The house known as “U věže”, where Franz Kafka, a Prague writer of Jewish descent, was born on July 3, 1883, was located at the intersection of Maiselova Street and U Radnice Street, in close proximity to St. Nicholas Church. Kafka lived there with his parents for the first two years of his life. In 1897, the building of the former Benedictine prelature was demolished during urban renewal; only the stone Baroque portal survived, which was incorporated into the current four-story Neo-Baroque building designed by architect Osvald Polívka in 1902. Since 1966, Kafka has been commemorated by a memorial plaque designed by architect Jan Kaplický and a bronze bust created by academic sculptor Karel Hladík. In 2000, the square in front of the house was renamed Franz Kafka Square in honor of the writer.