Petrské náměstí is in the Nové Město district. It is a relatively small square that forms the natural centre of this northern part of Prague’s historical core. It has only proudly borne its present name since 1894, based on the Church of St. Peter located not far from the square in Petrská Street. The area was originally called “U sv. Petra” and was considerably larger. Leading to the square are a number of streets: Petrská, Zlatnická, Truhlářská, Soukenická, Barvířská and Lodecká. In the early 21st Century, the square was reconstructed, turning the parking lot in the middle into a luxurious pedestrian zone with benches. Five beautiful plane trees were also newly planted on the square.
The former Petrská quartier along with the now almost non-existent Na Františku quartier is considered an important source of inspiration for the mysterious Stínadla from the novels of Jaroslav Foglar. You will also find 2 of 3 former schools in the area (Truhlářská, Klimentská and Lodecká were torn down). There is a luxurious functionalist building on Petrské náměstí built in the years 1938-41, with a passage to Klimentská Street. It used to be the site of the stunning renaissance house “U Čapků”, which was demolished in 1935. The new building which replaced the old one has an elegant interior design. Even the entrance foyer before the right-angled staircase has an interesting layout. Other architectural masterpieces are the functionalist buildings by Prague-based Jewish architects Mühlstein, Fürth, Zelenka and Ehrmann. The newly constructed Špačkův dům (Prague Byznys Centre) and of course the parish of St. Peter will attract your attention with its luxurious façade designed by Czech architect Antonín Wiehl.
Contemporary architecture is represented by the luxurious Dam residential building, designed by Petr Burian and his colleagues from the DaM architectural studio. In 2011 they won the National Architecture Award in the Grand Prix for its design.