Joining the Charles Bridge to the Old Town and forming an antechamber to the splendours of Malá Strana and the Castle, on the other bank of the river, this small and no less superb square sums up Prague single-handedly: it is flanked by two of the finest Baroque churches in the city; the area around the bridge is defended by its Gothic tower; its central point is a statue of Charles IV. Unfortunately the square suffers from its role as a thoroughfare.