Hello Prague: View From The Old Town Hall Tower

  Our trip to Prague a full year ago is still fresh in our minds and hearts, as truthfully Prague is amazing. And while it seems that Prague hasn’t been really discovered by all those west of the Czech republic, it has been discovered by many, and is not a destination to consider during the summer when I’ve read it is packed to the gills. Our trip was in October, and there were still quite a few tourists, but it was totally bearable and I was cringing to think of this amazing place even more crowded that it was during the Fall. As you can see from my photos in this post, we did have overcast weather, and some rain, but not cool temperatures. I’d say visit Prague during coat weather, but not glove and scarf weather, to avoid the crowds and enjoy! There is sooooo much to see, and we barely skimmed the top of the iceberg with our week or so long stay, but one of my very favorite places was the Old City Hall located in the famous Old Town square, and the vlewing gallery from the top with stunning views had our jaws dropping. I have really never seen anything quite like it. All we kept saying was wow! Come join me for a little taste of wow, as we view Prague from the top of the Old Town Clock Tower, no coats required this time!

The Old Town Hall in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is one of the city’s most visited monuments. It is located in Old Town Square. The Old Town Hall is actually a complex of several ancient houses in the Old Town Square, Prague. The houses were connected one by one to a single unit for the purpose of administration of the Old Town of Prague. The first house was bought in 1338, yes really, we are talking HISTORY! The burghers of the Old Town extended the original Town Hall towards the west by buying the adjoining house, and construction began of a stone tower on a square plan. The tower, which was the highest in the city in the Middle Ages, was completed in 1364, and has been largely unchanged since then.

So yes dear readers, the tower has been outfitted with plumbing and electricity and an elevator, but was constructed in 1364, amazing! Okay, lets take a trip to the top, where the arched cut outs are, and enjoy the view!

The Old Town Square is home to man street performers, and I’ll be sharing that with you in a separate post, so for now, enjoy the bubbles!
A closer look at the viewing platform, and take note that the very top of the Old Town Hall is actually adorned with two Jewish stars, in recognition of the great contribution the Jews of Prague made to the city. (All of that was forgotten during the Holocaust, unfortunately that wiped out most of the Jewish population.)

Okay, are you ready?
Looking down at the Old Town Square, with a zoom lens, it is much farther than it looks here…..

Same direction, just a bit more……with the black tower called the Powder Tower, sticking up mid photo……
Ah yes and there is the distance, upper left, is the brutalist architecture TV tower that was built on top of the secondary Jewish cemetery, or most of it anyway, sigh. A very interesting spot that we actually visited on a long walk on shabbos, so I was not able to take any photos there…..hopefully next trip!

Gorgeous architecture and really well maintained, such that I felt like I was on a movie set!

Another look at those same buildings.Oh my, what is that crowd of people doing? Ah yes, they are gathered to see the famous astronomical clock chime on the hour, more on that in another post as well!
Looking towards the Prague castle, which has a church in the middle of its courtyard, and is the whole complex at the top of the photo.
Looking towards Petrin Hill and the Petrin Tower, which is a mini Eiffel Tower, and another amazing place with stunning views, that I will also share with you soon Prague is the city of stunning views, and I can’t get enough!
Another view of the Old Town Square, with the huge martyr’s monument commmemorating Jan Hus.

Okay, after you take in the view, do take a tour of the underground prison in the Old Town Hall, and any other tours that are available there, infact plan ahead for this, as the whole complex is really quite interesting.