Prague City Museum archaeologists pinpoint historical gallows site on Wenceslas Square
Researchers analyzed a preserved 40-centimeter post foundation to confirm the exact location of Prague's early modern execution site.
Archaeologists from the Prague City Museum have identified the exact location of the historical gallows on Wenceslas Square, as reported by Novinky.cz 
novinky.czNovinky.cznovinky.czOpen source ↗. Structural remains of a massive wooden post were uncovered in the area between the Wiehl House and the adjacent Hvězda Palace. The findings confirm spatial details depicted on Aegidius Sadeler's 1606 prospect of Prague, where the structure stood in the central flat part of the former Horse Market near the incline toward the Mountain Gate novinky.czNovinky.cznovinky.czOpen source ↗.
Over the past two years, researchers examined the artifact using structural and stratigraphic analyses to verify its function. The technical dimensions of the post and its foundation depth confirmed that the timber served as an anchor point for the gallows framing novinky.czNovinky.cznovinky.czOpen source ↗. Historical records indicate that the execution site was operational as early as the late 15th century and underwent multiple rebuilds in subsequent centuries novinky.czNovinky.cznovinky.czOpen source ↗.
Structural analysis and timber preservation
The surviving artifact consists of the torso of the post base, which had an original diameter of approximately 40 centimeters novinky.czNovinky.cznovinky.czOpen source ↗. Further sections of the timber were degraded by utility trenching in 1912 and 1913, alongside subsequent chemical soil reactions induced by the corrosion of an adjacent cast-iron pipe novinky.czNovinky.cznovinky.czOpen source ↗. Due to the advanced degradation of the organic material, dendrochronological dating could not conclusively establish the felling date of the tree novinky.czNovinky.cznovinky.czOpen source ↗.
Stratigraphic recovery and infrastructure coordination
Excavations at the former market site revealed multi-meter strata of craft and urban refuse spanning back to the reign of Charles IV novinky.czNovinky.cznovinky.czOpen source ↗. Archaeologists are using specialized mesh screening equipment to extract micro-artifacts, including glass fragments, forge scale, fish bones, and plant remains novinky.czNovinky.cznovinky.czOpen source ↗. The ongoing fieldwork is coordinated directly with the construction schedule of a new tram line to ensure that infrastructure delivery timelines are not impacted novinky.czNovinky.cznovinky.czOpen source ↗. Extracted artifacts are currently undergoing conservation before entering museum storage.
