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The “House at the Minutes” probably takes its name from the notso-minute sgraffito images on its walls. The alchemical symbols adorning Starom∂stské náměstí 2 date from 1611. Franz Kafka lived in the black-and-white house as a boy (see Franz Kafka).

Formerly done up in Baroque style, workers discovered the Gothic façade of this house as late as 1980. On the southwestern corner is the the bell which gives the house its name. The Municipal Gallery often hosts temporary exhibitions here.

This Gothic edifice began as a humble church serving residents in the mercantile town (týn ) in the 14th century. Following architectural conventions of the time, the south tower is stouter than the north one.

Prague has two Baroque churches of St Nicholas, both built by Kilian Ignac Dientzenhoffer. The architect completed the one in Old Town two years before starting Malá Strana’s (see St Nicholas’s Church). Regular concerts here give visitors a chance to hear the church’s organ.

Hus was burned at the stake in 1415 for proposing radical Church reform. The inscription below the figure of Hus reads “Truth Will Prevail”.

On Czechoslovakia’s declaration of independence in 1918, this former column reminded jubilant mobs of Habsburg rule and they tore it down. A plan is afoot to rebuild it.

The courtyard behind Týn church was home to foreign merchants in the 14th century, but today it is home to smart boutiques and cafés.

An Art Nouveau equestrian painting of St Wenceslas is the focal point of the house at Staroměstské náměstí 18.

Once occupied by Communists, this former palace now houses the National Gallery’s collection of prints and drawings and an up-market restaurant.

The ornate well in the centre of the “Small Square” doubles as a plague memorial. The elaborate murals of craftsmen on the façade of Rott House are the only decoration now left. Until the early 1990s, the building was a hardware store.