to February. He price of admission It is 70 CZ (2,7 euros), with discounts for retirees and students, with free access for children under 10 years old.

John lennon wall

El John Lennon Wall, is a place that for the most music lovers has been shared as an essential point to see in Prague.

 

It is undoubtedly one of the things that attracts the most tourists to the Mala Starana neighborhood, although I can tell you that it has deteriorated over the years.

It is a different place that has become an icon of the city, but it has nothing to do with its well-known and very beautiful monuments and medieval streets.

This wall full of graffiti with graffiti and lyrics of the songs of the Beatles and, above all, with an image of John Lennon, seems to have emerged after the violent death of the Liverpool artist in 1980.

After his death, the aforementioned image of John Lennon, an artist who at that time was an icon of freedom for the youth of countries subjected to the communist regime, as was the case of the Czech Republic.

And along with his image, protest texts.

Although the paintings and texts were erased, each time this happened, they soon reappeared, and the authorities were in no way able to prevent this from happening.

El John Lennon Wall It became a monument to freedom of expression and pacifism, and today, it is a highly visited corner by tourists traveling to Prague.

Church of the infant Jesus, the most venerated in Prague

Do you know that in Prague there is a place of great Christian veneration with a image of the Baby Jesus coming from Spain?

I am referring to the one known as Church of the Infant Jesus in Prague, the Mala Strana neighborhood, and it is a place of great pilgrimage among Catholics, sponsored above all by the fame of this small image of the Child Jesus as a miracle worker.

In reality it is about the church of Santa María de la Victoria and San Antonio de Padua, which you find in one of the main axes of the aforementioned Prague neighborhood, Carmelite Street (Karmelitská), whose origin dates back to a Carmelite convent created in 1620.

It is thought that the Spanish origins of this image of the Child Jesus date back to the 16th century, and it was in the possession of those who were ambassadors in Prague of the Kingdom of Spain, the Count of Treviño and Dukes of Nájera.

This small wax image came into the possession of the princess Polixena Lobkowitz, who, given the difficulties that the Carmelites of the newly founded convent had to survive, gave it to them so that they could “honor it” and thus “not lack anything.”

From there began the fame of a protective and miraculous image that surrounds the Infant Jesus of Prague to the present day.

When you walk into the Church of the Infant Jesus in Prague, on the right side of the building you will find the aforementioned image in a sumptuous corner, more similar to an altar. In the church you will find dozens of faithful who have the Child Jesus as the focus of their attention and veneration.

In the church you can also visit the small Museum of the Infant Jesus in Prague, where there are various costumes and objects, paintings, sculptures, etc... related to the venerated image.

The museum hours They are, from Monday to Saturday, from 9,30:17,30 a.m. to 13:18 p.m., and on Sundays, from XNUMX p.m. to XNUMX p.m., and admission is free.

Finally, I point out that a significant date to visit this church is the day that the Festival of the Infant Jesus of Prague, every first Sunday of the month of June. And, of course, you won't miss souvenirs, which you can buy in a religious souvenir shop near the church.

Hradcany district, palaces and museums next to Prague Castle

When you go to the castle from the neighborhood of Little Country You will have to go up a steep street that the castle, which is what the aforementioned fortress is called. A must see in the Czech capital.

This Prague uptown known as hradcany, which in the past was one of the autonomous cities that made up the current capital.

In front of the monumental complex of Prague Castle You will find yourself in a large square from whose viewpoints you will have a splendid view. panoramic of the city of Prague.

What will catch your attention the most are its imposing palaces.

You will see the Schwanzenberg Palace, built in 1563 in Italian Renaissance style, which currently houses a military history museum.

In turn, the archiepiscopal palace It is also of Renaissance origin, although in 1694 it was remodeled.

At the back of the Archbishop's palace is the Martinitz palace formed by a group of Gothic houses from the 16th century.

Finally, the Sternberg palace, which is accessed from the side of the archiepiscopal palace, is a building from the year 1700 where you can now visit the National Gallery in Prague which brings together the largest art collection in the Czech Republic.

In this high area of hradcany also highlights the Loreto square, takes its name from Loreto Sanctuary, in which its baroque façade stands out.

Opposite is the Czernin palace, from 1679, and which is now the headquarters of the ministry of foreign affairs.

Near the square you will also find the Strahov monastery, an elegant baroque complex from 1698, where you can visit the old library, in which the Philosophy and Theology rooms.

Baroque facade of the El Loreto sanctuary in Hradcany

In the upper neighborhood of hradcany, where you have to go up to visit the Prague Castle In the capital of the Czech Republic, you can also find some other interesting monuments to visit. That is the case of The Loreto.

Also know as Loreta, it is a sanctuary that was built in 1626 as a replica of Sanctuary of the Holy House of the Italian town of Loreto, and which throughout history has been an important pilgrimage site for Czech Catholics.

You will find it in the western area of ​​the aforementioned Hradcany neighborhood, in the large Loreto Square, in front of another historical monument, the Czernin Palace. Of course, you will have no problem identifying The Loreto because as soon as you see it your attention will be caught by its imposing baroque façade.

Precisely this façade is the most outstanding architectural element of the sanctuary. It was built almost a century after that, being a masterpiece of baroque art.

The main door is truly spectacular, with a large balustrade on which two statues of saints are located. And above this central area of ​​the facade rises a large baroque tower which houses a chime with 27 Dutch bells manufactured in 1624.

When you cross through the baroque door on the façade of The Loreto, you will see that you are actually visiting an architectural complex. You will have entered a porticoed courtyard and right in front you will have what is actually the original building of the sanctuary.

That small building is a replica of the Holy House of the Virgin Mary, of the aforementioned Italian city of Loreto, one of the 50 replicas that were built in Bohemia and Moravia after the defeat of the Protestants in 1620.

Behind this replica is the small church of the nativity, which was built in 1734, and whose interior walls are covered with numerous skeletons.

El Visiting hours It is every day, except Mondays, from 9 a.m. to 13 p.m. and from 13,30:16 p.m. to XNUMX p.m.

How to climb the Petrin Hill tower to see panoramic views of Prague

En Prague You have numerous places from where you can enjoy beautiful Panoramic views of the medieval city.

Thus, in addition to being able to do it from the Castle gardens or from nearby Letna Park, there is another place that offers us a very different panorama: the Petrin Tower.

La Petrin Hill It is located to the west of the city, next to the neighborhood of Little Country after crossing the río Moldava from the medieval city.

At the top there is a tower that tries to emulate the Paris eiffel tower.

With a height of 63 meters, the Petrin Tower rose on the occasion of the Exhibition from 1891, although it has been in its current location only since 1932.

Petrin funicular

For Climb the tower You can do it either by using a funicular that began operating in 1891 for this purpose, or by walking through a winding and somewhat demanding route.

El Petrin funicular you have to catch it in the passage  U Lanové Dráhy, which is reached from the Ujezd street.

The Petrin Hill funicular timetable They are every day of the week, throughout the year, from 9 a.m. to 23,30:10 p.m., at intervals of every 15 minutes from April to October, and every XNUMX minutes the rest of the year.

The journey takes 4 minutes, and the Petrin funicular price It is 32 CZK (1,25 euros).

If in the end you prefer to walk up, it may take between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on your physical conditions.

Al ride the funicular 500 meters long, halfway there is a stop, Don't worry, in which we can have the first panoramic views of the medieval city of Prague from the restaurant there.

Once you reach the top of the Petrin Hill, you will find the Frederick Observatory and church of St. Vavrinec (San Lorenzo), next to the metal tower where the panoramic viewpoint is located.

Finally, to get to the top of the tower you have to climb 299 steps.

Petrin Tower schedules

The schedules to climb the Petrin Tower They are, every day of the week, from April to September, from 10 a.m. to 22 p.m.; in March and October, from 10 a.m. to 20 p.m.; and from November to February, from 10 a.m. to 18 p.m.

El Petrin Tower entrance fee It is 150 CZK (5,90 euros).

And from the tower's panoramic viewpoint we can enjoy beautiful views of Prague, including the only top views of the Castle y St. Vitus Cathedral.