The Top of Old Town Hall

Going inside the town hall and paying the entry fee gets you to the bottom of the elevator shaft that sits in the open center of the tower. The design of the railings and the sides of the round elevator in the multi-storied structure make an interesting pattern.



The main attraction at the top is, of course, the view. While there are tall, modern buildings in Prague, they are not near Old Town and in most directions you see a red roofed sea of buildings.

In the square below, the monument to Jan Hus is located. According to Wikipedia:

Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe. In the following century, Hus was followed by many other reformers - e.g. Martin Luther, John Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli. Hus was ultimately condemned by the Council of Constance and burned at the stake in 1415. This led to the Hussite Wars.

Back on the ground, there are lots of interesting shops including this one a window full of nesting dolls.

Not far from the main square is the last of what was intended to be a main gate of the city. It's best known as the Powder Tower since it was once used to store gunpowder. I found some of the architectural details nearby to be more interesting.

Since I did not feel like paying the equivalent of $5 to exert myself in climbing the spiral staircase to the top, the best I found inside the tower is this ornate door hinge.

Unsurprisingly, what really caught my eye was this window full of remarkable desserts.