This former livestock market covers 8.5ha. It is one of the three public spaces laid out in the mid-14c as the vital centres of the grand New Town (Nové Mesto) planned by Charles IV. It was here that the city's inhabitants gathered to listen to imperial proclamations or to contemplate holy relics displayed once a year. Transformed into a park in the 19C, the square is now an oasis of greenery. Around it are buildings of different styles ranging from medieval to contemporary.