Malá Strana is dominated by the huge green cupola of St Nicholas Church (Kostel svatého Mikuláše; stnicholas.cz), one of Central Europe’s finest baroque buildings (not to be confused with the other Church of St Nicholas on Old Town Square).
The building was begun by famed baroque architect Christoph Dientzenhofer; his son Kilian continued the work and Anselmo Lurago finished the job in 1755. Mozart himself tickled the ivories on the 2500-pipe organ in 1787, and was honored with a requiem Mass here (14 December 1791). Take the stairs up to the gallery to see Karel Škréta’s gloomy 17th-century Passion Cycle paintings and the scratchings of bored 1820s tourists and wannabe Franz Kafkas on the balustrade. On the ceiling, Johann Kracker’s 1770 Apotheosis of St Nicholas is Europe’s largest fresco. (Clever trompe l’oeil techniques mean the painting merges almost seamlessly with the architecture.)
Instead of touring the church, a better option might be to hear a classical concert here. The swirling, hypnotic interiors, the pillars and statuary delight the eyes and more than compensate for any minor acoustic flaws the chamber might have as a music venue. Find a concert program on the church website.
You can also climb the 215 steps up the bell tower (adult/child 140/80Kč) via a separate entrance on the corner of Malostranské náměstí and Mostecká. During the communist era, the Czechoslovak secret police used the tower to spy on the nearby American embassy. On the way up, you can still see a white, cast-iron urinal installed for use by the watchers.
