St. Nicholas Church Bell Tower: From Watchtower to Cold War Spy Post

When I visited the St. Nicholas Church Bell Tower in Lesser Town, I didn’t expect it to be such a fascinating mix of history and great views. From the outside, it looks like part of the church, but it’s always been a separate tower and you need to buy a separate ticket to view it.

Climbing the 215 steps to the top was a bit of a workout, but the view over the rooftops and the Prague Castle made it worth every step. I also loved learning more about the life as a tower keeper, looking around the old living quarters. But the biggest surprise was to see the top room, that was once used during the Cold War for listening and spying on people and nearby foreign embassies.

At of course, at the top of the bell tower, you will be amazed by the beautiful view of the rooftops and towers of Malá Strana and the Charles Bridge.

My favourite reasons for visiting the St. Nicholas Tower

I’ve visited most of the Prague towers and I think that the St. Nicholas Tower is one of the best one to see. You get to see how the tower looked like in the olden times with the recreations of the two flats for the tower keeper, but you also get to see the modern observation post level on the top, which is pretty special.

I also really like that you get to see the St.Nicholas Church copula from very close distance and you practically are on the same level as the Prague Castle. Where other towers, such as the Lesser Town Tower or the Powder Tower are practically empty inside, there is a lot to see both inside and outside the tower, so it’s a great value for money.

I’ve also noticed, that there were not as many people here as on the main towers, like the Petrin Tower or Town Hall Tower, so you can take your time to have a look around.

My local tip

If you are traveling to Prague on a budget, you might like to know that you can get 50% off the ticket price if you visit the tower in the first hour after opening time. This offer is also valid on all the other towers, such as the Powder Tower, Old Town Bridge Tower or the New Mill Tower.

Best time to visit

The sun sets behind the Strahov Monastery which is on the high hill above the tower. In the afternoon and early evening the hill casts a long shadows, so I think, the best time to visit is the morning and early afternoon. I visited in mid autumn and it was nice to get some hazy sun in the afternoon.

What can you see from the top of the tower

The view from the top of the tower is pretty special. On one side you will be very close to the Prague Castle and the St.Nicholas Church next door (both make the most amazing backdrops to portrait photography.

Then you’ll be able to see the whole Lesser Town Square bellow you and I could easily work out the street that leads to Charles Bridge and the bridge itself in the distance. Unfortunately you are too far to get a good view of the bridge (for this the Lesser Town Tower at the beginning of the bridge is best).

You’ll also get a great view towards the Helichova Street, American Embassy and Petrin Hill on the top. What I’ve also loved, is not just the view but the sound that you can hear from the tower as you are walking up and then from the inside of the observation room. It’s like a faint sound of people talking, trams arriving and cars stopping, but for some reason is also feels very amplified inside the tower – it really is a strange, but amazing experience to have.

History of St. Nicholas Church Bell Tower

The tower was designed and built by the well regarded Baroque architect Kilián Ignác Dienzenhofer. His student and son-in-law, Carlo Lurago also worked on the design. The tower was structurally completed as early as 1752, although the official completion date is recorded as 1755.

Two years later, the building was sadly damaged during the Prussian siege of Prague.

The height of the tower is the same as the church dome next door; the gallery is located 65 meters high and is accessible via 215 steps. Although it may seem at first glance that the tower belongs to St. Nicholas Church, it never belonged to the church but has always been part of the municipal property of Malá Strana. The tower was used as a fire lookout and the residence of the night watchman.

From the 1960s until about 1989, the building’s purpose changed and was used as a State Security observation post for monitoring the Western embassies near the tower.

Because of it’s secret purpose, the tower was never opened to the public until after a full reconstruction and re-opening in 2019.

What to see inside the tower

The Former Tower Keeper’s Apartment with a Black Kitchen

This part of the exhibition has the former tower keeper’s apartment with a black kitchen, where you can see the living arrangements of a municipal employee, who could live here with his entire family during his service.

It is a very modestly designed living space and a good example of the living standards of the lower classes in Prague during the second half of the 18th century. It was not particularly comfortable accommodation; the residents often complained about the cold or difficulties with heating.

The black kitchen was a standard space for cooking and heating in all types of residential buildings of the time. It consisted of a simple smoke vent through which the smoke escaped (an arch with a wooden beam called a “mandrholec”), a cooking platform, and the stoking and smoke openings of the stove. The basic equipment included cooking utensils, a water container, tools for tending the fires, and lighting.

StB observation Room

The top room gives you an idea what the observation room looked like during the cold war. The State Security (StB) observation post was called Kajka and operated here from 1952 to 1989.

The Kajka observation post was one of more than 70 StB stations that were spread throughout Prague. The agents’ main task at this location was to monitor the movements and activities at the US embassy and those of other allies—Japan, Great Britain, and Germany. The Kajka observation post was also nicknamed “Dědkostroj” or “Dědkárna” (“Old Men’s Machine” or “Old Men’s Home”) because the duties here were carried out mostly by retired StB agents, pensioners.

The duty here lasted a full 24 hours and was reportedly considered a reward. From the tower, it was even possible to see into the apartment of director Zdeněk Podskalský and Jiřina Jirásková (Czech film director and actor).

A Corridor with No Records

During reconstruction in 2018, workers discovered a previously walled-up corridor with a staircase leading to the underground beneath the tower. There are no available records about this mysterious corridor. Due to it being filled with rubble, no one yet knows how far it leads or what it might conceal. The age of the corridor is estimated to be from the mid-18th century, which is when the bell tower itself was built. The corridor is made of masonry, just like the entire tower.

During the exploration of the underground fill, a large number of stone elements from the time of the tower’s major repair in 1880–1881 were found. Among the rubble, various everyday items from the lives of the tower keepers (dishes, footwear, stove tiles, etc.) were recovered. Part of the staircase to the underground, intended as an access to the crypt, was demolished to make way for a sewer tunnel during the major reconstruction.

Practical Information for visiting St. Nicholas Bell Tower

Location

Malostranske Namesti 29, Prague 1

Opening Times

Monday – Sunday 10 am – 6 pm (January, February, March, October, November).

Monday – Sunday 10 – 7 pm (April, May, December)

Monday – Sunday 9 am – 20.30 pm (June, July, August, September)

Tickets

Adults 200 CZK, Students 16-26 years, 160 CZ, Seniors 65+ 130 CZK (10% discount if you have monthly or annual Prague public transport travel card).

This blog post was originally written on 1 September 2025 and last updated on 1 September 2025