Quick Search
Categories
- Accommodation
- Tourist Information
- Flights
- Transport, Getting There
- Weather and When to Go
- Do not Miss in Prague
- Attractions/What to See
- Prague Historical Quarters
- Excursions Outside Prague
- Theatres
- Museums
- Prague Galleries
- Churches
- Concerts
- Sports Facilities
- Restaurants and cafes
- Pubs and Bars
- Entertainment
- Shopping
- Clubs and Nights Out
- Opera and Classical Music
- Cinema
- Prague Events
- Prague River Cruises
- Communications and Post
- Money Exchange
- Costs in Prague
- Visas and Embassies
- Police, Safety, Emergency
- Government and Politics
- Medical Services
- Electricity
- Disabled and Wheelchairs
- Families with Children
- Work and Study
- Gay and Lesbian Scene
- Stag Parties
- Congress Tourism
- Traditions
- Weddings
- Search Czech Internet
- E-brochures
- Picture and Movies Gallery
Wenceslas Square
- Categorized in: Wenceslas Square

The south end of Na příkopě meets Wenceslas Square (Václvské náměstí) - the 750-metre long and 60-metre wide boulevard. It was first laid out over 600 years ago in the Charles IV period when it was used as a horse market. Since then the square has been a regular parade ground for every kind of person, organisation or political party known in the Czech Republic. The street can, and has before, comfortably held 400,000 people. In the upper part of the boulevard the statue of St. Wenceslas on his horse can be seen. A few metres from the statue a plaque stands in memory of those who were killed during the communist period, including Jan Palach, a 20 year old student, who set fire to himself in January 1969, in protest against the Soviet invasion, four months earlier. Jan Palach died three days later with 85% burns. 800,000 people followed the funeral. Following the collapse of the communist rule in December 1989, Václav Havel and Alexander Dubcek appeared on the balcony of no. 36 to greet their ecstatic supporters. Palach and other victims of the regime are commemorated in a small shrine in front of Josef Myslbek's equestrian statue of St Wenceslas.
Today, Wenceslas Square is a hustle and bustle of commerce. It really comes alive after dark, when its restaurants, cinemas and nightclubs attract tourist crowds. The major historical sites are all within walking distance of the street and are worth walking step by step. At the northern end of the square you can find the Neo-Renaissance National Museum. Another significant building is Koruna Palace - a covered shopping arcade with a stunning glass dome dating from 1911.


Recent Blogs
Free Downloads
Article Features
- Prague Weather and When to Go
- Money, Costs and Budget in Prague
- Prague Castle
- Restaurants in Prague and Czech Cuisine
- Old Prague and Old Town Square
- Charles Bridge
- Astronomical Clock
- Police and Safety in Prague
- Classic Music and Opera in Prague
- Czech Traditional Restaurants
- Bars and Pubs in Prague
- Prague Public Transport

