250 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp288–91 and pp292–5

Church of

St James i

Kostel sv jakuba

Malá Štupartská. Map E3. Tel 224

828 816. X Můstek, Náměstí

Republiky. # 10am–noon,

2–3:45pm Mon & Sat. 5

This attractive Baroque

church was originally the

Gothic pres by tery of a

Minorite monas tery. The

order, a branch of the

Franciscans, was invited to

Prague by King Wenceslas I

in 1232. The Baroque recon-

struction occurred after a fire

in 1689, allegedly started by

agents of French king Louis

XIV. More than 20 side altars

were added, deco rated with

works by paint ers such as Jan

Jiří Heinsch and Petr Brandl.

The tomb of Count Vratislav

of Mitrovice, designed by

Johann Bernhard Fischer

von Erlach and with sculp-

tures by Maximilian Brokof of

Prague, is the most beautiful

Baroque tomb in Bohemia.

The count is believed to have

been buried alive by accident;

his corpse was later found

sitting up in the tomb. There

is an equally macabre tale

regarding a 400-year-old

Church of Our Lady

before Týn u

Kostel matky boží před

týnem

Staroměstské náměstí 604. Map E3.

Tel 602 457 200. X Můstek,

Staroměstská. # 10am–1pm, 3–5pm

Tue–Sat, 9am–12pm, 8pm–10pm Sun.

¢ Mon. & ^ 5

Dominating the Old Town

Square are the mul tiple

steeples of this historic church,

a source of Czech national

pride. The pres ent

Gothic build ing was

started in 1365 and soon

became asso ciated with

the reform movement in

Bohemia. From the early

15th century until 1620,

Týn was regarded as the

main Hussite church in

Prague. It was taken

over by the Jesuits in

the 17th century and

they were respon sible

for the Baroque renovation

inside, which jars with the

Celetná Ulice y

Map E3.X Náměstí Republiky,
Můstek. House of the Black
Madonna Tel 224 211 746.

10am–6pm Tue–Fri. & 7 -

One of the oldest streets in
Prague, Celetná ulice follows
an old trading route from east -
ern Bohemia. Its name comes
from the plaited bread rolls
that were first baked here in
the Middle Ages. In the 14th
century, it gained prestige as
a section of the Royal Route
which linked the Royal Court
and Prague Castle via Old
Town Square; it was used for
coronation processions.
Most of the houses along
Celetná ulice date from the
Middle Ages. The foundations
of Romanesque and Gothic
buildings can be seen in
some of the cellars, but the
majority, with their striking
signs, are the result of
Baroque remod ellings. At
No. 34, the House of the
Black Madonna (Dům U
Černé Matky Boží), is an
excep tion, being a splendid
example of Cubist architec-
ture, designed by Josef Gočár
in 1912. The dis tinctive
polychrome figure of
the Madonna with
Child comes from an
earlier house that stood
on this site. The build-
ing is home to an
interesting collec tion of
Czech Cubist paintings,
sculptures, furniture
and architectural
plans. The 1759
Pachts’ Palace,
across the street, has
a balcony that rests
on the shoulders of four
miners and soldiers sculpted
by Ignaz Platzer.
The most impres sive
example of Baroque architec-
ture is the Hrzánský Palace at
No. 558, whose façade fea-
tures busts, gargoyles and
stuccoes, as well as a portal
with caryatids. A popular
ven ue for state dinners, the
pal ace has been visited by
numerous important heads
of state. Today, most of
Celetná’s shops veer towards
the chic side of the Czech
market, making it a pop ular
place for shopping.

Gothic style of the original

church. On the north ern side

is an entrance portal, built in

1390, decorated with scenes

of the Christ’s Pass ion. The

inte rior has several notable

fea tures, including Gothic

sculp tures of Calvary, a

pewter font and a 15th-century

Gothic pul pit. The Danish

astro n omer Tycho Brahe

(1546–1601), court astro nomer

to Rudolf II, is buried here.

Towering nave of the Church of Our

Lady before Týn

Baroque organ in the Church of St James

Statue, House of

the Black Madonna