Vysehrad Casemates and other Prague, Czech Republic Off The Beaten Path Tips

Within the northern Cihelna Gate (Brick) gate is a discreet sign pointing to a doorway at the side, very easy to miss unless you are looking for it!

Inside you are greeted by a small exposition and history of the walled defences of Prague and Vysehrad in particular which costs around 10 crowns.

Again, if you don't know about what is hidden under the formidable ramparts of this great fortress, you could leave without realising that you have missed one of the star attractions here.

Every hour the attendant takes you on a guided tour of the casemates running under the walls from both directions of the Brick Gate. This tour costs 20 crowns - both of these costs are covered by the Prague Card

It is like entering another world as the lights are switched on to reveal a tunnel disappearing into the distance. There are over two kilometres of tunnels under Vysehrad and after what seems an age you come out into a large black space pierced by shafts of light from several small openings and you are aware of several dark shapes looming out of the inky blackness.

When the lights are turned on it is truly a revelation because the Gorlice Hall is a large hall of some 330 square metres with a 13 metre ceiling and is used as a repository for six original Charles Bridge statues placed here at regular intervals since 1992:

St. Bernard with Madonna (by M.V.Jäckel, 1709)

St. Augustine and St. Nicolas of Tolentino (by J. B. Kohl, 1708)

St. Adalbert (by F. M. Brokof, 1709)

St. Anne (by M. V. Jäckel, 1707)

St. Ludmila with small Wenceslas (by M.B.Braun, 1720 – 1724)

The Gorlice Hall is a wonderful space, especially when the first time you enter you feel like Indiana Jones stumbling upon some long lost tomb for the first time.

Definitely the highlight of my visit to Vysehrad!

Check out the link below, as for the last few years a theatre company has been playing 'The Tragicall History of Doctor Faustus' by Christopher Marlowe in this space.

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Website: http://www.divadelnispolecnostfaust.cz/faust2-en.htm

Situated in the grounds of Vysehrad Fortress is the beautiful and compelling cemetery and pantheon founded in 1869 and final resting place to some of the Czech Republic's most famous figures...

Access is through two gates at either end of the Church of St Peter and St Paul, with the front entrance being at the front of the church where you will find a map denoting the locations of all the tombs of the most famous people resting within.

Around the western, northern and some of the eastern outer boundary of the cemetery is a sort of cloister which houses some of the most impressive tombs and mausoleums I have seen.

In the central part of the cemetery are individual plots, many of which again are incredibly beautiful and to the east of the cemetery at the end of a wide avenue is the Slavin, or Pantheon - a huge tomb built in 1890 and dedicated to the most honoured figures of the country, such as Alfons Mucha, Josef Myslbek, Bohumil Kafka to name a few...

Watch out also for Antonin Dvorak, Bedrich Smetana and Jan Neruda...

It may sound macabre, but I truly enjoyed visiting this wonderfully peaceful place, rejoicing at is beauty and the feeling of quiet restful solitude I found here - being in Winter also helped as for much of my time here I was the only person.

Check out my Travelogue for more pictures of the cemetery!

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This isn't exactly an 'Off the Beaten Path' tip but not many people may know about it...

Several scenes in Mission Impossible were shot on and around these steps that lead from the Charles Bridge onto picturesque Kampa Island on the western Little Quarter side of the bridge.

In fact the scene where the car explodes in the square near the beginning of the film is also right behind me when I took the picture. You will also find the embassy building at the Lichtenstein Palace on Kampa Island...

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Built at the end of the 11th century and restored 1878, this is the oldest of three well preserved Romanesque Rotundas in Prague that all date from the 11th and 12th centuries.

All are incredibly small churches with naves measuring a mere 6m across.

Situated at the beginning of K Rotunde and near the Leopold Gate, St Martin's is the oldest intact structure at Vysehrad.

St Wencenslas built a similar rotunda on the site of the cathedral of St Vitus before it made way for larger places of worship.

The best example of Romanesque church architecture is St George's, also in Prague Castle.

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I've put this into the Off The Beaten Path as without this tip, there is a very real chance that you might miss this little gem...

If you decide to take the trip up to the top of the Old Town Hall Tower, you will pass a non descript corridor seemingly leading nowhere and unmarked...

Obviously my natural curiosity led me down this route and voila - here I was in an exposition about architecture and public works in Prague, as well as a giant diorama of Prague city centre complete with a lighting system to highlight all the city's main attractions...

Not bad for a piece of 3-D orientation!

The attraction lit in my picture is the Observation Tower on Petrin Hill.

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Right, not exactly off the beaten path as such as it is mere yards from the Charles Bridge, however it is when you consider its range of appeal as an attraction...

Situated just south of the Charles Bridge on a small promontory of land in the former head office of the 19th C. municipal waterworks (I love the way that back in the Victorian era even utilities buildings were built in such grandiose manner!) is this memorial to Bedrich Smetana, the Czech Republic's most famous Classical Composer.

I am a fan of his music, but I'm thinking that unless you are REALLY a fan, you might find this museum a bit of a limiting experience. Even in winter it seemed a bit stale and stuffy and if you're not fluent in Czech you do need to organise a guided tour (Czech/English/German) to get the best out of the place.

Either way, it is part of the Prague Card and being so close to the Charles Bridge the building has a spectacular location with great views of the bridge and castle behind across the Vltava River...

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Phone: 24 22 90 75
Website: http://www.nm.cz/english/mbs/