In January 1969 university student Jan Palach set fire to himself in front of the National Museum to protest against the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia the preceding August. Palach later died from his burns and became a national hero. The memorial sits at the exact spot where Palach fell, marked by a cross in the pavement just below the steps to the museum’s entrance.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.55 MILES
Built over a time span of almost 600 years, St Vitus is one of the most richly endowed cathedrals in central Europe. It is pivotal to the religious and…
1.04 MILES
Strolling across Charles Bridge is everybody’s favourite Prague activity. However, by 9am it’s a 500m-long fairground, with an army of tourists squeezing…
1.51 MILES
Prague’s most popular attraction. Looming above the Vltava's left bank, its serried ranks of spires, towers and palaces dominate the city centre like a…
0.9 MILES
This museum consists of six Jewish monuments clustered together in Josefov: the Maisel Synagogue; the Pinkas Synagogue; the Spanish Synagogue; the Klaus…
1.92 MILES
Strahov Library is the largest monastic library in the country, with two magnificent baroque halls dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. You can peek…
0.58 MILES
Prague’s most exuberantly art-nouveau building is a labour of love, with every detail of its design and decoration carefully considered, and every…
1.08 MILES
While this monument's massive functionalist structure has all the elegance of a nuclear power station, the interior is a spectacular extravaganza of…
0.2 MILES
More a broad boulevard than a typical European city square, Wenceslas Square has witnessed a great deal of Czech history – a giant Mass was held here…
Nearby Prague attractions
0.04 MILES
The focal point of Wenceslas Square is the equestrian statue of St Wenceslas at its upper (southern) end. Sculptor Josef Myslbek has surrounded the 10th…
0.04 MILES
Looming above Wenceslas Square is the neo-Renaissance bulk of the National Museum, designed in the 1880s by Josef Schulz as an architectural symbol of the…
3. National Museum New Building
0.07 MILES
In 2009 the National Museum expanded into the ugly building next door. This so-called New Building now hosts changing exhibitions on various historical,…
0.13 MILES
Hidden beneath the 1950s Hotel Jalta on Wenceslas Square lies a communist-era nuclear shelter that was opened to the public in 2013. The tour, led by a…
0.2 MILES
More a broad boulevard than a typical European city square, Wenceslas Square has witnessed a great deal of Czech history – a giant Mass was held here…
6. Kůň (David Černý Sculpture)
0.24 MILES
David Černý's wryly amusing counterpart to the equestrian statue of St Wenceslas in Wenceslas Square hangs in the middle of the Lucerna Palace shopping…
0.24 MILES
Now a branch of Marks & Spencer, this 1914 building is famous for the balcony overlooking the Tramvaj Café, where Havel and Dubček addressed cheering…
0.24 MILES
The most elegant of Nové Město’s many shopping arcades runs through the art-nouveau Lucerna Palace (1920), between Štěpánská and Vodičkova streets. The…