Malá Strana (Czech for "Little Side (of the River)", ) or historically Menší Město pražské () is a district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic, and one of its most historic neighbourhoods.
In the Middle Ages, it was a dominant center of the ethnic German (and since 16th century also Italian) citizens of Prague. It also housed many noble palaces while the right-bank towns were comparatively more bourgeois and more Bohemian Czech.
Name
The name Malá Strana literally means "Little Side", though it is frequently referred to as "Lesser Town", "Lesser Quarter", or "Lesser Side". It is on the left (west) bank of the river Vltava, on the slopes just below Prague Castle. The name distinguishes it from the larger districts of Prague on the right bank, with which it is linked by the Charles Bridge.
Originally, when it was founded in 1257, the district was called the New Town beneath Prague Castle (). When Charles IV founded the New Town of Prague in 1348, Malá Strana was renamed the Lesser Town of Prague (). In the 17th century, the unofficial name Little Quarter () was used.
History
thumb|View of Malá Strana from St. Nicholas Church
Malá Strana was founded by the King Ottokar II of Bohemia in 1257. was the center of the town. This square is divided into the upper and lower parts with the St. Nicholas Church in the middle.