An Urban Oasis: Charles Square

Hello, I'm back! I had to take some time away to work a new (and very cool) evening job into my schedule and to deal with some wicked allergies, but I'm very happy to be back.

In the last post, I talked about Wenceslas Square, and, to be blunt, I kinda bagged on it. However, just a few tram stops away lies the third and the largest of the squares laid out by Charles IV when he remade his royal capital in 1348: designed to be the market for cattle traders, it was known as the Cattle Market. However, the area, with its proximity to the river, was generally pretty bustling; it was also a pilgramage site, along with the nearby Emmaus  monastery.

In 1843, the area was turned over to landscape architect František Thomayer, who recreated the square as the space we have today. In 1848, 500 years after it was first envisioned, the square was renamed in honor of its creator, and Charles Square (Karlovo náměstí) was born.

Green space--something utterly missing at Wenceslas Square.

Founded 1348, renamed 1848. The helpful maps came later.

At roughly 66,000 square meters (~16 acres), Charles Square is almost 50% larger than Wenceslas Square and was the largest town square in medieval Europe. What makes it, in my opinion, the best of the central Prague squares, however, is not merely its size--though that helps. No, it's great because, with its combination of green space, historic buildings, and modern urban life, Charles Square *feels* like Prague. Not tourist Prague, but everyday Prague as lived by hundreds of thousands of regular Praguers. The fact that everyday Prague is still vastly more interesting and more beautiful than many other places is just another example of why this city is so amazing.

The left end is the north end, because I couldn't get the &(@% picture to rotate.

As you can see from the picture above, the sqaure is divided into three parts: the largest chunk in the south, then a slightly smaller northern portion, with a teeny extra bit at the northern end. The streets that surround and bisect the square are quite busy and Charles Square is a major transport hub. The trees, flowers, and fountains, however, still manage to create something of a quiet space in the square itself, especially in the southern half.

Looking south from the northern end of the square. The southern half is barely visible

But there are things to see at Charles Square even if you don't have a passion for living (or dead) leaves. So, let's take a quick walk around the square.

Prague Spire #265

At the northern end of the square is Novoměstská radnice--the New Town Hall. Construction on the building began when the square was founded and the New Town Hall was the site of the First Defenestration of Prague in 1419, which triggered the Hussite Wars which racked Bohemia and prefigured the Reformation.

Yeah, being thrown from one of those would definitely suck.

Like many of the sites in Prague that are neither near the Castle nor in the Old City, the New Town Hall is well worth a visit and is rarely mobbed by tourists. It'll likely get it's own post one day, however, so we'll continue our turn around the park.

Just south of the New Town Hall is the small extra patch of green space which, like much of the rest of the square, is dotted with sculptures, monuments, and statues of famous figures in Czech history. The park has statues of poets, religious figures, and even a botanist. There's also a Baroque fountain with a colum that was dedicated in the late 1600s as a memorial to a recent plague.

That's St. Joseph with the infant Jesus at the top.

Roughly halfway down the park, on the eastern side, is one of the other major landmarks of the square: the Jesuit Church of St. Ignatius.

The church, completed around 1670, is part of a large complex which today is used as a teaching hospital. The interior of the church, which dates from the 1770s, is full of Baroque splendor.

The church still offers regular masses, and even for the non-religious, the ornamentation and architecture are well worth exploring. Speaking of architecture, just about a block away west of the square, along the river, you'll find the Dancing House, one of the modern marvels of Prague.

I promise to visit this place...someday.

At the southern end of Charles Square is Faustův dům--literally Faust House--a Baroque mansion full of tales of weird residents with supernatural overtones. No real Dr. Faust ever lived there, but various alchemists did through the centuries, and its legacy as a home of the bizarre and possibly evil would probably make it a huge tourist attraction if it were open to the public. Alas, it is owned by Charles University and closed to the public, so the most tourists can do is enjoy its outisde and imagine.

Faust House--which, in my head, I always want to call Faust Houst.

Beside the Faust House is the entrance to the garden of St. John of Nepomuk on the Rock, another impressive Baroque church. The garden often features exhibitions of various plants, though the church is technically not on Charles Square, so we've kind of finished our tour.

Not on Charles Square--but close!

However, speaking of gardens that aren't on Charles Square (segue!), just a short walk south of the square, past Emmaus and St. John of Nepomuk, you'll find the Botanical Gardens of Charles University.

Zahrada is Czech for gardens. Which I guess would make that Monopoly space "Marvin Zahrada."

The botanical gardens are a great spot to get away on a nice afternoon, featuring several different zones with different types of plants, trees, and flowers, with benches and paths criss-crossing the entire space. The greenhouses have a small admission fee, but the exterior gardens are free to the public, and are a great place to end a day spent exploring Charles Square, the true heart of Prague.

As I mentioned on a recent PragueCast, I'm thinking of reworking the Patreon structure for the blog, streamlining it, allowing me to focus on the things people want. It would likely bring in less money, but, I would rather create content that people want and are happy to chip in for than make things people just don't want. So, if you're a Patron, expect a message from me soon. If you're not a Patron, now is a good time to sign on so you can let me know your thoughts.

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