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Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí)
Staroměstské náměstí Praha 1 - Staré Město http://www.praguewelcome.cz/srv/www/en/objects/detail.x?id=42754About
The Old Town Square is the oldest and most significant square in the historical centre of Prague. Its history dates back to the 10th century, when it served as a marketplace at the crossroads of European trade routes. The square was near the former customs house (Ungelt), where the goods imported by foreign merchants were always cleared. For them the Hospital with the Church of the Virgin Mary, inns and stables were founded in the 10th century. Regular and annual markets of various goods took place here. At the square there were both fixed and portable shops. Around the base of the town hall tower there were thirteen stone cots, where the most expensive imported cloth was sold. Even the Town Hall building itself was surrounded by shops of marketers. Portable stalls were occupied by bakers, potters, manufacturers of wood products, herbalists, ginger bread producers and other craftsmen selling their goods. On the south side there were vendors of mushrooms, strawberries and other forest products, and also game, vegetables, butter, cheese cakes, grease, wreaths, skirts and other goods were sold there. In the north-western part of the square near the Town Hall there was a fish market. Vendors of fish were the most numerous as the Old Town market had a privilege for fish for the long time.Over the centuries the square had different names: its oldest known name was the Great Square (as opposed to a smaller marketplace at St. Gall - sv. Havel); in the 13th century the name Old Marketplace appears, from 14th century it was called Market Square or Old Town Market Square, in the 18th century it was called the Old Town Place, Big Old Town Square or just the Big Square. The current name has been applied since 1895 and has been used till present. In the 12th and 13 century many houses were built around the square and their Romanesque and early Gothic foundations, cellars and sometimes even parts of the ground floors have been preserved till these days. The original Romanesque ground floors and exceptionally also parts of the first floors got underground approximately in the middle of the 13th century as a part of anti-flood measures, when the terrain was filled with the soil up to the significant height.In the 14th century the Town Hall was established at the square and the main Old Town church called the church of the Virgin Mary in front of Týn was built a bit later. These projects highlighted the importance of space that had become not only the economic but also the political centre of the life of the Prague Old Town. Royal coronation processions travelled through the square on their way to the Castle and were much celebrated. John of Luxemburg was the first Czech king, who passed through the square in 1311 together with his wife Elisabeth of Bohemia. The square was also a scene of tragic events such as executions, but also various festivals and gatherings of the people. In 1422 the square witnessed riots after the execution of Jan Želivský, the leader of the Prague poor, who was beheaded at the well at the town hall courtyard. In 1437, the execution of the last Hussite captain Jan Roháč z Dubé a ze Sionu and his fellows took place here. After the defeat of the Hussite Revolution, Jiří z Poděbrad was elected the King of Bohemia here in 1458. One of the most tragic events took place in front of the Town Hall on 21 June 1621, when 27 prominent participants of the Czech revolt against the Habsburgs were executed here. Following gentlemen were decapitated: Jáchym Ondřej Šlik, Václav Budovec z Budova, Kryštof Harant z Polžic a Bezdružic, Kašpar Kaplíř ze Sulevic, Prokop Dvořecký z Olbramovic, Fridrich z Bílé, Otta z Losu, Diviš Černín z Chudenic, Vilím z Konecchlumu, Boleslav starší z Michalovic, Valentin Kochan z Prachové, Dobiáš Štefek z Koloděj, Jan Jesenius, Kryštof Kobr, Jan Šultys, Maximilián Hošťálek, Jiří Haunšild, Leandr Ryppel,
