Wenceslas Square, Central square in New Town, Prague, Czech Republic
Wenceslas Square is a 750 m long and 60 m wide rectangle, a boulevard sloping from the Czech National Museum down to Můstek at the Old Town border. Its upper end is dominated by Josef Schulz's neoclassical National Museum, built 1885–1890 on the site of the former Horse Gate. A reconstruction begun in 2020 has reworked the lower section, and work on the upper part started in 2024.
Charles IV laid out the square in 1348 as a horse market, connecting his new town foundation with the older core. After 1918 and especially in 1989, gatherings here shaped the course of Czechoslovak history.
The National Museum and the bronze statue of Saint Wenceslas, patron saint of Bohemia, mark the upper section of this central Prague landmark.
Metro stations Muzeum at the upper end and Mustek at the lower end connect the square to the whole city network. Shops and eateries open throughout the day, and the promenade remains accessible around the clock.
Memorial plaques honor Jan Palach and others who protested the 1968 occupation. The bronze statue of Saint Wenceslas shows him on horseback, surrounded by other Bohemian patron saints.
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