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Krizovnicke namesti (Square of the Knights of the Red Cross) is named after a hospice brotherhood (the Church of St. Francis is where their monastery used to stand) that collected tolls on the Judith Bridge. This bridge ran parallel to the course of the present Charles Bridge until high water swept it away and flooded the Old Town in 1342. Foundations of the Charles Bridge were laid fifteen years later, but this new sandstone bridge was not completed until 1402. These days a major reconstruction is consider, starting spring 2002. |
As we enter the Charles Bridge we will pass through the Bridge Tower. The riverside facade of the tower on the Old Town side was severely damaged during Swedish shelling at the end of the Thirty Years' War, but the eastern side of the tower has copies of the original decorations. The Gothic masterpiece was built by Petr Parler, who also supervised the construction of the new bridge.
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Thirty sculptures of saints line the Charles Bridge. A Calvary near the Old Town side carries gold lettering in Hebrew: Holy, Holy, Holy God. It was placed there after a Jew allegedly debased the Christian faith and had to atone for his trespass by paying for the sign. Closer to Mala Strana stands St. John of Nepomuk; touching the statue us said to fulfill one's wishes. St. Nepomuk, confessor to the queen, refused to violate his vow of silence and the enraged king had the priest tortured and thrown off the Charles Bridge into Vltava, where he drowned. On the left, off the bridge on Mala Strana, is a statue of Brunswick. |
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Instead of going past the Mala Strana bridge towers, avoid the busy Mostecka nad walk down the stairs past Brunswick on your left. The charm of Mala Strana awaits those who enjoy its side streets and parks. Once you are standing on Kampa (Kampa Square) you have two options. You can go underneath the bridge or keep going straight forward. Both routes join up with King's Road.
If you choose number one, than you will end up in Vojanovy Sady. The spacious park isn't in most guidebooks and you rest here a little bit before finding your way up to the castle. In Cihelna you will also find a clearing that slopes down to the Vltava. After entering Valdstejnska from Klarov, take note of the early Baroque Valdstejnsky palace on your left, the most distinguished of the five palaces that line the street. Dozens of houses were leveled to make way for the ambitious building project. You also shouldn't miss seeing Valdstejnske gardens, access to them is from Letenska. If you keep walking, you will end up at Malostranske namesti (Lesser Town Square).
Number two choice- From your starting point in Kampa Square you can continue your walk by crossing the footbridge on your right or you can take advantage of the great views of the Old Town and National Theater. Until the late 1500s, fields and vineyards covered the entire Kampa Island. As you cross the Certovka |
(Devil's creek) make a stop at the millwheel which was operational until this century. In 1169, King Vladislav ceded Kampa and surrounding property to the Knights of Malta. Their fortified compound included what are today Maltese Square and Velkoprevorske namesti, where you will find the oldest church in Mala Strana, the Church of the Virgin Under the Chain. Hussites, Swedes and fires devasted the quarter, and any place you visit is layered with history. Houses have Romanesque cellars, Gothic walls, Renaissance roofs and Baroque facades. Or a combination of the above. Pilgrims who paid, and still pay, homage to the Infant Jesus at the Church of the Virgin Mary Victorious (u Panny Marie Vitezne) in Karmelitska bring with them small sets of silk clothing for the diminutive figure. Walking down Karmelitska will take you to Malostranske namesti.
When you get to the Malostranske namesti, enter St. Nicholas from the top of the square. The church is hard to miss, as it dominates the square. Built for the Jesuit Order by the Dientzenhofer family between 1703 and 1752, it is simply overhelming- inside and out. A tale about the ceiling fresco has it that the painter did not want anyone to see his work until he had finished. An impatient Jesuit novice sneaked into the churh ,hid behind a pillar and watched the painting in progress. The artist, however, spotted the Jesuit in a small mirror. When the fresco was unveiled, the other novices immediately recognised him portrayed in the work as a poor fisherman and the Jesuit became a laughing- stock for all time. |
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