PRAGUE 255Baroque sculpture of an angel on the altar, Church of St GilesKarlova Ulice j
Map D3. X Staroměstská.
Dating back to the 12th
century, this narrow, wind-
ing street was part of the
Royal Route, along which
corona tion processions
passed on the way to
Prague Castle (see pp232–3).
Many original Gothic and
Renaissance houses remain,
although most have been
converted into shops to
attract tourists.
A café at No. 18, in the
House at the Golden Snake,
was established in 1714 by an
Armenian, Deodatus Damajan,
who handed out slanderous
pamphlets from here. It is
now a restaurant. Also note-
worthy is At the Golden Well
at No. 3, which has a magnifi-
cent Baroque façade and
stucco reliefs of saints includ-
ing St Roch and St Sebastian,
who are believed to offer
protection against plague.
Estates Theatre l
Stavovské divadloOvocný trh 1. Map E4. Tel 224 901- X Můstek. # for prior
booking call 224 902 231. 7
http://www.narodni-divadlo.cz
Built in 1783 by the German-
speaking Count Nostitz
Rieneck, the Estates Theatre
is one of the finest examples
of Classical elegance in
Prague. Its white, gold and
blue auditorium resembles a
luxury chocolate box. Until
1920, the main language usedEstates Theatre, a mecca for
Mozart fans
Church of
St Giles k
Kostel sv Jiljí
Husova. Map E3. Tel 224 220 235.
v 6, 9, 17, 18, 22. X Národní
třída. # by appt. 5
Despite a beautiful Gothic
portal on its south side,
the inside of this church is
essen tially Baroque. Founded
in 1371 on the site of a
Romanesque church, it
became a Hussite parish
church in 1420. Follow ing
the Protestant defeat in 1620,
Ferdinand II gave the church
on stage was German, with
occasional performances
given in Czech or Italian.
The theatre is renowned
for its premieres of operas
by Mozart. On 29 October
1787, the public was treated
to the world premiere of Don
Giovanni, with the composer
himself conducting from the
piano. Acknowledging the
connection between Mozart
and the theatre, the interior
was used by Miloš Forman
in his famous Oscar-winning
film Amadeus (1984).
In 1834, the theatre
witnessed the first perform-
ance of Fidlovačka, a comic
opera by Josef Kajetán Tyl.
One of its songs, Kde domov
můj? “Where is My Home?”,
later became the Czech
national anthem. More than a
century later, in the spirit of
the national revival, the
theatre was renamed after
Tyl, though it has since
reverted to its original name.
The Carolinum, opposite, is
the core of Prague University,
founded by Charles IV. In the
15th and 16th cen turies, the
university led the movement
to reform the church.to the Dominicans, who built
a huge friary on its southern
side. The monks were evicted
in the Communist era, but
they have since been able
to return.
The vaults are decorated
with stunning frescoes by
the painter Václav Vavřinec
Reiner, who is buried in the
nave. The main fresco, a
glorification of the Dominicans,
shows St Dominic and his
friars helping the pope
defend the Catholic Church
from non-believers.