Prague Neighborhoods

The Czech Republic lies at the heart of Central Europe and at its center is the beautiful and historic city of Prague. With a population of some 1.3 million residents, the city lies on either side of the Vltava River in the middle of Bohemia that is one of the three historic Czech territories; the others being Moravia and Silesia. The city has seven "Chapter Divisions" or districts.

North and Western Suburbs

This is mainly an area of residential buildings and parkland, containing Prague's largest park — Stromovka. The park was originally a hunting ground and is now home to many attractions including the Vystaviste Exhibition Grounds, the Prumyslovy Palace, the Planetarium, and the Lapidarium.

A walk to the west of the park brings the visitor to the Royal Summer Palace (Letohrádek královny Anny), a neo-Gothic building where the National Museum stores some of its treasures.

To the south of Stromovka lies Letna Park. A walk farther south brings one to a plateau overlooking the main city and river. Here, you will see the large Metronome that replaced the monument to Stalin—the largest in the world, which was destroyed on the orders of Krushchev in 1962. Other places of interest are the National Technical Museum and the National Gallery Collection of Modern & Contemporary Art. Walks through the residential areas will expose you to many styles of architecture here.

Hradcany

Situated on the hill overlooking Prague, Hradcany is made up of Prague Castle, St Vitus Cathedral and the Strahov Monastery—all places that are steeped in history. The Army Museum, the Royal Gardens and the Toy Museum are also nearby.

St Vitus' Cathedral was commissioned by Charles IV (1316-1378) and its foundation was laid in 1344. However, work on it went on for nearly 600 years before being finalized in 1929, which means that the architecture is from many different periods and in different styles. Attractions inside include the crown jewels, the crypt and the South Tower. The Strahov Monastery was founded in 1140 by the Premonstratensian Order, although its present day baroque appearance dates from the late-17th and 18th centuries.

Mala Strana

Covering the area just below Hradcany and bordering the river, Mala Strana is just across Charles Bridge from the main city. Now home to many foreign embassies occupying a number of buildings built by the Catholic nobility, the area is full of palaces, gardens and baroque churches including the Church of St. Nicholas (Sv. Mikulas). Open daily, this is an example of Prague baroque architecture; it was built between 1702 and 1753 by Christoph Dientzenhofer and later also worked on by his son. Frequent concerts and recitals (both at lunchtime and in the evenings) are held here featuring the works of Mozart.