The Municipal House (Obecní dům) is a major civic landmark and concert hall in Prague, and an important building in architectural and political history in the Czech Republic. It stands on the Náměstí Republiky. The Art Nouveau structure is an artifact of the Czech nationalism of the time and carries a wealth of ornament by some of the leading Czech artists of its day. The main facade features a large ceramic half-dome mosaic above the entry, Homage to Prague, by Karel Špillar. On either side are allegorical sculpture groups representing The Degradation of the People and The Resurrection of the People by Ladislav Šaloun. The main space within the Municipal House is the concert space, Smetana Hall, named in honor of Bedřich Smetana. On October 28, 1918, Smetana Hall was the scene of the proclamation of the independent state of Czechoslovakia.

Powder Gate (Prašná brána) is a gothic gate in Prague, Czech Republic. It is one of the symbols of Prague, leading into the Old Town. Dating from 1475, the Powder Gate was built as one of 13 gates to the city of Prague. At the time construction began, it was connected to the royal palace. Before construction was completed, however, King Vladislav Jagellonský moved his residence to Prague Castle in 1485. However, the Powder Gate remained important to the Bohemian kings - from that time until 1836, the Bohemian monarchs would pass through the Powder Gate on their way to St. Vitus Cathedral to be crowned. The Powder Gate was designed by master builder Matěj Rejsek to follow the design used by Peter Parler for the Old Town Bridge Tower at the base of Charles Bridge. It is now one of the few remnants of the fortifications that once surrounded the city.

The Estates Theatre was commissioned in 1780 by a German born Czech aristocrat named Frantisek Antonin Count Nostitz Rieneck, who wanted to have a theatre in Prague that rivaled the theatres in Vienna. The inscription over the entrance reads “Patriae et Musis” (To the Homeland and the Muses). It is one of the only theatres in Europe that is preserved in its original state.

It only took two years to build and was opened in 1783. Mozart loved this theatre and conducted the première of Don Giovanni there in 1787. Most of the plays and operas were in German to distinguish it from the Provisional Theatre which was exclusively a Czech stage.
Today its performances include dramas, ballets and operas and mainly centre on Mozart’s work. The theatre’s modern claim to fame is that the scenes of Mozart in Prague, from the Oscar winning film Amadeus, were shot there.

When you take in a performance at the Estates Theatre, you should follow the dress code and wear something rather smart; a tie isn’t necessary, but you might be refused entry if you turn up in jeans. The theatre is located between the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square.

The Church of Our Lady before Týn (Kostel Matky Boží před Týnem, also Týnský chrám or just Týn) is a dominant feature of the Old Town of Prague, and has been the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century. The church's towers are 80 m high and topped by four small spires. The northern portal is a wonderful example of Gothic sculpture from the Parler workshop, with a relief depicting the Crucifixion. The main entrance is located on the church's western face, through a narrow passage between the houses in front of the church. The oldest pipe organ in Prague stands inside this church. The organ was built in 1673 by Heinrich Mundt and is one of the most representative 17th-century organs in Europe. The great Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, who worked for Emperor Rudolph II, was buried in the church in 1601. His beautiful marble tomb slab is located inside.

The Prague Astronomical Clock was built in around 1410 and is one of the oldest clocks of this type in Europe and the only one still working.

It is set in the Old Town Hall and is certainly worth seeing as it shows the large degree of scientific knowledge of the era. The clock face represents the Earth and the sky, a part for the day another for the night. The clock’s outer ring shows old Czech time. The astronomical dial shows the movements of the sun and the moon, and a third dial is for zodiacal signs.

The clock itself is actually pretty difficult to understand, but its greatest attraction for most tourists is the hourly show of statues of the Twelve Apostles who appear one after the other. On each side of the clock are statuettes representing Vanity, Greed and Hedonism. A fourth statuette, Death represented as a skeleton, strikes the hour.

There are, of course legends about the clock, one is that the clockmaker, Hanus, had his eyes put out after finishing his work too stop him from making another. For revenge, he broke the clock and it took 100 years to repair it. Another legend says that if the clock stops for any length of time, Prague will fall.

The Rudolfinum is a splendid example of Neo-Renaissance; the façade bears a similarity to the Semper Opera House in Dresden, which was destroyed by fire in 1869. When the building was finished in 1885, it was named after Rudolf, the Crown Prince of Austria. On the roof is a statue gallery of notable composers.

The Rudolfinum was originally destined to be an art gallery and a House of Artists. In 1918 it became the seat of the Czech Parliament until 1938. A popular story relates that during the 2nd World War the Nazis wanted to take down the statue of Mendelssohn, but none of the statues bore names, so they chose the one with the biggest nose, but this turned out to be a statue of Wagner who was Hitler’s favorite composer!

In 1946 the Rudolfinum became the home of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. There are four concert halls; the most important one is the Dvorak Hall which has perfect acoustics and a beautiful pipe-organ behind the concert stage. This organ was installed in the 1970s as the original one had been removed when the Czech Parliament met in the hall. The smaller Suk Hall is used for soloist vocal and instrumental performances. The Prague Spring International Music Festival takes place at the Rudolfinum every year in May and June.

Bethlehem Chapel is one of the most famous of Prague’s many chapels and you shouldn’t miss visiting it. It stands in Bethlehem Square in the Old Town.

The Catholic Church approved the building of a small chapel in 1391, but the chapel was a lot bigger than they had agreed to and housed up to 3000 churchgoers. Sermons were given in the Czech language instead of in German which had domination over the medieval Bohemian Church at that time.

Between 1402 and 1412 the religious reformer Jan Hus became rector and preacher there. When he was excommunicated in 1412 the Pope ordered the destruction of the chapel, but the Czech government refused to do this. Instead they gave it to the Czech Technical University. In 1661 the Jesuit order bought the chapel and changed it into a Catholic place of prayer.

In the late 18th century the chapel was pulled down and apartments were built on the site. In the 1950s it was restored to its initial state. Parts of the walls and the pulpit contain fragments of the original medieval chapel. You can see wall paintings from Hus’ time and some of his manuscripts. There are also modern religious paintings executed by Czech art students. Today the chapel holds services and occasionally concerts of classical music.

The Clementinum (Klementinum) is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic. The history of the Klementinum dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. The National Library was founded in 1781 and from 1782 the Klementinum was a legal deposit library. In 1918 the newly-established Czecho-Slovak state took over the library. Since 1990, it has been the National Library. The architecture is a notable example of Baroque architecture and Clementinum, covering 20,000 square metres, is the second largest complex of buildings in Prague after the Prague Castle. The library contains a collection of Mozartiana, material pertaining to Tycho Brahe and Comenius, as well as historic examples of Czech literature. Today the complex hosts the National, University and Technical libraries. The City Library is also located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí.

The Charles Bridge (Karlův most) is a famous historical bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava (Moldau), the Charles Bridge was the most important connection between the Old Town, Prague Castle and adjacent areas until 1841. This "solid-land" connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or the Prague Bridge (Pražský most) but has been the "Charles Bridge" since 1870. The bridge is 516 meters long and nearly 10 meters wide, resting on 16 arches shielded by ice guards. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, erected around 1700.