Staré Město & Josefov

Staré Město (Old Town) is the oldest part of Praha on the right bank of the Vltava River. Historically the Czech part of Prague, Staré Město was originally formed out of settlements surrounding a marketplace in the 9th century. Staré Město's boundaries are where the city walls and moat used to exist, which are the roads Revoluční, Na Příkopě, and Národní, as well as the Vltava River. Much like in Malá Strana, working class locals are all but absent from the apartments here, as gentrification is in full swing in these parts of Praha. So, I would suggest that new construction, or apartment renovations, that are done in Staré Město or Josefov be required to include some subsidized units. The area is very walkable and transit friendly, but biking in this part of the city is all but impossible, so I would also add some asphalt bike lanes on some streets. Much like in Hradčany there is no street grid at all, and most streets are short and very narrow. A lot of Prague's tourist attractions are in Staré Město, such as the Church of Our Lady before Týn, Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, the Old Town Hall, and the Prague Astronomical Clock (Pražský Orloj). Businesses are not very varied, with most catering to tourists, and consisting of gift shops, travel agency windows, and restaurants, which means that residents who want, say, milk and eggs, must leave the neighborhood to get such simple commodities. The neighborhood is served by many transit options, including Metro Line A, many tram routes, and a few infrequent and frequent (Metrobus) bus routes. Josefov, the former Jewish area of the city, is an enclave in the northwestern part of Old Town. Today, the area is basically an extension of Old Town, with very few Jewish people still residing in the neighborhood. Most businesses in Josefov are luxury clothing stores, which means that Josefov, along with Anděl and Vinohrady, is one of the main shopping districts in Praha. Some historical landmarks are in the neighborhood as well, such as the Old New Synagogue. Housing stock in both areas used to be quite run down, but most buildings have now been covered in bright, new stucco and have been renovated.