The story of this place
Tucked behind Prague Castle, Nový Svět — 'New World' — is a curving cobbled lane of low pastel cottages that once housed the castle's poorest servants, each dwelling marked not by numbers but by names like 'The Golden Pear' or 'The Golden Griffin'. In the late 16th century the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, summoned to Emperor Rudolf II's court, lived on this street, and the young Johannes Kepler visited him here as they wrestled with the orbit of Mars. Spared the demolitions that reshaped much of the city, the lane keeps a village hush minutes from the crowds. Later it drew artists and eccentrics, and its house 'U Raka' remains one of Prague's most photographed corners.