The Castle Quarter ( 4 photos) and other Prague, Czech Republic Things to Do Tips

The Castle Quarter occupies a large hill overlooking the remainder of Prague, with its buildings dominating the city skyline. Orginally selected by the first Bohemian ruler, Borivoj Premyslovec in the middle of the 10th century, it has been the seat of Czech rule ever since and at the time the largest inhabited fortress in the world. It contains many of the greatest attractions for the visitor.

The Castle complex is the center of Czech historic tradition. Besides being the center of government, the Castle houses the crown jewels and relics of Christian saints and Bohemian rulers, art treasures and historical documents. Over the centuries, there is a long history of disrepair and destruction related to wars followed by periods of reconstruction, often in newer architectural styles. The last great rebuilding began in the latter half of the 18th Century and was not in large part finished till the mid-20th, with repair work continuing to this day.

Tour groups fill the Castle Area, large ones. Yet this section of Prague can be visited independently. We took the metro to Malostranska and switched to the 22 tram exiting Prazsky Hrad directly across the street. Had we gotten off the tram one stop earlier, we could have walked all the way through the gardens, but we went in from this entrance instead for a brief stop. When leaving, there is a very steep flight of stairs lined by schlock vendors back down to the metro or the option to walk down the hill to the Little Quarter.

The images clearly show the dominant position of the Castle complex which shouldn't be missed even on a short trip to Prague.

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Address: Prazsky hrad
Website: http://old.hrad.cz/

Entering from the tram, the Royal Gardens are the first part of the Castle Quarter visited. It was originally laid out by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Habsburg in 1534 from an area of vineyards and filled with exotic plants and rare specimens. Tulips were first grown here in 1554, a gift of the Turkish government, long before their popularity spread to Holland. Over the years, it has been damaged by multiple wars and incursions and rebuilt several times with different styles. Its last major reconstruction and repair ended in 2002, when Czech president Masaryk opened them to the public. Currently it is largely an English-style garden since the end of the 19th Century with lush lawns and manicured flower beds. The gardens include the royal summer palace and numerous fountains and statues.

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Address: Prazsky hrad
Website: http://old.hrad.cz/

The first palace on this site was a wooden structure built in the 9th Century, replaced by a Romanesque stone palace in the 12th. The 14th Century saw major additions and reconstructions by Kings Charles IV and his son Wenceslav IV. During the Hussite wars of the 15th Century the palace was not in use. In 1483, the final great reconstruction was undertaken by King Vladislav Jagiello. The Catholic Hapsburgs used the palace for coronations and political conferences after their ascension. Reconstructions ocurred after a major 16th century fire and again in the 20th Century. The palace faces and dominates the skyline of Prague and offers remarkable photo-ops, particularly at night. Each of the major additions mentioned above will be described in detail on this and the next pages.

Vladislav Hall ( images 1 and 2), the huge magnificent central room of the palace, was constructed by King Vladislav beginning in 1483 from plans by Benedikt Ried. His unique architectural contribution was the double-vaulting of the ceiling leading to the flower motif and giving better support to the roof of the room. It was used for banquets, coronations, assemblies, and periodically for markets. Given the size, in bad weather, it was even used for jousting. One staircase, now the exit, was built wide and tall enought for mounted knights and their horses to gain entrance (The Riders' Staircase. More recently, presidential elections have been conducted here.

Ludvik Wing (images 3 and 4), named after Vladislav's son, was also from plans drawn by B. Ried. This perpendicular 2 room addition is most famous as the site of the second Defenestration (throwing someone from a window), one of the prime incidents to begin the Thirty Years' War. The wing held the offices of the Bohemian chancellery and in 1618 two governers and a secretary were pitched out the window. Legend states that they landed in a wagon filled with manure and suffered only broken limbs. The images include the famous windows and an original stove.

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Address: Prazsky hrad
Website: http://old.hrad.cz/

All Saint's Chapel - connected to the east side of Vladislav Hall is the beautiful All Saint's Chapel. Originally constructed in the 14th Century by Parler (of Charles Bridge fame) it burned to the ground in 1541 and was totally reconstructed. This is a lovely chapel, with an impressive organ and altar as well as a large throne (all imaged). However, both before and after visiting, research on their provenance is unrevealing.

Before leaving the Royal Palace, pause at the exit to appreciate the remarkable views of Prague at your feet, obtained without climbing lots of stairs (images 4 and 5).

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Address: Prazsky hrad
Website: http://old.hrad.cz/

The first RC church on this site was built in 925 by Wenceslas I, duke of Bohemia, consecrated to St. Vitus, because he had a holy relic - the Saint's arm. As Prague became a more important Catholic center, the church grew as well. In 1344, King Charles IV began construction of a full-size Gothic cathedral as a coronation site, burial place for royalty, and shrine for patron saint Wenceslas. Little did he guess that almost 600 years would pass before completion. The Hussite wars stopped construction which began again only in the late 19th Century. A society formed in 1844 started the reconstruction and completion, completed for the 1000 anniversary of St. Wenceslas in 1923.

The Golden Portal and adjacent South Steeple are from plans by the ubiquitous Peter Parler, most famed for the Charles Bridge, but not finished for 200 years after his death. However, visitors enter from the west through a bronze door featuring scenes from the lives of St. Wenceslas and also a St. Adalbert. Adjacent this entrance are statues of men in suits - the architects of the 19th and 20th century construction. The back (east) facade features flying buttresses most famous at Paris' Notre Dame. The church is surrounded by the courtyards of the palace on 3 sides and faces out over the gardens to the north side.

The Rose Window on the first image overlooks the entrance and depicts the biblical story of creation. It was added between 1925-7.

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Address: Prazsky hrad
Website: http://old.hrad.cz/

St. Vitus is an example of Gothic architecture. This form was most popular between the 12th and 15th Centuries, and typically associated with churches. It is characterized by stone structures with lots of glass, pointed spires and arches, ribbed ceilings, and flyiing buttresses. There are extensive sculptural details, often bizarre such as the use of gargoyles The massive splendor of this cathedral is hard to describe in words. There are several interior features of special note --

The stained glass windows along the north wall are the 20th Century work of Alfons Mucha, the famous Czech Art Nouveau painter. The most famous, 3rd on the left, features at the top Sts. Cyril and Methodius who introduced Christianity to Bohemia and lower down St. Wenceslas and his mother St. Ludmila who made Christianity the major Bohemian faith. The colors are vibrant. Mucha's classic color scheme apparently included blue for the past, gold for the mythic, and red for the future. (Image 2). The other windows are equally beautiful.

Also of note are the ceiling vaults which are double diagonal ribs, Parler"s contribution to modernized Gothic architecture. Besides being attractive, the crossed ribs give strength to support the roof.

Not only is St. Wenceslas chapel beautiful and striking - his remains rest here. Also interred in the main part of the church are the remains of Charles IV and the Habsburg Rudolf II. The organ and altarpiece are similarly beautiful.

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Address: Prazsky hrad
Website: http://old.hrad.cz/

This particularly lovely church is a well-preserved example of Romanesque architecture, popular in the 11th and 12th Centuries, and based on the architecture of ancient Rome. Basic features include thick piers to support stone arches, with relatively narrow windows, and rounded arches. Originally built by Prince Vratislav in 921, it has been enlarged and reconstructed over the years, with the Romanesque interior dating to a major fire in the 12th Century. The rusty red facade is Baroque in style, dating from the late 17th Century. A typical feature of Baroque exteriors is the dominance of the central portion of the facade. The towers are slightly asymmetric, indicating the male-female pattern frequently seen. Wiothing the church, besides extensive frescoes and statues, are the tombs of Prince Vratislav and several other Premyslid rulers, Saint Ludmilla (the widow of the early ruler Prince Borislov) who was instrumental in bringing Christianity to Bohemia and the grandmother of St. Wenceslas.

Image 2 is from the chapel of St. John of Nepomuk, so prominently featured on the Charles Bridge.
Image 4 is the final resting place for the remains of St. Ludmilla.

The church has been deconsecrated and is now used for concerts.

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Address: Prazsky hrad
Website: http://old.hrad.cz/

This small street at the end of the Castle visit has passed through several phases.
It was first constructed for the castle guards in the 16th century by Rudolf II, known as archery lane.
Goldsmiths moved into the area in the 17th Century so the street was renamed. In the 19th Century many houses were destroyed as unfit for habitation. The remainder comprised a persistent slum. The area was cleaned up after the street was nationalized in the middle of the 20th century and beginning in 1952 the houses were repainted in bright pastel colors.
Today Golden Lane is a tourist trap with an admission fee. There is a tacky muiseum of old-time armaments and a large number of souvenier stores - these are not overpriced relative the rest of Prague but are quite small and have limited selection. Franz Kafka lived at #22 for a year between 1916-17.

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Address: Prazsky hrad
Website: http://old.hrad.cz/

The Municipal Hall is located at Nam Republicky near the Powder Tower, a staging area for many guided tours, and therefore worth examining while waiting. The Art Nouveau styling was most popular around the beginning of the 20th Century, more a concept than an architectural style. It emphasized free-flowing and often asymmetric lines based on plants and apparently the female silhouette, loose and natural rather than rigid. This building is on the site of a former Royal Palace and was constructed between 1905-11. The arched windows, outer gold trimmings, and central gold mosaic are quite striking. Inside is the largest concert hall in Prague as well as paintings by many Czech artists, the best known Alfons Mucha. At the front is the famous French Restaurant, upscale and expensive, with detailed prix fixe menus up to $90 US pp.

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Address: Obecni dum, Namesti Republiky
Directions: Namesti Republiky metro station.
Website: http://www.obecni-dum.cz/

This bronze sculpture of a skull atop a crouching man is found near Golden Lane. There is very little information about the provenance - an internet reference states that it may be by Jaroslav Rona. This is a very popular site for photographs by tourists and is a striking piece of work for sure.

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Address: Prazsky hrad
Website: http://old.hrad.cz/