Malostranská vycházka

Malá Strana walking tour of Prague with eyes wide open with guide Lenka Kliková.

Malá Strana was a traditional Sunday excursion destination for the inhabitants of the Old Town. They were attracted there by the same thing as nowadays – a bit of old-fashioned picturesqueness and the slow passage of time.

The left bank of the Vltava under the Prague Castle has been reshaped by man according to his needs since prehistoric times. The steep slopes had to be loosened, and the swampy areas near the stream in the lower part of today's Malostranské náměstí had to be filled in again. The remains of the stone wall built by Přemysl Otakar II can still be seen in the cellars of Malostra. He called the newly founded city in their district the New City under the Prague Castle. Its enlargement, accompanied by Gothic fortifications, partly preserved on Petřín Hill, took place during the reign of Charles IV. Because the monarch founded his own New Town at that time, it changed its name to Menší Město Pražské below the castle.

The Lesser City of Prague used to be significantly poorer compared to the Old Town – it had no income from the profitable markets and business transactions of the Old Town. Its present form was largely influenced by destruction – the fire of 1541, which destroyed an incredible 133 of the 211 Malostra houses, and subsequently Rudolf II., or rather the nobles who followed his imperial court from Vienna to Prague. They bought burgher houses for their residences and built palaces in their place.

Practical information:

• Meeting: u malostranské náměstí tram stop towards Smíchov, in front of the Starbucks cafe
• Length: approx. 2 h (approx. 1.5 km)
• End: at Valdštejnské náměstí.
• Guide: Lenka Kliková
• Discounted entrance fee CZK 200 for visitors 65+ and students. Children under 15 CZK 30.
• Payment with the guide on the spot is possible in cash even without a reservation, if the capacity of the walk is not full.