Description from Prague TV
Setting foot into Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) is like stepping into the 10th century.

Past the mazes of cobbled stone streets, Old Town Square is surrounded by Gothic architecture and contains some of Prague's oldest and most beautiful landmarks. Amidst the landmarks, many overpriced cafés and restaurants lure in tourists with their offerings of hot wine and goulash.

In the center of the square stands a large statue of Jan Hus. Erected on July 6th, 1915, the anniversary of the reformer's execution, the statue portrays Hus and his followers alongside a mother and child. The statue is a great monument, representing the reborn Czech nation.

Behind the statue is the Kinský Palace (Palác Kinských), a late-Baroque-style building now used by the National Gallery for temporary exhibits as well as permanent Czech landscape pieces from the 17th century on. Beside the Kinský Palace is the Stone Bell House (Dům U Kamenného zvonu), a lovely Gothic-style building that also houses temporary exhibits all year.

To the east of the square, the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn (Kostel Matky Boží před Týnem) rises above with its dramatic Gothic architecture, the church began as a salvation place for Hussitism, the church-reform movement led by Jan Hus in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Hussites were in the midst of a bitter conflict with the Catholics and as a result, the Catholic Jesuits took over the church, replacing their symbolic chalice with a statue of Mary.

At the northwest edge rests St. Nicholas Church (Chrám sv. Mikuláše), a church that took 82 years to build. Constructed by three generations of one family, the church is one of the best examples of Baroque architecture Prague has to offer.

Atop the tower of the Old Town Hall, the Astronomical Clock (Orloj) never ceases to draw a crowd. The clock, built in 1490 by a man called Hanuš, contains a representation of astronomical movement through an elaborate dial. A cluster of mechanical apostles moves with the hour as two windows open and wooden dummies march past. Despite the repetition, the clock always seems to draw camera flashes and excitement.

Ashley N. Knierim