跳舞的房子

Old Town Square/ Staroměstské náměstí

The Old Town Square and the surrounding quarter form the heart of the city of Prague. The lively square is lined with magnificent buildings in different architectural styles, from Gothic to Baroque.

In the 14th century the city built around the Prague Castle expanded to the right bank. The history of the square goes back even further: as early as in 1091 a market existed at the site of the Old Town Square.

The square and surrounding streets are pedestrian zones, and during summertime tourists relax and have a beer here at one of the many outdoor cafés while being surrounded by many remarkable medieval buildings. The whole square is bordered by a large number of colorful houses, palaces and churches. Some of the most prominent buildings around the square are the Old Town Hall (famous for its astronomical clock), the Týn Church, the Kinský Palace and the St. Nicholas Church.

Old Town Hall
The most famous building at the Old Town Square is the 14th century Old Town City Hall. Its Gothic tower, built in 1364, is one of the most recognizable buildings in Prague.
The tower is famous for its magnificent astronomical clock, built in 1410. It is the oldest such clock in Europe. Throngs of tourists gather in front of the clock every hour to witness the procession of miniature figures.

St. Nicholas Church
To the north the square is bordered by the 18th century St. Nicholas Church. It is one of the most beautiful of all Baroque churches in Prague, and its interior is especially impressive.
Among the other buildings on this side of the square stands a profusely decorated building in Jugendstil style. It was erected at the end of the 19th century for an insurance company, but was later used as a government building.

Týn Church
The Týn Church is probably the most recognizable church in Prague thanks to its many spires. Construction of the Gothic church started in the 14th century, but the spires were only finished in 1511. In front of the church is the historic Týn School, an arcaded Gothic building that gives access to the church.
Nearby is another interesting Gothic building: the House at the Stone Clock. The building had a Baroque façade, but it was removed in 1980 to give the building back its original 14th century appearance. Note the beautiful Gothic windows.

Jan Hus Monument
In the north-east corner of the square is the large Jan Hus Monument. It was erected in 1915 to mark the 500th anniversary of the reformer's death at the stake. Jan Hus, born in 1369, was besides a reformer also a fervent Czech nationalist. In 1415 he was declared a heretic at the council of Constance.

Kinský Palace
To the left of the House at the Stone Clock is the Goltz-Kinský Palace, a beautiful building with a delicate Rococo façade. Originally built by the Goltz family, the building was later purchased by Kinský, a diplomat of the emperor. In February 1948 Klement Gottwald, the communist leader, held a speech from the balcony of this palace which would eventually lead to the proclamation of a communist state.

South Side of the Square
The south side of the square is composed of a series of beautiful buildings with colorful Renaissance and Baroque façades. Some of the most notable buildings include the Štorch House, a Renaissance building with a painting of St. Wenceslas and 'At the Stone Table', a nice example of Baroque architecture.
Other buildings bear names such as 'At the Golden Unicorn', 'At the Stone Ram', 'At the Red Fox' and 'At the Blue Star'. The names of the buildings were often derived from signs or plaques. The house 'At the Stone Ram' for instance is named after a stone relief on the façade that depicts a young virgin with a ram. These names had a practical purpose: in the past houses were not numbered so they were identified by their name.

Prague's astronomical clock (Prazsky orloj)
The astronomical clock of Prague's town hall was built in 1410 by royal clockmaker Mikulas of Kadan and the rector of Prague University Master Jan Sindel. This was the first time in Central Europe that such a large astronomical clock was placed on the facade of a secular building. Fitted with an astronomical dial, it was enhanced with a calendar dial at the end of the 15th century by Jan Ruze.
The clock consists of three parts built in vertical succession: the procession of the apostles (Vojta Sucharda's wood carvings from 1946-47 replacing the originals that were destroyed by gunfire and fire in 1945), the astronomical dial, and Josef Manes' calendar, created in 1866, in the form of a round disc with allegorical portrayals of the twelve months of the year.
Every hour the procession of the apostles takes place; it includes the skeleton, the symbol of death, with one hand ringing a bell and the second overturning an hourglass. This parade also features personages dating back to the 17th century for the skeleton is symbolic of other figures whose time has expired.
In addition to this, there are two allegories of Vice (Avarice and Vanity) that shake their heads in disapproval, as well as the personage of the Turk, which is a reminder of the Turkish invasion of Central Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.
In the windows of the upper part of the astronomical clock, the twelve apostles gradually make an appearance. After the departure of the last one, the windows close once again. Then the cock at the peak flaps its wings and crows, and the bells resound as the clock strikes the hour.
The monument depicts the persecution of the Czech nationalists and their reemergence 200 years later with the imposing figure of Jan Hus at the center.

布拉格天文鐘包括三個主要部分：天文鐘面，代表太陽和月亮在天空中的方位，顯示各種天文資料；「行走的使徒」，每小時顯示使徒和其他移動雕塑；下部的日曆盤代表月份。
天文鐘是一種機械式的星盤，在中世紀是一種天文學的設備。另外，也可以將布拉格天文鐘當成是一個原始的天象儀，顯示目前的宇宙狀態。
天文鐘的背景顯示出地球和天空，圍繞著它有4個主要的移動元件：黃道環、一個旋轉的外環、代表太陽標幟的圖示、代表月球標幟的圖示。
背景顯示的是地球和當地可見的天空。在中心的藍色圈就直接代表地球，以外的藍色部分代表地平線以上的天空部分，紅色和黑色的區域是在地平線以下的天空。在白天的時候，太陽位在藍色天空的部分，並以之做為背景；在夜晚它座落在黑色的部分。而在黃昏或黎明時，機械的太陽會被安置在紅色背景的部分。
在地平面的東面(左邊)部分，寫著aurora(拉丁文的黎明)和ortus(上升)，在西側(右邊)的部分寫著occasus(日沒)和crepusculum(暮光)。
在較外緣藍色圈的金色羅馬數字顯示的是24小時的布拉格當地的時間，或是中歐時間。在日出和日沒之間的時間被金黃色的曲線分割成1/12不等的時間間隔，因此呈現的日夜長短在一年當中會隨著實際而變化。

Address:
Old Town Square
Old Town, Prague 1

Czech Republic:
Public transport to get to Old Town Square
Metro: Staromestska (line A)
Tram stop: Staromestska (trams 17, 18, 53)

顯示詳細地圖