St Nicholas, Mala Strana

St Nicholas took most of the eighteenth century to build and three architects of one family: Christoph Dientzenhofer began the nave in 1704, his son Kilian Ignaz added the chancel and the dome, and Anselmo Lurago finished the bell tower in 1755. It is generally taken as the finest baroque building in Prague and among the finest in Central Europe. The nave ceiling carries Johann Lukas Kracker's fresco of the life of St Nicholas at around 1500 square metres, one of the largest in Europe, painted so the architecture appears to continue upward; the dome fresco is by Frantisek Palko. The organ of 1746 has more than four thousand pipes and Mozart played it in 1787, which is why his requiem was performed here after his death. The bell tower alongside is separately owned and holds an exhibition including a Communist-era surveillance post used to watch the embassies below.

What you actually see

• A 1500-square-metre ceiling fresco - Kracker's life of St Nicholas over the nave.
• The Dientzenhofer dome - Kilian Ignaz's chancel and cupola.
• An organ Mozart played - over four thousand pipes, built in 1746.
• A surveillance post in the tower - kept from the Communist period.

When to go

All year. Two hours.

Honest expectations

The church is ticketed and closes for services and concerts. The tower is a separate owner and a separate ticket. Concerts held here are aimed at tourists and vary in quality.

Nearby

Charles Bridge is below; Prague Castle is up Nerudova.