If you go from the Old Town Square in Prague along the Old Town City Hall straight ahead, you will arrive at the Little Square. It is surrounded with many houses of medieval origin with Gothic or Romanesque basements, that were given Baroque or Classicist facade. There used to be pharmacies in the Little Square in the past and also fruit markets took place there in the middle ages.
A fountain is situated in the middle of the Little Square. It has a Renaissance grille from the 16 th century. There is a gilded Bohemian lion at the top of the grille.
Rott House with a decorative facade
The Rott House (No.142) is probably the best-known building in the Little Square. There is a Romanesque basement inside and the facade is decorated with paintings, made by Mikolas Ales in the 19 th century. They depict crafts and agriculture. The Rott company, the most renowned Czech ironmonger´s, was situated in the house for several decades. The house used to be called “At the Three White Roses” in the past. It is said, that it was called after three sisters, who lived there. They reportedly longed for wealth very much, until one day they were robbed and impoverished by a foreigner and they died in poverty.
Other interesting houses at the Little Square
The house “At the White Lion” (No.143) was rebuilt in Rococo style, but it has a Gothic portal from the 14 th century.
There is a late-Gothic room with a star vault in the house “At the Angel” (No.144), where the court pharmacist of emperor Charles IV. worked in the 14 th century. There were pharmacies also in the houses number 455, 456, 458 and 459.
Several other houses with Classicist facades have various remnants of the original medieval buildings inside: for example the house “At the Three Swords” (No.6, from the 13 th century), “At the Three Lime Trees” (No.7) and “At the Yellow Statue” (No.8). Romanesque spaces are preserved in the house “At the Flails” (No.10).
The legendary executioner Jan Mydlar, who beheaded the 27 leaders of the Estates Rebellion in Prague in 1621, allegedly lived in the Gothic house “At the Green Frog” (No.13).
