Hradcany Square

Hradčanské náměstí is the broad cobblestone square immediately in front of Prague Castle's western gate — the formal forecourt to the largest castle complex in Europe. Originally lined with modest homes, most of the square was destroyed in a great fire in 1541, after which wealthy nobles bought the land and built grand palaces. The square is framed by the Baroque Archbishop's Palace (seat of the Archbishop of Prague since the 1660s), the Renaissance Schwarzenberg Palace (now housing the National Gallery's Baroque art collection), the Neoclassical Salm Palace, and the Tuscany Palace. At its centre stands the Marian Plague Column by Maxmilián Brokof, erected on the spot where open-air prayers were held during the plague of 1713–14. The south side of the square opens onto a terrace with sweeping views over Lesser Town, the Old Town rooftops, and the Vltava. A bronze statue of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first Czechoslovak president, stands near the Salm Palace. The square has served as backdrop for major national events — including Václav Havel's funeral procession in 2011 and Barack Obama's 2009 address to Prague.