Malá Strana
Encyclopedia
Malá Strana is a district
Districts of Prague
Prague has a local-government structure of two or three tiers, depending on the area of town. At the top is the Magistrate of the Capital City of Prague , which is responsible for public transport; waste collection; municipal police; firefighting; ambulance services; cultural activities; care of...
of the city of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, and one of its most historic regions.
The name translated into English literally means "Little Side", though it is frequently referred to as "Lesser Town", "Lesser Quarter", or "Lesser Side". This name derives from its position on the left (west) bank of the river Vltava
Vltava
The Vltava is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running north from its source in Šumava through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague, merging with the Elbe at Mělník...
, on the slopes just below the Prague Castle
Prague Castle
Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...
, in opposition to the larger towns of Prague on the right bank, to which it is conjoined by the Charles Bridge
Charles Bridge
The Charles Bridge is a famous historic bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century...
.
In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, it was a dominant centre of the ethnic German
Ethnic German
Ethnic Germans historically also ), also collectively referred to as the German diaspora, refers to people who are of German ethnicity. Many are not born in Europe or in the modern-day state of Germany or hold German citizenship...
citizens of Prague. It also housed a large number of noble palaces while the right-bank towns were comparatively more bourgeois and more Bohemian Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
.
History
In the distant past, Malá Strana was called Malé Město Pražské (Lesser Town of Prague). Malé Město Pražské was created in 1257 by amalgamating a number of settlements beneath the Prague CastlePrague Castle
Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...
, into a single administrative unit. This was done during the reign of Přemysl Otakar II
Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II , called The Iron and Golden King, was the King of Bohemia from 1253 until 1278. He was the Duke of Austria , Styria , Carinthia and Carniola also....
. The newly-founded town got the permission to be a royal town, and many more privileges. The residents were mostly German craftsmen, invited by the King. Even though the city was royal, the King did not master the city as a whole. By the middle of the century the city was renamed Malá Strana.
- The market place, now known as Malostranské náměstí, was a center of the town. Initially, this marketplace was divided on the upper and lower parts with a St Nicholas Church on border.
- As in most of PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, the traces of Charles IV developments are seen in Mala Strana, one example is the Hunger Wall. - In 1541 the finest Charles' City was damaged by fires, and devastating wars. Mala Strana was mostly destroyed.
Architecture
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
architecture predominates in Malá Strana, but the history of the district dates back to far before the Baroque era. Baroque architecture eventually dominated when the style became successfully implanted on Malá Strana after the district was devastated by fires in 1541.
Point of interest
- The most extensive and unforgettable building of the Baroque Era on Malá Strana is the Wallenstein PalaceWallenstein PalaceWallenstein Palace is a Baroque palace in Malá Strana, Prague, currently the home of the Czech Senate.-History:The original Palace was built in years 1623-1630 by Albrecht von Wallenstein, Duke of Mecklenburg , who made his name and fortune as the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial forces in the...
. Albrecht von WallensteinAlbrecht von WallensteinAlbrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein , actually von Waldstein, was a Bohemian soldier and politician, who offered his services, and an army of 30,000 to 100,000 men during the Danish period of the Thirty Years' War , to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II...
was a military general-in-chief of Emperor Ferdinand IIFerdinand II, Holy Roman EmperorFerdinand II , a member of the House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary . His rule coincided with the Thirty Years' War.- Life :...
. Under his order 26 new houses and old gates were built on the freed place. The extensive palace complex with five courtyards and the garden, which is set as a French Park. - The Churches are the most frequent and interesting developments on Malá Strana. The finest one and the most prominent in the St Nicholas Church. This is a masterpiece of Christoph Dientzenhofer and Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, father and son. The finest painting inside the church is an apotheosis of St. Nicholas, the defender of children, seamen, and wayfollowers. This painting is set in the dome of the church. It depicts an apotheosis of Saint Trinity.
- The famous statue of the Holy Infant Jesus of PragueInfant Jesus of PragueInfant Jesus of Prague is a famous statue of infant Jesus located in the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Malá Strana, Prague.- History :Its earliest history can be traced back to Prague in the year 1628 when the small, 19-inch high, wax statue of the Infant Jesus was given by Princess Polyxena...
is located in the Church of Our Lady VictoriousChurch of Our Lady VictoriousThe Church of Our Lady Victorious in Malá Strana, the "small side" of Prague is a Carmelite church and the home of the statue called the "Infant Jesus of Prague"....
in Malá Strana, Prague. The devotion and the church drew millions of Roman CatholicRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
faithful to Malá Strana throughout the years. - In 1989, the "Prague EmbassyEmbassy of Germany in PragueThe Embassy of Germany in Prague is located on Vlašská street , in the Malá Strana district of Prague, Czech Republic....
" of West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, located in the Palais Lobkowicz, was the site of a drama involving thousands of East German refugees. Their cars were left behind in the quarter. - The famous Czech novelist Jan NerudaJan NerudaJan Nepomuk Neruda was a Czech journalist, writer and poet, one of the most prominent representatives of Czech Realism and a member of "the May school".-Early life:...
was born, lived in and wrote about Malá Strana; Nerudova Street is named after him. - The Petřín lookout towerPetrínská rozhlednaThe Petřín Lookout Tower is a 60 metre high steel framework tower in Prague, which strongly resembles the Eiffel Tower. Although it is much shorter than the Eiffel Tower, it stands atop a sizable hill, Petřín, so the top is actually at a higher altitude than that of the Eiffel Tower...
is located in Malá Strana.