Maltese Square

Maltese Square, or Maltézské náměstí, is famous for housing the Knights of Malta and the Church of Our Lady Under the Chain, as well as a statue of St. John the Baptist which was erected in thanksgiving after the end of a plague in 1715. Located in charming Lesser Town, the church was originally the Church at Bridge's End, since it was located near the end of the former Judith Bridge, which was destroyed by flood and later replaced by the famed Charles Bridge. The Knights of Malta are famous not only for being the namesake of the square and for their many good works, but also for being the proud owners of the wall covered in graffiti which has become the world-famous Lennon Wall. Used since the 1970s as a venue for young people to vent their political frustrations, the wall was always repainted by police wishing to suppress the student movement, but the next morning the wall was found to be covered in flowers, messages of peace and once by a large mural of John Lennon's face. Since then, the wall has been continuously used by locals and visitors to convey various messages, and the Knights of Malta have generously not repainted. Many interesting buildings line the square, such as the Rococo Palace of the Turbes, and the Nostic Palace, now the seat of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

Maltézské Náměstí, Prague 1