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Old Town Square (Czech: Staroměstské náměstí [ˈstaroˌmɲɛstskɛː ˈnaːmɲɛsciː] or colloquially Staromák [ˈstaromaːk] ^ⓘ) is a historic square in the Old Town quarter of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. It is located between Wenceslas Square and Charles Bridge.

Buildings

The square features buildings belonging to various architectural styles, including the Gothic Church of Our Lady before Týn, which has been the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century. Its characteristic towers are 80 m high. The Baroque St. Nicholas Church is another church located in the square.

Prague Orloj is a medieval astronomical clock mounted on the Old Town Hall. The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still in operation. The tower of the Old Town Hall is open to the public and offers panoramic views of the Old Town.

An art museum of the Czech National Gallery is located in the Kinský Palace.

Statues and memorials

The square's centre is home to a statue of religious reformer Jan Hus, who was burned at the stake in Konstanz for his beliefs. This led to the Hussite Wars. The statue known as the Jan Hus Memorial was erected on 6 July 1915 to mark the 500th anniversary of his death.

In front of the Old Town Hall, there is also a memorial to the "martyrs" (including Jan Jesenius and Maxmilián Hošťálek) beheaded on that spot during the Old Town Square execution by Habsburgs, after the Battle of White Mountain. Twenty-seven crosses mark the pavement in their honour. The crosses were installed during the repairs of the Old Town Hall after the Second World War,^[1] while a nearby plaque which lists the names of all 27 victims dates from 1911.^[2] Orthodox Czechs do not trample these crosses out of respect.

On 3 November 1918, a Marian Column that had been erected in the square shortly after the Thirty Years' War was demolished in celebration of independence from the Habsburg empire.^[3] The column was re-erected in 2020.

Old Town Square

Markets

At Christmas and Easter, markets are held on the square; they resemble medieval markets. A tall decorated tree and a musical stage are set up.

The Christmas Markets in Old Town Square are the largest Christmas markets in the Czech Republic and are visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors from the Czech Republic and abroad, primarily Germans, Russians, Italians and Britons.^[4]^[5] In 2016, CNN ranked Prague's Christmas Markets among the 10 best ones worldwide.^[6]

References

^ "popraviště z roku 1621 - Královská cesta". www.www.kralovskacesta.cz. Archived from the original on 2012-09-03.
^ Derek Sayer, "The Language of Nationality and the Nationality of Language: Prague 1780-1920", Past & Present, No. 153 (Nov., 1996), pp. 164-210
^ Cynthia Paces, "The Fall and Rise of Prague's Marian Column," Radical History Review 79 (2001) 141-155
^ Prague Experience, Prague Christmas Markets
^ iDNES.cz - Vánoční trhy na Staroměstském náměstí končí, strom využijí v zoo
^ "CNN Rates Prague's Christmas Markets Among World's Best". Expats.cz. 2 December 2016.

External links

50°05′15″N 14°25′17″E / 50.0875°N 14.4214°E / 50.0875; 14.4214

[1] "popraviště z roku 1621 - Královská cesta". www.www.kralovskacesta.cz. Archived from the original on 2012-09-03.

[2] Derek Sayer, "The Language of Nationality and the Nationality of Language: Prague 1780-1920", Past & Present, No. 153 (Nov., 1996), pp. 164-210

[3] Cynthia Paces, "The Fall and Rise of Prague's Marian Column," Radical History Review 79 (2001) 141-155

[4] Prague Experience, Prague Christmas Markets

[5] DNES.cz - Vánoční trhy na Staroměstském náměstí končí, strom využijí v zoo

[6] "CNN Rates Prague's Christmas Markets Among World's Best". Expats.cz. 2 December 2016.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{distinguish|town square (disambiguation)}}
+{{Short description|Historic square in Prague, Czech Republic}}
+{{Distinguish|town square (disambiguation)}}
-[[File:Old Town Square-Prague.jpg|thumb|upright|The Old Town Hall and the [[Church of Our Lady before Týn]]]]
-[[Image:Prague Praha 2014 Holmstad flott Jan Hus monument bytorget Stare mesto.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Jan Hus Memorial]]]]
+[[File:Prague 07-2016 View from Old Town Hall Tower img3.jpg|thumb|View from the [[Old Town Hall (Prague)|Old Town Hall]]]]
-[[File:Prague 07-2016 Old Town Square img4.jpg|thumb|upright|[[St. Nicholas Church (Staré Město)|St. Nicholas Church]]]]
-'''Old Town Square''' ({{lang-cs|'''Staroměstské náměstí'''}}; {{IPA-cs|ˈstaroˌmjɛstskɛː ˈnaːmjɛsciː||Cs-Staromestske_namesti_Staromak.ogg}}) is a historic square in the [[Old Town, Prague|Old Town]] quarter of [[Prague]], the capital of the [[Czech Republic]]. It is located between [[Wenceslas Square]] and the [[Charles Bridge]].
+'''Old Town Square''' ({{langx|cs|Staroměstské náměstí}} {{IPA|cs|ˈstaroˌmɲɛstskɛː ˈnaːmɲɛsciː|}} or colloquially {{lang|cs|Staromák}} {{IPA|cs|ˈstaromaːk||Cs-Staromestske_namesti_Staromak.ogg}}) is a historic square in the [[Old Town (Prague)|Old Town]] quarter of [[Prague]], the capital of the [[Czech Republic]]. It is located between [[Wenceslas Square]] and [[Charles Bridge]].
 ==Buildings==
+[[File:Old Town Square-Prague.jpg|thumb|upright|The Old Town Hall and the [[Church of Our Lady before Týn]]]]
-The square features various architectural styles including the [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] [[Church of Our Lady before Týn]], which has been the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century; the church's towers are 80 m high. [[Prague astronomical clock|Prague Orloj]] is a [[medieval]] [[astronomical clock]] located on the [[Old Town Hall (Prague)|Old Town Hall]]. The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still in operation.
+The square features buildings belonging to various architectural styles, including the [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] [[Church of Our Lady before Týn]], which has been the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century. Its characteristic towers are 80 m high. The Baroque [[St. Nicholas Church (Staré Město)|St. Nicholas Church]] is another church located in the square.
-The Baroque [[St. Nicholas Church (Staré Město)|St. Nicholas Church]] is another church located in the square, while the tower of the Old Town Hall offers a panoramic view of Old Town. An [[art museum]] of the Czech [[National Gallery, Prague|National Gallery]] is located in [[Kinský Palace (Prague)|Kinský Palace]].
+[[Prague astronomical clock|Prague Orloj]] is a [[medieval]] [[astronomical clock]] mounted on the [[Old Town Hall (Prague)|Old Town Hall]]. The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still in operation. The tower of the Old Town Hall is open to the public and offers panoramic views of the Old Town.
+An [[art museum]] of the Czech [[National Gallery, Prague|National Gallery]] is located in the [[Kinský Palace (Prague)|Kinský Palace]].
 ==Statues and memorials==
+[[Image:Prague Praha 2014 Holmstad flott Jan Hus monument bytorget Stare mesto.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Jan Hus Memorial]]]]
-The square's center is home to a statue of religious reformer [[Jan Hus]], who for his beliefs was [[burned at the stake]] in [[Constance]]. This led to the [[Hussite Wars]]. The statue known as the [[Jan Hus Memorial]] was erected on July 6, 1915 to mark the 500th anniversary of his death.
+The square's centre is home to a statue of religious reformer [[Jan Hus]], who was [[burned at the stake]] in [[Konstanz]] for his beliefs. This led to the [[Hussite Wars]]. The statue known as the [[Jan Hus Memorial]] was erected on 6 July 1915 to mark the 500th anniversary of his death.
-In front of the [[Old Town Hall (Prague)|Old Town Hall]] is also a memorial to martyrs (including [[Jan Jesenius]] and [[Maxmilián Hošťálek]]) beheaded on that spot during the [[Old Town Square execution]] by [[House of Habsburg|Habsburgs]], after the [[Battle of White Mountain]]. Twenty-seven crosses mark the pavement in their honour. The crosses were installed during the repairs of Old Town Hall after the [[World War II|WW2]],<ref>[http://www.www.kralovskacesta.cz/cs/prohlidka/objekty/popraviste-z-roku-1621.html ]</ref> while a nearby plaque which lists the names of all 27 victims dates from 1911.<ref>Derek Sayer, "The Language of Nationality and the Nationality of Language: Prague 1780-1920", Past & Present, No. 153 (Nov., 1996), pp. 164-210</ref>
+In front of the [[Old Town Hall (Prague)|Old Town Hall]], there is also a memorial to the "martyrs" (including [[Jan Jesenius]] and [[Maxmilián Hošťálek]]) beheaded on that spot during the [[Old Town Square execution]] by [[House of Habsburg|Habsburgs]], after the [[Battle of White Mountain]]. Twenty-seven crosses mark the pavement in their honour. The crosses were installed during the repairs of the Old Town Hall after the [[World War II|Second World War]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.www.kralovskacesta.cz/cs/prohlidka/objekty/popraviste-z-roku-1621.html |title=popraviště z roku 1621 - Královská cesta |website=www.www.kralovskacesta.cz |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120903125033/http://www.www.kralovskacesta.cz/cs/prohlidka/objekty/popraviste-z-roku-1621.html |archive-date=2012-09-03}}  </ref> while a nearby plaque which lists the names of all 27 victims dates from 1911.<ref>Derek Sayer, "The Language of Nationality and the Nationality of Language: Prague 1780-1920", Past & Present, No. 153 (Nov., 1996), pp. 164-210</ref> Orthodox Czechs do not trample these crosses out of respect.
-On November 3, 1918, a [[Marian and Holy Trinity columns|Marian Column]] that had been erected in the square shortly after the [[Thirty Years' War]] was demolished in celebration of [[Origins of Czechoslovakia|independence]] from the [[Austria-Hungary|Habsburg empire]].<ref>Cynthia Paces, "The Fall and Rise of Prague's Marian Column," Radical History Review 79 (2001) 141-155</ref>
+On 3 November 1918, a [[Marian column (Prague)|Marian Column]] that had been erected in the square shortly after the [[Thirty Years' War]] was demolished in celebration of [[Origins of Czechoslovakia|independence]] from the [[Austria-Hungary|Habsburg empire]].<ref>Cynthia Paces, "The Fall and Rise of Prague's Marian Column," Radical History Review 79 (2001) 141-155</ref> The column was re-erected in 2020.
 {{Wide image|Old Town Square, Prague - Staroměstské náměstí, Praha.jpg|900px|Old Town Square|900px}}
@@ Line 23: / Line 28: @@
 At [[Christmas]] and [[Easter]], markets are held on the square; they resemble medieval markets. A tall decorated tree and a musical stage are set up.
-The Christmas Markets on the Old Town Square are the largest Christmas markets in the Czech Republic and are visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors from the Czech Republic and abroad, primarily Germans, Russians, Italians and Britons.<ref>[http://www.myczechrepublic.com/prague/christmas-markets.html Prague Experience, Prague Christmas Markets]</ref><ref>[http://praha.idnes.cz/vanocni-trhy-na-staromestskem-namesti-konci-f30-/praha-zpravy.aspx?c=A140108_115909_praha-zpravy_bur iDNES.cz - Vánoční trhy na Staroměstském náměstí končí, strom využijí v zoo]</ref> In 2016, [[CNN]] rates  Prague’s Christmas Markets are among the world’s best.<ref>{{cite web|title=CNN Rates Prague’s Christmas Markets Among World’s Best|url=https://www.expats.cz/prague/article/weekly-czech-news/cnn-rates-prague-christmas-markets-among-worlds-best/|publisher=Expats.cz|date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
+The Christmas Markets in Old Town Square are the largest Christmas markets in the Czech Republic and are visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors from the Czech Republic and abroad, primarily Germans, Russians, Italians and Britons.<ref>[http://www.myczechrepublic.com/prague/christmas-markets.html Prague Experience, Prague Christmas Markets]</ref><ref>[http://praha.idnes.cz/vanocni-trhy-na-staromestskem-namesti-konci-f30-/praha-zpravy.aspx?c=A140108_115909_praha-zpravy_bur iDNES.cz - Vánoční trhy na Staroměstském náměstí končí, strom využijí v zoo]</ref> In 2016, [[CNN]] ranked  Prague's Christmas Markets among the 10 best ones worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|title=CNN Rates Prague's Christmas Markets Among World's Best|url=https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/cnn-rates-prague-christmas-markets-among-worlds-best|publisher=Expats.cz|date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
 == See also ==
+{{Portal|Czech Republic}}
 * [[Old Town Square execution]]
 ==References==
-{{reflist}}
+{{Reflist}}
 == External links ==
 {{Commons|Old town square, Praha|Old Town Square}}
+* [https://www.amazingczechia.com/sights/old-town-square-prague/ Photos of Old Town Square and Background Information]
 * [http://hotel-lippert.click2stream.com/ Old Town Square Live WebCam]
 {{coord|50.0875|N|14.4214|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}
+{{Authority control}}
+[[Category:Old Town Square| ]]
 [[Category:Execution sites]]
-[[Category:National Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic]]
+[[Category:National cultural monuments of the Czech Republic]]
 [[Category:Squares in Prague]]