Malá Strana was originally a popular and nowadays also the official name for one of Prague's historical and oldest boroughs. Its name comes from its position on the left (west) bank of the river Vltava, on the slopes just below the Prague Castle, in opposition to the larger towns of Prague on the right bank, to which it is conjoined by the Charles Bridge.

In the Middle Ages, it was a dominant centre of the ethnic German civilians of Prague. It also housed a large number of noble palaces while the right-bank towns were comparatively more bourgeois and more Bohemian Czech.The famous Czech novelist Jan Neruda was born, lived in and wrote about Malá Strana; Nerudova street is named after him. The Petrín lookout tower is located in Malá Strana.

The famous statue of the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague is located in the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Malá Strana, Prague. The devotion and the church drew millions of Roman Catholic faithful to Malá Strana throughout the years. Without any exaggeration, Mala Strana really reserves such a characterization. Even thought baroque architecture dominates on Mala Strana, its history dates back far before the baroque era.

It happened because this style was very successfully implanted on Mala Strana after fires devastated it in 1541. It made very deep roots for this. Very long before, Mala Strana was called Male Mesto Prazske (Lesser Town of Prague). Male Mesto Prazske appeared in 1257 as a result of joining a few settlements underneath the Prague Castle, in a whole administrative unity. It was done during the power of Przhemysle Otakar II. The newly founded town got the permission to be a royal town, and many more privileges.

The residents were mostly German craftsmen, invited by a King. Even though the city was royal, the King did not master the city as a whole. By the middle of the century the city was renamed into Mala Strana. The market place, now known as Malostranca Namesti was a center of the town. Initially this marketplace was divided on the upper and lower parts with a St Nicholas Church on the border. An St Nicholas Cathedral replaced the Church. As in entire Prague, the traces of Charles Fourth developments are seen in Mala Strana. In 1541 Charles City was damaged by fires, and devastating wars.

Mala Strana was mostly destroyed. The most extensive and unforgettable building of Baroque Era on Mala Strana, is a Albrekht Valdstein palace. The man, in honor of him the palace is set, was a military general in-chief. Under his order 26 new houses and old gates were built on the freed place. The extensive palace complex with five courtyards and the garden is set as a French Park. The Churches are the most frequent and interesting developments on Mala Strana.

The finest and the most prominent is the St Macula’s Church. This is a masterpiece of Christopher and Kiliand DIzenhoffer, father and son. The finest painting inside the church is that of St Nicholas, the defender of children and seamen. This painting is set in the dome of the church.