Wallenstein Square

Wallenstein Square, formerly Masaryk or Gottwald Square, is the heart of the Jičín urban conservation zone. The one-hectare rectangular square is surrounded by houses with arcades from all sides, which is utterly unique. The renaissance Valdice Tower, Wallenstein Palace and the baroque church of St. James the Greater all dominate the square.

The middle of the square is ornamented with a Marian Column, the Fountain with a Statue of Amphitrite, and the Coronation Fountain (not a fountain per se). The Coronation Fountain was built in 1836, when Emperor Ferdinand I passed through Jičín on his way to his coronation in Prague as the Czech king.  Some of the houses on the perimeter of the square have interesting histories behind them – No. 2 used to be the regent’s house, No. 33 was at one point the new town hall, No. 57 and 99 used to be butcher’s shops, the inconspicuous No. 64 is the former Wallenstein mint, and No. 73 hosted a renaissance brewery, later reconstructed to the baroque palace of Maximillian von Wallenstein.

The square witnessed many historical events in the 20th century. The local citizens celebrated the birth of the First Republic, the end of the Second World War, and, in November 1989, they demonstrated against the communist regime. Every Saturday morning offers markets on the square.