Staré Město Historic centre

Staré Město occupies an area of 129 hectares and is among the most difficult parts of Prague 1. In the west and the north, it is bounded by the river Vltava, which separates it from Mala Strana and Holešovice, while in the east and south it is adjacent to the New Town. In its tight construction it also hides the smallest Prague district of Josefov and the attached Shooting Island.

The territory of today's Old Town has been inhabited since ancient times, but the first specific references point to the existence of tribal units in the 8th century. The first documents of Christian architecture in Prague came from the end of the 9th century, and already in the 10th century, Praha became the centre of the Premioned State. Evidence of the dense settlement of the Vltava banks is provided by the report of the medieval Chronicator of the Comas on the devastating flood of 1118. The first significant construction achievement was the construction of a stone bridge in 1172, which bears the name Judith, the wife of King Vladislav II.

The actual creation of the Old Town as an organized city unit took place gradually during the 13th century. The crucial moment was when between 1232 and 1234 the so-called Havel City was established for Bavarian buyers, founded by the king appointed by the locator Eberhar. After a straight street line, which can still be seen in the Knights street route, the city walls were exposed. By extending them to the Vltava River, the entire area of the later Old Town was gradually fortified. Originally, an unorganized settlement under the protection of the walls was rapidly transformed into a connected city body. Until 1287, the development continued when the city of Havel was legally connected to the Old Town, creating a single urban area. Only the Jewish ghetto and some of the church majetics remained independent.

The security and economic benefits of medieval life were attracted by the orders: in the first half of the 13th century, six new monasteries were created, which became spiritual and economic support. During the 13th and 14th centuries, the city was dominated by a wealthy, mostly German-speaking elite, but it changed over time. Since the second half of the 14th century, craftsmen of the association gained an ever greater influence on administration. The same period resulted in the gradual conception of urban culture. The growing confidence of the township corresponded to the permission of King John of Luxembourg from 1338 to build its own town hall. Its core was the house of the buyer Wolflin of the Stone on the corner of Old Town Square, to which was later connected the tower, chapel and famous Old Town Clock, which became one of the most famous symbols of Prague over the years.

When Karel IV. founded New Town in 1348, the role of Old Town changed. While both cities held joint councils in the wider modern period, Staré Město has maintained its dominance for decades. At the end of the 14th century there was a gathering of spiritual and intellectual peace, which later culminated in the reform movement. In this way, Staré Město has ceased to be a mere economic and administrative unit and has become the center of political and thought changes in Central Europe. .