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The monumental statue in the center of Old Town Square is one of the most popular meeting places in the city. On sunny days, the benches surrounding the monument’s steps are filled with Italians in expensive sunglasses, American biftads in fraternity shirts, and travelers from all over the globe, eating, drinking, smoking and sending text messages home. Few realize that the bronze man above them, standing defiantly against hurricane-force winds, was deemed a heretic by the Catholic Church, tethered to a stake and roasted alive in 1415 — an event that touched off decades of warfare between reform-minded nationalist Hussites and the country’s German-oriented Roman Catholic leaders. To Czechs, Hus has come to represent national pride and triumph against foreignRead more.

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Named for the house sign that protrudes from its corner, the House at the Stone Bell was constructed in the middle of the 13th century and is the oldest gothic house in Prague. For over one hundred years, the structure sported a baroque facade, much like the other buildings on the square. Then, while undergoing restoration in the 1960s, workers discovered the original sand-color stones beneath the stucco facade and an intensive face-lift was begun. The House is now given over to excellent temporary art shows mounted by the Prague City Gallery. View on Google Maps No related posts.Read more.

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Secreted behind Old Town Square, this small museum features 20th-century Czech art in one of the oldest buildings in the city. Part of Prague City Gallery, the country’s best state-funded art institution, this is a great place to discover homegrown talent that’s relatively unknown outside of this country. View on Google Maps No related posts.Read more.