St Nicholas Residence

The tower stands apart from the nearby church, and the caretaker’s old living quarters are still preserved inside. The stairs are narrow and steep, but they take you up to the bells and little lookout windows facing Pražský hrad and Malá Strana. This is an 18th-century Baroque bell tower. ※ Entry is included with the Prague Visitor Pass.

I wandered in by mistake while looking for St. Nicholas Church, and I'm glad I did. The city view from the top of the dome was wonderful. There are a few small historical rooms on the way up, but I didn't find them very interesting. It costs 100 CZK to climb, which felt worth it to me, although Prague Castle has the same view for free. Up to you.

The view over Malá Strana, the Vltava, and Prague Castle ridge is the payoff for the climb. Along the way, you can see traces of the tower's different roles: the warden's small flat with its cot and stove, where families once lived while watching for fires, and the bell chamber, where four bells rang for religious and civic alarms. The decorated St. Nicholas bell from 1576, made by Brikcí of Cimperk, is still there. Later, from 1964 to 1989, the “Kajka” base used the tower to watch embassy traffic during the Cold War. It feels like a record of Prague's civic life as much as a lookout.

The views are amazing, and the displays explain each part of the tower. They cover the flats where bell tower staff lived, what's left from the 1925 fire, and the spot where StB agents watched the nearby embassies, among other things. I did think the student entry price of 160 crowns was a little steep, but it was worth it.