Old Town Square has been the civic heart of Prague since the 11th century, when it formed at the crossing of major trade routes through Bohemia. Today it’s framed by some of the city’s most striking architecture, including the Gothic spires of the Church of Our Lady before Týn and the Baroque Church of St. Nicholas.
The square’s centerpiece is the Prague Astronomical Clock, mounted on the Old Town Hall and ticking since 1410, making it the oldest working astronomical clock in the world. A Jan Hus Monument, erected in 1915, honors the religious reformer executed in 1415. The adjoining Josefov district, Prague’s historic Jewish Quarter and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, includes the centuries-old Old-New Synagogue and Old Jewish Cemetery.
The square is open to the public around the clock and free to enter. Most visitors spend 30 minutes to an hour taking in the square itself, longer if timing a visit to watch the astronomical clock’s hourly show or exploring into Josefov.