The look of Prague

No introduction could fail to mention the description of the city as “Stověžatá Praha”, “hundred-towered” or “hundred-spired Prague”, and the skyline is indeed punctuated by countless towers and turrets, spires and spikes, domes, belfries, cupolas and pinnacles. This heavenward rush from roof of church and palace is reinforced by an array of gables, often of extraordinary exuberance in design. At the same time the city is firmly anchored to the ground. Belying the modernity of many a building is a deep cellar, of Gothic or even Romanesque date, while splendid arched arcades help link façades with each other and with street and square.

The importance of a fine façade has been recognised throughout much of the city’s history. Most historic buildings put on a fine show for the passing public, with muscular atlantes straining to support massive portals, statues gracing niches, attics and balustrades, rough stonework concealed beneath smooth stucco or sgraffito . The predominant colour is a rich ochre (one reason for the epithet “Golden Prague”), complemented by a range of subtle pastels. Paint was in short supply under Communist rule; the prevailing greyness of that era is now fast waning, although some of the garish hues that have appeared seem slightly out of place.

Beyond the street façades is a semi-private world of courtyards, some with galleries (pavlač in Czech), often linked together by doors and passageways, making it possible to roam across parts of the city without ever emerging into the public domain. The early 20C fashion for the pasáž has only served to increase this network of interior spaces.