Completed in 1456, the prominent feature of the New Town Hall is almost 70 m tall with 221 steps leading to its gallery. From the 15th century, the tower served as a fire "guardhouse" for the New Town, and later on a watchman used to announce the time. The tower was renovated in 1520 - 1526 and then in 1559 - 1561, the gallery and the roof were repeatedly repaired after being hit by lightning (the last structural modifications date back to 1876).
On the first floor of the New Town Hall tower there is an originally Gothic chapel, later consecrated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and to St. Wenceslas, the patron saint of the Czech Lands. In 1722 it was rebuilt in a Baroque style, which was preserved in, for example, a vault in the middle decorated with a fresco depicting an allegory of Law and Justice, or an entrance profiled portal. The chapel can also be seen at some of the events from the Grand Hall of the New Town Hall.
Part of the tour is a visit to the Gallery Exhibitions in the Tower where short-term exhibitions are installed. On the eastern side of the Tower, there is a fragment of a chain that was once used to close the street: this measure was intended to allow the residents to have a good night's rest - especially the wooden wheels of farm wagons on the road were very noisy.
Since 1760, the Czech or Prague cubit (a standard unit of measurement for length) is also situated here. It is where merchants could calibrate their wooden measures and buyers could check whether they had been given the correct measure. On the southern side of the Tower, about two meters above the ground, a Latin inscription is carved in a sandstone block:
SIGNA TE SIGNA TEMERE ME TANGIS ET ANGIS
ROMA TIBI SUBITO MOTIBUS IBIT AMOR
This is the so-called palindrome - i.e. a text which reads the same backward as forward, located on the wall.
Opening hours of the Tower, entrance fee
Open: Tuesday - Sunday, from 10 am to 6 pm
Midday break: 30 minutes between 12 am and 1 pm
Please, keep an eye on our News page, indicating any unscheduled closure of the Tower.
The lookout from the Tower's gallery is open from spring to autumn. In winter, it is closed for safety reasons. Together, we welcome the spring here again.
NOTICE:
Admission FEE TO THE TOWER:
Full CZK 100, concession and groupis CZK 70, families CZK 200
Standard admission benefits following the establishment of the semi-budgetary organization:
Concession is granted (upon presentation of a valid card) to seniors over 65, to high/secondary school and university students, youth between 6 and 16 years of age, to ICOM card holders.
Admission is free for children up to 6 years of age, to heritage preservation workers (upon presentation of a valid card), to journalists (upon presentation of a valid card), to ZTP and ZTP/P card holders (upon presentation of a valid card) and their escorts, pedagogical escorts (with school groups), accredited guides (with groups), AMG card holders.
For concession and free admission, a valid document with a photo and date of birth must be presented.
Special admission fees to the Tower:
Admission fees are paid in advance. The ticket is valid only for one visit to the premises, the visitor is obliged to keep the ticket throughout the tour and present it on request. Purchased tickets shall not be refunded by the ticket office. The ticket office is closed 30 minutes before the end of the opening hours. The New Town Hall reserves the right to terminate ticket sales in the event of overcrowding or for any other serious reason.
What we offer to visitors to the tower from spring to autumn:
General information to the tour of the Tower historical monument.
Lift is not available. The top of the Tower can be reached from the 3rd floor by way of a wooden staircase with handrails, which are a historical monument and therefore do not have a normative safety standard.
Those who should decide to go on up to the top are responsible for their own actions, including the risks involved. They are obliged to go up the stairs slowly, hold on to the railing and behave with consideration for other visitors. For safety reasons, the climb to the top is only allowed for groups of up to 20 people.
The object is secured by a camera system with a recording.
The following persons shall be denied entry to the premises:
During the visit, it is forbidden to: