1 Chrám Svatého Mikuláše (St Nicholas's Church)
2 Josefov
3 Katedrála Svatého Víta (St Vitus's Cathedral)
4 Loreta
5 Pražský Hrad (Prague Castle)
6 Staroměstská Radnice (Old Town Hall)
7 Šternberský Palác (Sternberg Palace)
8 Strahovský Klášter (Strahov Monastery)
9 Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square)
10 Veletržní Palác (Veletrzny Palace)
Dominating Hradčany with majestic assurance, Prague Castle has a history stretching back more than a thousand years and is still the Czech State's administrative centre.
The Castle's château-like appearance dates from 1753-75, when the Empress of Austria, Maria-Theresa, ordered its reconstruction, but the Gothic towers and spires of St Vitus's Cathedral are clues to a much older history. Sieges, burnings, floods and other misfortunes all took their toll on the churches and palaces, culminating in a disastrous fire in 1541 which engulfed the whole of Hradčany. Architecturally this was a blessing in disguise: the extensive repairs and restoration work which went on for more than a century, under the supervision of Italian and native architects, resulted in the stunning Renaissance and baroque interiors of today's Royal Palace.
Entry to the Castle is through a series of enclosed courtyards. In the first, the changing of the guard takes place hourly in the shadow of huge baroque sculptures of battling Titans (the soldiers' uniforms were designed by Theodor Pist, who fitted out the actors in the film Amadeus). The entrance to the second courtyard is through the Matthias Gate, which dates from 1614. Directly opposite is the 19th-century Chapel of the Cross, now the Information Centre. On the other side of the courtyard, the Picture Gallery of Prague Castle contains paintings from the Imperial collections, including minor works by Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese and Rubens. The third courtyard is dominated by St Vitus's Cathedral. To the right, the 18th-century façade of the Royal Palace conceals a network of halls and chambers on various levels, dating from the Romanesque period onwards. The centrepiece is the magnificent Vladislav Hall, built for King Vladislav Jagiello in the 1490s with Benedikt Ried's eye-catching rib-vaulted ceiling. Coronation feasts, political assemblies, even jousting competitions took place in the hall; knights on horeseback entered by the Riders' Staircase at the far end. Off to the right are the former offices of the Chancellery of Bohemia, dating from the early 16th century, where, on 23 May 1618, after learning of the accession to the throne of the detested Archduke Ferdinand of Hapsburg, more than 100 Protestant noblemen burst into the far room and threw two Catholic governors and a secretary out of the window. The officials survived the fall but the incident, known as the Defenestration of Prague, marked the start of the Thirty Years' War. The Chapel of All Saints was redecorated in baroque style after the fire of 1541, but much more impressive is the Diet Hall, next door. Once a medieval parliament and later a throne room, it was designed by the Renaissance architect, Bonifaz Wohlmut, in 1563 and its walls are hung with portraits of the Hapsburgs. The Riders' Staircase leads down to the remains of the Romanesque and Gothic Palaces and an exhibition on the castle. The Castle complex's other outstanding monument is St George's Basilica. A short walk away is the Lobkowicz Palace, reconstructed by Carlo Lurago in the 17th century. The impressive banqueting hall is open for concerts and recitals (other rooms are used by the Museum of Czech History). Two of the Castle's towers are open to visitors. Beyond Golden Lane, the Dalibor Tower was constructed in 1496 and is named after a nobleman imprisoned here on suspicion of complicity in a peasants' revolt. In the Mihulka, or Powder Tower, alchemists were once employed to elicit the secret of turning base metals into gold.Url: www.hrad.cz
Address: Hradčany, Praha 1
Phone: 2243 73368
Hours: Apr-Oct daily 9-5, Nov-Mar daily 9-4
Restaurant: Cafés (Inexpensive), restaurants (Moderately priced-Expensive)
Bus: 22
Metro: None
Train: None
Accessible: Good
Admission: Moderate
Other: Katedrála Svatého Víta, Klášter Svatého Jiří, Zlatá ulička
Practical: Information Centre in second courtyard. Changing of the guard every hour on the hour at the main gate.
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