Czech Republic, Prague 1

Prague 1 is the historical center of the city. It consists of the "Old Town" (Staré Město) on the right side of the Vltava and the "Lesser Town" (Malá Strana) on the opposite bank at the foot of Prague Castle.Here you will find the main tourist sights as the Old Town Square, the Jewish quarter, Charles Bridge and the Castle as well as many shops, restaurants and hotels.

Its name comes from its position on the left (west) bank of the river Vltava, on the slopes just below the Prague Castle, in opposition to the larger towns of Prague on the right bank, to which it is conjoined by the Charles Bridge.

There are here a number of different types of buildings from several architectural periods making Prague one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The center of Prague 1 has been recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO.

As of the end of 2004, 32,552 people lived in 18,821 homes in the district. The district covers 5.53 km² (1,366 acres).

A Prague 1 address is considered quite prestigious, and real estate here is the most expensive in the city.

Vladimír Vihan of the Civic Democratic Party is the current mayor of Prague 1. He took over in 2002 from a man with the very appropriate name of Jan Bürgermeister.

History

Very long before, Mala Strana was called Male Mesto Prazske (Lesser Town of Prague). Male Mesto Prazske appeared in 1257 as a result of joining a few settlements underneath the Prague Castle, in a whole administrative unity. It was done during the power of Premysl Otakar II.

In the Middle Ages, it was a dominant centre of the ethnic German civilians of Prague. It also housed a large number of noble palaces while the right-bank towns were comparatively more bourgeois and more Bohemian Czech.