Prague's Four Towns

Prague's Four Towns

Central Prague is made up of four towns, joined together in 1784. The River Vltava (Moldau in German) divides the capital into two unequal halves: on the steeply inclined left bank, are Hradcany and Malá Strana (the Lesser Quarter). The more gentle, sprawling right bank includes Staré Mesto, Josefov and Nové Mesto.

Hradcany, on the hill, contains the most sights: the castle itself, the cathedral and the former palaces of the aristocracy.

Below Hradcany, Malá Strana (Little Quarter), with its narrow eighteenth-century streets, is the city's ministerial and diplomatic quarter, with attractive Baroque gardens for all to enjoy.

Over the river, on the right bank, Staré Mesto (Old Town) is a web of alleys and passageways centered on the city's most beautiful square, Staromestské námesti.

Enclosed within the boundaries of Staré Mesto is Josefov, the old Jewish quarter, now containing only a few synagogues and a cemetery.

Nové Mesto (New Town), the focus of the modern city, covers the largest area, laid out in long wide boulevards, the most famous of which is Wenceslas Square. These boulevards stretch south and east of the old town.