DK Travel : Prague : Places of interest

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Historic Tram No. 91

The old-fashioned streetcar runs a circuit around the city in about 30 minutes, with much ringing of bells. A friendly conductor will take your Kč25 fare and you can hop on and off at any stop on the route, including Malostránská and Národní divadlo marionet. Very handy when you can’t face walking another step. For those who are planning ahead, the end station is Výstaviště, scene of more excitement.
Holešovice

Developers are helping this former warehouse district make a comeback. It’s home to the National Gallery’s Veletržní Palace (see National Gallery), and motor car fans will love the National Technical Museum, with its exhibits of Czech interwar vehicles such as Škodas.
House of the Lords of Kunštát and Poděbrady

George of Poděbrady lived here before he was elected king in 1458. The Romanesque “cellars” were ground-floor rooms until a flood-prevention programme raised the city’s streets 3 m (10 ft).
John Lennon Wall

Prague hippies and the secret police once waged a long-running paint battle here, as the latter constantly tried to eradicate the graffiti artists’ work. The original artwork, created by a Mexican student after Lennon’s assassination, has been painted over many times (see Czech Hippies Painted the John Lennon Wall), but the so-called John Lennon Peace Club still gathers annually at this self-made shrine to sing the former Beatle’s songs and praises.
Kampa Island

The tiny Čertovka (Devil’s Canal) that separates Kampa from Malá Strana was once the town’s “laundry”, milling area and, in the 17th century, home to a thriving pottery industry. A popular park now covers the island’s southern end (see Kampa Island) while the northern half is home to elegant embassies, restaurants and hotels. Much of the island was submerged during the 2002 flooding and many buildings had to be repaired.
Karlova

You will inevitably get lost trying to follow “Charles Street” from Old Town Square to Charles Bridge; relax and enjoy the bewildering, twisting alleys choked with shops and cafés.
Karlovo náměstí

Charles IV had his city planners build New Town’s central square to the same dimensions as Jerusalem’s. Originally a cattle market, it’s now a park popular with dog-walkers. Among the trees are monuments to such luminaries as Eliška Krásnohorská, who wrote libretti for Smetana’s operas. To the west, on Resslova, is the Church of Sts Cyril and Methodius. The members of the Czech resistance, responsinble for the assassination of Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich (1904–42), took refuge here (see Cathedral of Sts Cyril and Methodius).
Křižík Fountain

First, bring a sweater. Second, don’t sit too close to the water. Third, sit back and enjoy the show. The dancing water-and-light show’s musical accompaniment varies from classical to pop to Disney tunes. The Prague Post (see The Prague Post) lists the programme in its weekly calendar (see Výstavište).
Letná Park

A grand staircase leads from the Vltava riverbank opposite the Josefov quarter (see Josefov) to an unexpected giant metronome. The needle marks time where a mammoth statue of Joseph Stalin once stood before it was demolished in the 1960s (see Letná Plinth). The surrounding park echoes with the clatter of skateboards and barking dogs. Travelling circuses sometimes set up in the open fields, but Letná’s popular beer garden is probably its biggest draw.
Malostranské náměstí

The hectic traffic that now detracts from the beauty of Malá Strana’s main square seems historically fitting – in the past it has been witness to innumerable destructive fires, revolutions, including the 1618 defenestration (see Prague’s Third Defenestration), and executions during the days when a gallows stood here. St Nicholas’s Church and the adjoining Jesuit college dominate the centre of the square, while lovely Neo-Classical palace arcades and restaurants line the perimeter. One of the most important buildings is the Směmovna palace, once the headquarters of the National Assembly, and now home to the Chamber of Deputies.