History and nearby

Strahov Monastery was founded in 1140 by the Premonstratensians and with its vastness, it could compete with the seat of Czech kings. After a great fire in 1258, it was rebuilt in a Gothic style and later, some Baroque touches were added. Its wonderful library in the Theological hall and the Philosophical Hall is more than 800 years old. Despite being ransacked by soldiers of many invasive armies, it is still one of the best libraries in the Czech Republic. Strahov Monastery avoided the infamous abolishing of monasteries during the reign of Joseph II. in 1783 by changing the library into a research institute. There is a monastery and museum now.

When walking down a narrow street from the Monastery, one comes to Pohořelec. It is one of the oldest parts of Hradčany, first built in 1375. Its name could be interpreted as “the place destroyed by fire”. Fire really was disastrous for it – it burnt down three times, last time in 1741. There is a large open square on the hill above the city that is part of the main access road to the Prague Castle. Houses around the square are mostly baroque and rococo. In the upper part of the square, there is Johannes Kepler Grammar School. In front of the school, there is a monument to Johannes Kepler and his predecessor in the position of astronomer in the court of Rudolph II Tycho Brahe. Brahe died in 1606 in the house that used to stand in the place of the grammar school.

Loreta Cloister is very close to Pohořelec. It was founded in 1626 and it has been an important place of pilgrimage since then. It was financed by Kateřina Lobkowitz who enthusiastically supported the legend of the Holy Hut in Loreto. The heart of the complex is a copy of the house that used to belong to Virgin Mary. Ambits were built around the Holy Hut in 1661 and the main façade was finished by Kilian Ignaz Dienzenhofer 60 years after that. A peal with 30 bells is located in the baroque tower. Its bells were made by Claudy Fremy in Amsterdam between 1691 – 1694.

It takes only few steps from the hotel to get to Petřín orchards which are a very popular place for walking and relaxing for people in Prague. The southern side of the hill was changed into a vineyard in the 12th century but these were turned into gardens and orchards in the 18th century. You can still find old apple and pear trees there. There are many paths for walking that offer beautiful views of Prague. The park is very popular in the spring when all the trees are blooming.

Dominating feature of the hill is the 60 m high lookout tower that was constructed on the occasion of the General Land Exhibition in 1891. Its construction copies the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris. There are 299 steps leading to the top of the tower and one’s reward after the hike is a fascinating view of the city.

Nový Svět is a very interesting place not far from the Prague Castle. It means “New World” and it is part of Hradčany with beautiful small houses. The street originated in the 14th century and it was supposed to provide housing for the cattlemen. However, due to frequent fires, the last one in 1541, majority of houses are from the 17th century. Even though they were decorated later on, their original character was preserved and they are very different from the other houses in Hradčany. Maybe because they belonged to the poor ones, they have so much gold in their names. Maybe because these houses belonged to the poor, they selected golden “house signs” for them: Golden Pear, Golden Vine, Golden Bird, bush or acorn.