Tyn Church and Ungelt

INFORMATION & DETAILS

The today’s Church of Our Lady before the Tyn was founded in the second half of the 14th century. The church became protestant during the religious wars; therefore it was not completely finished until 1511. After the battle of the White Mountain in 1620, Protestantism was banned and the church became Catholic. The main alter is the work of the famous Czech Baroque painter Karel Škréta, apart from the main alter, you would find there nineteen others. Also many important people were buried in the church; among the most famous is the Danish astronomer Tycho de Brahe. Another popular grave is that of a Jewish boy Simon Abeles, who was killed by his own father because he converted to Christianity. The Ungelt (in Czech Tyn) lies directly behind the church. It was founded in the 12th century to protect the foreign merchants who passed through Prague together with their goods. The payment for protection later transformed into a custom duty, in old German Ungelt. In the 16th century Prague stopped to be the European centre of trade and the merchants stated to depart the city. However, until nowadays the Ungelt is famous as a quiet island inside the centre of Prague where you would find many art shops and galleries.

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