What to See and Do in Prague Republic Square (Namesti Republiky)

Posted October 20, 2011 by Admin

Prague Republic Square (Namesti Republiky in Czech) is a busy city square featuring, the building of Czech National Bank, the Palladium and Kotva shopping Malls, the Powder Gate and the 19th-century Municipal House, home to concert halls, cafés, restaurants, shopping boulevards and exhibition galleries. Namesti Republiky is also a Prague Metro station on Line B in the Prague 1 district. Its two exits serve the Republic Square (Namesti Republiky) area and the Masaryk suburban railway terminal (Masarykovo nadrazi) respectively. The Republic Square is one of Prague’s focal points, situated at the interface between Old Town and New Town. The Obecni dum (Municipal House) has salons, concert halls, restaurants, and reception rooms. It occupies a key position next to the Powder Tower on the edge of Old Town. Facing the Obecni dum is the stern gray facade of U Hybernu which served for many years as the Customs House. Namesti Republiky is also the site of Kotva department store.

The Prague Municipal House (Obecni Dum) in the Republic Square
The Municipal House is considered to be an Art Noveau building. Inside the Municipal House is a concert hall named Smetana Hall. This hall is the place wherein the Czech Republic was proclaimed as an independent state. The building of the Obecni Dum was built between 1903 and 1912 and is a fascinating structure that represents classical architecture. The facade is breathtaking with the mosaic on the top of the entranceway and the uniquely designed dome towering above it. The idea behind the construction of the Municipal House was to have a center of Czech culture (as opposed to the German house and Casino nearby in the street Na Příkopě) and a building that would decently represent the Czech capital and the rich cultural life of the early 20th century. Tours are available while in the Old Town of Prague in the Czech Republic where you are taken to the famous concert hall, into the Mayor’s Hall, through the salons and many other intriguing rooms. For those who need to relax while exploring the Municipal House, stop and dine at one of the restaurants or enjoy a snack at the cafe. The Obecni Dum houses some of the most unique architecture work and should not be missed while visiting the Old Town of Prague in the Czech Republic.Beside the Obecni Dum in the Old Town of Prague stands the Powder Tower. This tower is the gateway to the route used for royalty up until 1836. Starting at the tower, it continued on through the Old Town until you reached Charles Bridge and then onward over the bridge until you reached the Castle.Obecni Dum, Municipal House beside the Powder Tower in Old Town Prague, Czech Republic, Europe.

Prague Municipal House

Prague Powder Gate in Namesti Republiky
Beside the Municipal House is the Powder Gate. In the 11th century this tower is known as the New Tower and this is one of the 13 gates to the city of Prague. The construction of the New Tower didn’t finish because the king move to a new residence (Prague Castle). This tower was one of the passages for the procession of the crowned king. This tower became a gun storage facility int he 17th century thus the name – Powder Gate. Present Powder Gate was build in 1475 during the reign of King Vladislav II. From name the New Tower was changed to present Powder Gate in the 17th century (when it was used to store gunpowder).

Prague Powder Gate

Czech National Bank in Prague Republic Square
The site on which the Czech National Bank now stands was, after King Wenceslas I founded the Old Town in 1230, located outside the town walls, between the two main entrances to the town: “Havelská brána” (St. Gall´s Gate – now the site of Můstek metro station) and “Odraná brána” (St. Ambrose´s Gate – roughly where the Powder Tower stands today). Despite the location of a square with a hay market in this area, the locality retained its rustic, edge-of-town character, adjacent to the town walls. The main commercial centre in the Middle Ages was the area around Havelský trh (St. Gall´s Market) and the grounds of the Church of Our Lady of the Snows. Construction in the vicinity of the present-day Czech National Bank was at that time concentrated along the moat separating the Old Town and the New Town. The modern built-up area around the present-day CNB and throughout the centre of Prague originated in the 19th century, and especially in the second half of it. After the construction of a second bridge across the Vltava in 1841 (the Chain Bridge, where the National Theatre now stands), the primary route through Prague shifted to Národní Street and Na příkopě Street. These two streets grew rapidly in importance, becoming, together with Wenceslas Square, the commercial centre of the city and attracting the attention of the new financial institutions. The construction of new banks in the second half of the 19th century was concentrated in this area.

Czech National Bank

Palladium Shopping Mall at Prague Republic Square (Namesti Republiky)
Palladium shopping mall in Prague Republic Square is one of the largest shopping malls in Czech Republic with 4 levels of shops. There are about 200 shops, 30 cafes and restaurants. If you travel by car, you can park in one of 900 underground park places. You can enjoy shopping on 115 000 square meters. Palladium was built on a site of the former “Jiri z Podebrad” Barracks enclosed by the streets Na Porici, Truhlarska and Namesti Republiky. The Barracks had been under the army’s ownership for more than two hundred years (1780s – 1996). There were many famous Czech personalities within the army crew, for example Josef Kajetan Tyl who composed the Czech national anthem here. The complex became dilapidated in the second half of the 20th century as the facilities were not used very much. While occupied by the army, the complex was completely closed to the public. It was not until the beginning of the 90s that the Ministry of Defense decided that the site should serve a more useful purpose.

Palladium Prague

Kotva Department Store in Prague Republic Square
Kotva is a large department store, selling all kind of goods – clothes, shoes, jewelery, stationary, perfumery, sports clothes & equipment and much more. On the top floor there is a dance club and a terrace restaurant to enjoy a meal with a great view of Prague Old Town. Built between 1970 and 1975, Kotva was supposed to became a symbol of richness and plenitude of socialism. It was the biggest supermarket in the former Czechoslovakia. Back in the day, a trip to Kotva was as close as most Czechs could get to real luxury. Now, even after the arrival of modern-day shopping malls such as Palladium, which is located directly across the street from the old-fashioned department store, Kotva is still in business.

Kotva Mall Prague