| On the Lesser Town (Malá Strana) side of Charles Bridge, visitors can walk up Mostecké street to the Lesser Town Square (Malostranské náměstí), then continue you on via Nerudova street to reach Prague Castle. The entire stretch is known as the Royal Way, or Kings Road, because it was the traditional coronation route travelled by Czech kings parading up to
St. Vitus Cathedral
to be crowned. Nerudova, named after the 19th century Czech writer and journalist Jan Neruda, is a charming street characterised by ancient burgher houses now transformed into quaint hotels, boutique shops selling glass, ceramics, paintings and other handicrafts, alongside small cafés and traditional Czech pubs and restaurants.
House numbering is a relatively recent innovation in Prague. In olden times, it was usual to distinguish buildings with house signs above the main door. Nerudova offers plenty of examples of this, such the House of the Three Little Fiddles; aptly named because it was home to a family of violin makers around 1700; and the House of the Two Suns, which used to belong to Jan Neruda himself. |
