Wenceslas Square

Named after the patron saint of Bohemia, this boulevard has been the site of pivotal political demonstrations such as the Prague Uprising and the Velvet Revolution. In 1968, student Jan Palach set himself on fire to protest the USSR’s invasion of Czechoslovakia (the second picture captures a memorial to the site where he torched himself). Today Wenceslas Square is home to some high street brands, countless shops selling tourist gimmicks, two Starbucks outlets and the largest Bata store in the world. If you don’t look hard enough you might just miss out on the signs that hint at its colourful history.