Cities Within Cities: Prague's New World, Liberec's Liebieg Town, and Brno's Stone Quarter

Tucked away inside Czechia's biggest cities are pocket-sized neighborhoods that seem frozen in time — narrow lanes, quiet courtyards and passageways that feel like separate little worlds within the larger metropolis. We're talking about Prague's New World (Nový Svět), Liberec's Liebieg Town, and Brno's Stone Quarter — spots well worth a visit if you're after a quiet stroll far from the crowds.

Prague's New World sits just a stone's throw from Prague Castle, yet unlike the perpetually packed Kampa, Malá Strana and Hradčany, you'll barely run into another soul here. The quarter dates back to the Middle Ages, when it grew up as a suburb of Hradčany — the first cottages lined the banks of the Brusnice stream, which today gives its name to the street running along its former course. Alongside Brusnice Street, the New World also includes Černínská Street, squeezed between the walls of the Černín Palace garden and a Capuchin monastery, plus the short lanes Na Baště and Kapucínská. The quarter ends at the corner of Kanovnická Street, where a gate once marked the boundary with the rest of Hradčany.

Černínská Street is home to Prague's only surviving wooden log house with a shingle roof — nowadays it houses the Romantik Hotel U Raka. A little further along, the Nový Svět café makes for a pleasant break. But what truly sets this neighborhood apart is its roster of former residents: astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler both lived and worked here, and the house "At the Golden Acorn" belonged in the early 18th century to the Santini family, whose ranks included the celebrated architect Jan Blažej Santini. Later residents included painter Jan Zrzavý, filmmaker and animator Jan Švankmajer, film directors Jindřich Polák and Karel Kachyňa, artist Milan Knížák, glassmaker Bořek Šípek, and graphic artists Jiří Anderle and Vladimír Suchánek.

Liebieg Town in Liberec is widely regarded as one of the city's most beautiful corners — a unique residential complex built for workers at the Johann Liebieg & Co. textile mill. Construction began back in the mid-19th century, but it was young Nuremberg architect Jakob Schmeissner who, in the first decade of the 20th century, gave the quarter its cohesive look, blending historicist and Art Nouveau influences. The settlement is made up of small family homes with compact apartments, centered on Pod Branou Square, named after the gatehouse that closes off its northern side.

This was a genuine "town within a town" — complete with its own kindergarten, school, church, tavern and shops. The complex kept growing until 1929 and remains a prestigious Liberec address to this day. The carved doors on individual houses are especially worth a look, showcasing some remarkably intricate joinery. Send a photo from here to friends and ask them to guess the city — chances are, few will name Liberec right away.

Brno's Stone Quarter, also known as the Stone Colony or Kamenka, occupies an old quarry above the Svratka River. It's a favorite spot for walks, though be warned: the path winds right past other people's doorsteps, yards and windows. The first houses here were built by workers from the Kohn and Illek brickworks during the economic crisis of the 1920s, and a few decades later artists and bohemians began moving in.

Today this distinctive little settlement counts around 130 small houses, threaded together by a web of narrow lanes and passages. Its main street, also called Kamenná čtvrť, winds its way through the whole settlement, while a street with the fittingly plain name Kamenná leads in from the riverside.

Read also: Brno: what to see and where to go

Around Prague, based on reporting by kudyznudy.cz