Mostecka Street will lead you from the Charles Bridge to the Lesser Town Square. The coronation parades of Bohemian Kings went the same way in the past and they continued through the Lesser Town Square up the Nerudova street to the Prague Castle. It is called The Royal Way. The Lesser Town Square is divided in two halves by the imposing St. Nicholas Church and there are several interesting historical buildings worth seeing.
Lichtenstein Palace – former office of the Habsburg monarchy
The western part of the square is closed by the Lichtenstein Palace (No. 13). It used to be a seat of important offices of the former Habsburg monarchy, including the office of the Imperial Governor, till 1918. The building was given Classicist style in 1791 and there is a valuable classicist hall inside.
Lesser Town City Hall
The Lesser Town City Hall (No. 35/21) on the eastern side used to be a residence of the Lesser Town Council, before the four Prague towns were joined in one. It was built in 1478 as a real pride of the town. Its present Renaissance style is from the 17 th century. There is the “Malostranska beseda” club nowadays, where many cultural events take place.
The Kaiserstein Palace (No. 37/23) from the turn of the 18 th century was probably projected by G. B. Alliprandi. It is decorated with allegorical statues of four elements. The famous singer Ema Destinnova lived there at the turn of the 20 th century.
House “At the Stone Table” – Lesser Town Cafe
The Rococo house At the Stone Table ( Grömling Palace, No. 28/5) is where the renowned Malostranska kavarna (Lesser Town Cafe) is situated. It used to be called “Radetzky Cafe” in the 19 th century because of the field-marshal Radetzky, whose statue was in front of the building. It became the most renowned cafe on the left bank of the river Vltava, just like the Cafe Slavia on the right bank. It is a place, where important personalities of Czech culture used to meet.
There is a plaque pillar from 1713 in the Lesser Town Square. It was placed there after the big plague in the city as a thanksgiving that it finished. It is devoted to the Holy Trinity.
Houses of Czech Chamber of Deputies
The Smiricky House (No. 6/18) and the Sternberg Palace (No. 7/19) in the northern side of the Lesser Town Square are used as the seat of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament.
Legend about Lesser Town Square
An old legend says, that there used to be a prison in the area of the Lesser Town Square in the middle ages. When the relics of murdered Premyslid Prince St. Wenceslas were brought to the Prague Castle for burial, the bulls dragging the carriage suddenly stopped in front of the prison. Because St. Wenceslas was a right-minded person who didn´t allow any injustice, somebody got the idea that there could be an innocent person imprisoned there. The prisoners were took out and the shackles of one of them fell down spontaneously. Then the bulls continued their way. The prisoner was found not guilty and a chapel of St. Wenceslas was built at the place later. This chapel was replaced by the St. Nicholas Church, that you can see there nowadays.
