# Old Town Square > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Old_Town_Square > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Old_Town_Square.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town_Square > Source revision: 1303256384 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Historic square in Prague, Czech Republic}} {{Distinguish|Old Square (disambiguation)|Old Market Square (disambiguation)}} [[File:Prague 07-2016 View from Old Town Hall Tower img3.jpg|thumb|View from the [Old Town Hall](/source/Old_Town_Hall_(Prague))]] '''Old Town Square''' ({{langx|cs|Staroměstské náměstí}} {{IPA|cs|ˈstaroˌmɲɛstskɛː ˈnaːmɲɛsciː|}} or colloquially {{lang|cs|Staromák}} {{IPA|cs|ˈstaromaːk||Cs-Staromestske_namesti_Staromak.ogg}}, {{langx|de|Altstädter Ring}}) is a historic square in the [Old Town](/source/Old_Town_(Prague)) quarter of [Prague](/source/Prague), the capital of the [Czech Republic](/source/Czech_Republic). It is located between [Wenceslas Square](/source/Wenceslas_Square) and [Charles Bridge](/source/Charles_Bridge). ==Buildings== [[File:Old Town Square-Prague.jpg|thumb|upright|The Old Town Hall and the [Church of Our Lady before Týn](/source/Church_of_Our_Lady_before_T%C3%BDn)]] The square features buildings belonging to various architectural styles, including the [Gothic](/source/Gothic_architecture) [Church of Our Lady before Týn](/source/Church_of_Our_Lady_before_T%C3%BDn), which has been the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century. Its characteristic towers are 80 m high. The Baroque [St. Nicholas Church](/source/St._Nicholas_Church_(Star%C3%A9_M%C4%9Bsto)) is another church located in the square. [Prague Orloj](/source/Prague_astronomical_clock) is a [medieval](/source/medieval) [astronomical clock](/source/astronomical_clock) mounted on the [Old Town Hall](/source/Old_Town_Hall_(Prague)). The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still in operation. The tower of the Old Town Hall is open to the public and offers panoramic views of the Old Town. An [art museum](/source/art_museum) of the Czech [National Gallery](/source/National_Gallery%2C_Prague) is located in the [Kinský Palace](/source/Kinsk%C3%BD_Palace_(Prague)). ==Statues and memorials== [[Image:Prague Praha 2014 Holmstad flott Jan Hus monument bytorget Stare mesto.jpg|thumb|upright|[Jan Hus Memorial](/source/Jan_Hus_Memorial)]] The square's centre is home to a statue of religious reformer [Jan Hus](/source/Jan_Hus), who was [burned at the stake](/source/burned_at_the_stake) in [Konstanz](/source/Konstanz) for his beliefs. This led to the [Hussite Wars](/source/Hussite_Wars). The statue known as the [Jan Hus Memorial](/source/Jan_Hus_Memorial) was erected on 6 July 1915 to mark the 500th anniversary of his death. In front of the [Old Town Hall](/source/Old_Town_Hall_(Prague)), there is also a memorial to the "martyrs" (including [Jan Jesenius](/source/Jan_Jesenius) and [Maxmilián Hošťálek](/source/Maxmili%C3%A1n_Ho%C5%A1%C5%A5%C3%A1lek)) beheaded on that spot during the [Old Town Square execution](/source/Old_Town_Square_execution) by [Habsburgs](/source/House_of_Habsburg), after the [Battle of White Mountain](/source/Battle_of_White_Mountain). Twenty-seven crosses mark the pavement in their honour. The crosses were installed during the repairs of the Old Town Hall after the [Second World War](/source/World_War_II),{{cite web |url=http://www.www.kralovskacesta.cz/cs/prohlidka/objekty/popraviste-z-roku-1621.html |title=popraviště z roku 1621 - Královská cesta |website=www.www.kralovskacesta.cz |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120903125033/http://www.www.kralovskacesta.cz/cs/prohlidka/objekty/popraviste-z-roku-1621.html |archive-date=2012-09-03}} while a nearby plaque which lists the names of all 27 victims dates from 1911.Derek Sayer, "The Language of Nationality and the Nationality of Language: Prague 1780-1920", Past & Present, No. 153 (Nov., 1996), pp. 164-210 Orthodox Czechs do not trample these crosses out of respect. On 3 November 1918, a [Marian Column](/source/Marian_column_(Prague)) that had been erected in the square shortly after the [Thirty Years' War](/source/Thirty_Years'_War) was demolished in celebration of [independence](/source/Origins_of_Czechoslovakia) from the [Habsburg empire](/source/Austria-Hungary).Cynthia Paces, "The Fall and Rise of Prague's Marian Column," Radical History Review 79 (2001) 141-155 The column was re-erected in 2020. {{Wide image|Old Town Square, Prague - Staroměstské náměstí, Praha.jpg|900px|Old Town Square|900px}} ==Markets== thumb|upright|Prague Christmas Markets At [Christmas](/source/Christmas) and [Easter](/source/Easter), markets are held on the square; they resemble medieval markets. A tall decorated tree and a musical stage are set up. The Christmas Markets in Old Town Square are the largest Christmas markets in the Czech Republic and are visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors from the Czech Republic and abroad, primarily Germans, Russians, Italians and Britons.{{Cite web |url=http://www.myczechrepublic.com/prague/christmas-markets.html |title=Prague Experience, Prague Christmas Markets |access-date=2015-05-16 |archive-date=2017-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316065518/http://www.myczechrepublic.com/prague/christmas-markets.html |url-status=dead }}[http://praha.idnes.cz/vanocni-trhy-na-staromestskem-namesti-konci-f30-/praha-zpravy.aspx?c=A140108_115909_praha-zpravy_bur iDNES.cz - Vánoční trhy na Staroměstském náměstí končí, strom využijí v zoo] In 2016, [CNN](/source/CNN) ranked Prague's Christmas Markets among the 10 best ones worldwide.{{cite web|title=CNN Rates Prague's Christmas Markets Among World's Best|url=https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/cnn-rates-prague-christmas-markets-among-worlds-best|publisher=Expats.cz|date=2 December 2016}} == See also == {{Portal|Czech Republic}} * [Old Town Square execution](/source/Old_Town_Square_execution) ==References== {{Reflist}} == External links == {{Commons|Old town square, Praha|Old Town Square}} * [https://www.amazingczechia.com/sights/old-town-square-prague/ Photos of Old Town Square and Background Information] * [http://hotel-lippert.click2stream.com/ Old Town Square Live WebCam] {{coord|50.0875|N|14.4214|E|source:wikidata|display=title}} {{Authority control}} Category:Old Town Square Category:Execution sites Category:National cultural monuments of the Czech Republic Category:Squares in Prague --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Old Town Square](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town_Square) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town_Square?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.