Malá Strana

Malá Strana (in French “the small side”) is a district of the center of Prague, one of charged in history with Hradčany and Staré Město (the Old woman-City) which respectively frames it in the west and the east.

Malá Strana is located between the Vltava and the hills of the Château and Petřín. It is the “small side” in opposition to the Old woman-City, more extended and to which it is connected by the Pont Charles.

In the Middle Ages, partly because the adjacent Castle is the seat of the imperial capacity, it is mainly populated Germans, simple commercial and craftsmen or representatives of the nobility of the Germanic Roman Holy roman Empire. The Old woman-City by opposition is mainly Czech.

The pearl of the baroque

This district deserves with many regards the nickname of " bead of the baroque". The Italian influence is notable there. There was besides an Italian district whose street Vlasška bears the name.

This district contains many palates. Indeed, its proximity with the Château of Prague encouraged the noble ones to settle there and with exhiber their power. Moreover the fire of 1541 opened new spaces. One can admire thus there many Renaissance palates or baroques and of churches of which the chief of work of the architecture of the Counter-Reformation, the church Saint Nicolas's Day de Malá Strana.

The majority of these palates are used today as embassies. One will notice in particular:

Kounic palate, construction rococo of 1773-1775 (Serbia)
Turba palate, construction rococo (Japan)
palate Buquoy, built in 1738, (France)
palate of the large prior about Malta (Malta)
palate Lobkowicz (Germany)
palate Furstenberg (Poland)
Thun palate, construction baroque of the 18th century, (the United Kingdom)
Thun-Hohenstein palate, built of 1721 to 1726, (Italy)

Other palates became the executives of the Czech institutions: the Sněmovna, the Palais Wallenstein shelters the senate, the Palais Nostic (in the past embassy of the Netherlands), which lodges the ministry for the Culture, the Palais Pálffy where the academy of music or the Palais Michna is which shelters the movement gymnic of the Sokol, the faculty of the sports of the Université Charles of Prague and the Musée of Physical education and the sports.

Many churches also concern the style baroque. The chief of work of the architecture of the Counter-Reformation: in addition to the church Saint Nicolas's Day de Malá Strana already quoted, one will mention the church Our-Lady-of-the-Victoire which celebrates the fateful defeat of the Protestant troops at the time of the Bataille of the White Mountain and which shelters the statuette of the Enfant Jesus of Prague.

Personalities of the district

The famous Czech poet Jan Neruda was born there and sang it. The street Nerudova which crosses the district is baptized in its honor.

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