Old Town PRAGUE

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12th January



We started our tour in Republic Square. The large 19th century Municipal House dominates the square, and is now home to a number of bustling shops, cafes, restaurants, and art galleries.



We were heading for the Old Town, walking through The Powder Gate, an ancient Gothic tower, one of the original city gates, dating back to the 11th century, it was used for gunpowder storage in the 17th-century (hence the name).



The Old Town was a labyrinth of cobbled streets and arched alley ways. As we wandered through them Nikola told so many quirky & interesting stories of the medieval history of Prague.



We popped briefly into the Church of St.James, more stories from Nikola about a severed and now wrinkled hand hanging to the right above the entrance. Apparently the hand belonged to a thief who tried to take the Jewels off the sacred Virgin Mary. The unfortunate fellow’s hand was grabbed by the Virgin Mary and consequently had to be severed. It now hangs on display as grizzly warning for any like-minded ‘sticky fingers’.



We continued our walk passing merchants houses until we finally arrived to the main square and saw what most visitors have on their bucket list when visiting Prague. The Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock. It was just before 4pm as we waited for the doorways above the clock to open and a procession of 12 mechanical dolls (representing the Apostles) pass by the window.



Prague has always been on my tick list of places to visit, having been in this snippet tour I think Prague has now gone to the top of the list.

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