#1: Prague, Czech Republic – Old Town Square (26% of the vote)
Lonely Planet review of Old Town Square
One of Europe’s biggest and most beautiful urban spaces, the Old Town Square has been Prague’s principal public square since the 10th century, and was its main marketplace until the beginning of the 20th century.
Despite the swarms of tourists, crowded pavement cafes and over-the-top commercialism, it’s impossible not to enjoy the spectacle: tour leaders thrusting through crowds, umbrellas borne aloft like battle standards, with clients straggling behind like a gaggle of ducklings; students dressed as frogs and chickens handing out flyers for a drama production; middle-aged couples in matching, too-short shorts and sensible shoes, frowning at pink-haired, leather-clad punks with too many piercings; gangs of red-faced lads in football shirts slopping beer and ice cream on the cobblestones; and a bored-looking guy with a placard advertising a museum of torture instruments.
There are busking jazz bands and alfresco concerts, political meetings and fashion shows, plus Christmas and Easter markets, all watched over by Ladislav Saloun’s brooding Art Nouveau statue of Jan Hus. It was unveiled on 6 July 1915, the 500th anniversary of Hus’ death at the stake.
The brass strip on the ground nearby is the so-called Prague Meridian. Until 1915 the square’s main feature was a 17th-century plague column, whose shadow used to cross the meridian at high noon.
Winner of the Lonely Planet guidebook:
Drum roll please…and the winner of the Lonely Planet giveaway is EJ! You will be contacted shortly by me via email to get all your shipping information. EJ has requested an Estonia LP guidebook for an upcoming return trip to the Northern European country. Safe travels and take a lot of pictures! Thanks to everyone that entered and I look forward to giving away more freebies in the future.
Quick recap of the best town square poll results:
- Prague: Old Town Square – 26%
- Philadelphia: Rittenhouse Square – 19%
- Brussels: Grand Place – 16%
- Moscow: Red Square – 13%
- Rome: Piazza del Popolo – 8%
- London: Piccadilly Circus – 7%
- Krakow: Rynek Glowny – 5%
- Amsterdam: Museumplein – 3%
- San Francisco: Union Square – 2%
- Seville: Plaza de Espana – 1%
