Since the very beginning of its existence there have been three entrances into the
Prague Castle. The main road came from the west, through the outer ward, which served as an agricultural background. In 1320 the castle burgrave Berka z Dubé established the third Prague town, called Hradčany, in its place.
It was a small town, very small, perhaps a stone's throw from one end to the other. Besides the rectangular square-marketplace, in the east adjacent to the castle moat and bulwark, it was made up of two short westward streets. It neither became a town with a significant burgher representation nor did its square fulfil the function of abusy trade centre. The houses surrounding it burned down in 1420 during the fights between Hussites and emperor Sikmunďs army, in 1541 they were again turned to ashes during the great fire of Lesser Town, Prague Castle and Hradčany. Afterwards most of the building plots were bought by rich aristocrats and church dignitaries, who gradually replaced the burned-out burgher houses by spectacular palaces.
It was crucial for the most powerful Czech aristocracy to have a residence in Prague in the immediate proximity of the Prague Castle - the more visible and dose at hand they were to the ruler the greater a chance there was of lucrative posts and benefice. In the course of the 17th and 18th centuries the square acquired a predominant ly Baroque character, the palaces with lavishly structured and deeorated facades tried to create a dignified eounterpart to the Castle, with which they visually merged into one unit after the Theresian reconstruction in 1753-1775. Today we can find buildings here from the Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Classicism periods. Closest to the Castle complex there is the Archiepiscopal Palace, which was purchased by king Ferdinand I in 1562 for the reestablished Prague Archiepiscopal. The building later went through several reconstructions. Its present-day appearance was most notably influenced by Rococo, or, to be more exact, by the architect Jan Josef Wirch, who designed of the profusely decorated facade from 1764-65 with sculptures by an influential late Baroque sculptor, Ignác František Platzer. The Tuscan Palace is a monumental Baroque building, exactly opposite
Prague Castle, closing up the whole western side of the square. It is a two-storied building with a long facade and two entrance portals, having all the hallmarks of buildings by Jean Baptiste Mathey of Burgundy. It was built in 1689-1691 as per order of eount Thun, since 1718 it belonged to Tuscan dukes and since 1848 it was a personal property of Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I. In its proximity there is an interesting Renaissance Martinic Palace from the 16th-17th centuries, whose facade is deorated with valuable figural graffito. One of its owners was Jaroslav Bořita of Martinice, one of the two Catholic proeonsuls thrown out of the Prague Castle Czech Chancellery window in 1618. The emperor rewarded his loyalty with a magravial title, numerous estates and prestigious posts. In return Bořita zealously involved himself in persecution of nonCatholics and confiscation of their property.
It was a small town, very small, perhaps a stone's throw from one end to the other. Besides the rectangular square-marketplace, in the east adjacent to the castle moat and bulwark, it was made up of two short westward streets. It neither became a town with a significant burgher representation nor did its square fulfil the function of abusy trade centre. The houses surrounding it burned down in 1420 during the fights between Hussites and emperor Sikmunďs army, in 1541 they were again turned to ashes during the great fire of Lesser Town, Prague Castle and Hradčany. Afterwards most of the building plots were bought by rich aristocrats and church dignitaries, who gradually replaced the burned-out burgher houses by spectacular palaces. 
