Wenceslas Square

Wenceslas Square is the heart of the city and a symbol of its recent history. The square is 750 meters long and 60 meters wide. It was initially called the Horse Market. The name Wenceslas began to be used only in 1848.

Statue of Saint Wenceslas in front of the National Museum, Prague

St. Wenceslas - one of the first Christian dukes in the Czech lands - is the patron of the Czech Republic. In 1913, an equestrian sculpture of the saint was installed in the upper part of the square in front of the National Museum.

Buildings around the square are mainly from the end of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th century. Do not miss the hotel Europe. It was built in 1903 - 1906 in the Art Nouveau style. Take a look at the Neo-Renaissance Vilov house. Its facade is decorated with murals of Mukuláš Ales. Visit the Lucerna Palace - the first concrete house in Prague, designed by Vaclav Havel, the grandfather of the former president of the Czech Republic.

By the way, in the passage of the Lucerna building, you can see a modern sculpture of St. Wenceslas, created by David Cerny. The saint sits on a turned upside down and tied to the ceiling horse.

Statue of Saint Wenceslas by David Cerny, Prague

In the 20th century, Wenceslas Square became the center of public life. It was here that student Jan Palach burned himself in 1969 in protest against the restriction of freedoms after the troops of the Warsaw Pact countries were brought into Czechoslovakia. The main demonstrations of the Velvet Revolution also took place on Wenceslas Square. And today, it is often possible to witness different meetings and rallies.

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