Records indicate that Prague Castle
is the largest castle area in the world. Its three courtyards
and a number of magnificent buildings cover over 7 hectares
(18 acres), so be prepared to see a lot and do some walking.
Depending on the time you have and your interests, you
can decide which interiors to visit.
The Prague Castle (Pražský hrad)
was founded around 880 by prince Bořivoj of the Premyslid
dynasty. The first stone building
in the castle area was the Church of the Virgin Mary of
which only remnants can be seen today. In the 10th century,
St. George's Basilica was founded and the first Czech convent
was established there - St. George's Convent, which now
houses a gallery. St. Vitus Rotunda, also from the 10th
century, was replaced by St. Vitus
Basilica in the 11th century, and it
is where
St.
Vitus
Cathedral stands today.
Starting in the 10th century, the Prague
Castle served as the seat of Czech princes and later kings,
and the seat of the Prague bishop.
The
Prague Castle experienced one of its greatest periods
during the
reign of Charles
IV (1346-1378) when it became the seat of the Holy
Roman Emperor. The Royal Palace was rebuilt, the
fortifications were strengthened, and the construction
of St. Vitus Cathedral was initiated, following the
style of Gothic French cathedrals of the time.
The
expansion of the Castle continued during the reign
of Charles' son Wenceslas IV, but the Hussite wars
(1419 - 1437) and the subsequent decades during which
the Castle was abandoned lead to its deterioration.
Prague Castle from Malostranské náměstí
King Wladislaw Jagellon moved into
the Castle after 1483 and the
complex grew once again. New fortifications
and guard towers (the Powder Tower, New White Tower, and
Daliborka)
were built. The Royal Palace was further remodeled and
expanded by the grandiose Wladislaw Hall, one of the first
demonstrations of the Renaissance style in
the
Czech
lands.
By the time the Habsburg
dynasty took over the Czech throne in 1526, the Renaissance
style was in full swing in Europe. The seat of power moved
to Vienna and the Prague Castle served mainly for recreational
purposes. The Royal Garden was built and entertainment
sites such as
the Belvedere and Ballgame Hall were added in
the 16th century. The Cathedral
and Royal Palace were modified. New
residential buildings were built to the west of the Old
Royal Palace.
Golden Lane (Zlatá ulička)
The
reconstruction of the Castle culminated during the
reign of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II who became
Czech king in 1575 and moved his court back to Prague.
He wished to turn the Castle into an elegant
center of power that would attract foreign
artists, scientists and diplomats.
The north wing of the Palace and the Spanish Hall
were
added
to house the emperor's vast collections of art and
science.
The Prague Defenestration of
1618 initiated a long period of wars during which
the Prague Castle was damaged and looted, rarely
serving as the seat of power.
The last large reconstruction of the Castle
took place in the second half of the 18th century when
it took on a style of a chateau. However,
the seat of power
was again
in Vienna and the Castle continued to deteriorate.
In 1848, emperor
Ferdinand V moved to the Prague Castle. The Chapel of the
Holy Cross on the Second Courtyard was rebuilt and the
Spanish
Hall
and
Rudolf's
Gallery were remodeled.
With the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire
in 1918, the Prague Castle welcomed the first
president of
independent Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. Some needed
remodeling was commissioned to the Slovenian architect
Josip Plečnik. The construction of St.
Vitus Cathedral was finished in 1929.
After 1989, many
areas of the Castle were made accessible to the
public for the first time in history, including the Royal
Garden, Ballgame Hall, the south gardens, or the Imperial
Stables. Today, the Prague Castle is the seat of the
Czech president and the most important National Cultural
Monument of the Czech Republic. A number of priceless art
relics,
historical
documents,
as well as the Czech Crown Jewels are stored there.
The author of this article based
the above historical information on the Czech language
version of the official Prague
Castle website.
If
you would like to walk, you have several options:
Nerudova
street - walk up the picturesque (and quite
steep) Nerudova street from Malostranské náměstí
and at the top take a sharp right onto Ke Hradu.
You will end up in front of the main entrance to
the Castle.
Castle
Stairs (Zámecké schody) - start up Nerudova
from Malostranské náměstí and take a quick right
onto Zámecká street. Then turn left to climb the
romantic Castle Stairs, which will take you to
the Garden on the Ramparts (Zahrada na Valech).
Old
Castle Stairs (Staré zámecké schody) - the
stairs start near the Malostranská metro station
and will put you at the beginning of Jiřská street.
You will be rewarded with one of the most beautiful
views of Prague.
Old Castle Stairs
• Getting There by Tram
Taking the tram will save you a walk uphill
or up the stairs, and the ride is quite scenic. Take tram
22
or 23 (e.g. from Národní třída or the Malostranská metro
station) and
get off
at one of these stops:
Královský
letohrádek -
if you get off here, you can start with the Royal Garden,
Belveder and Ballgame Hall, then cross
the Deer Moat bridge to get to the Second Courtyard Note: The Royal Garden and Deer Moat are closed from November
through March
Pražský
hrad -
as its name suggests, this is considered the main Prague
Castle stop. Get off here if you would like to start at
the Second Courtyard.
Pohořelec -
getting off here will enable you to walk to the
Castle through Hradčany and arrive at the main entrance.
Probably the nicest route (and our favorite).
A good way to go is to take the tram up to
the Castle and walk back down when you're done.
Tickets can be purchased at the ticket
counters or at the Prague Castle Information Center on
the Third Courtyard (open daily 9.00 - 17.00/16.00 in winter).
Each ticket is valid for two days. Admission
to St. Vitus Cathedral is not included in any of the routes.
A separate fee of 100 CZK/person is charged to visit the
cathedral.
Note: The prices below are valid
as of September 2006 and are subject to change. Reduced
admission refers to children aged 6 - 16, students, members
of the army, handicapped
persons, senior citizens, gallery and museum
employees.
Route A: Old Royal
Palace, 'The Story
of Prague Castle' Exhibition, Prague Castle Picture
Gallery, St. George's Basilica, St. George's Convent
- National Gallery, Golden Lane & Daliborka
Tower
Full: 350 Kč
Reduced: 175 Kč
Family (2 adults and at least 1 child): 520 Kč
Free: children under 6
Route B: Old Royal
Palace, Golden Lane & Daliborka
Tower
Full: 220 Kč
Reduced: 110 Kč
Family (2 adults and at least 1 child): 330 Kč
Free: children under 6
Route
C: Golden Lane & Daliborka Tower
Full: 50 Kč
Reduced: ---
Family (2 adults and at least 1 child): 100 Kč
Free: children under 6
Route D: St.
George's Basilica
Full: 50 Kč
Reduced: 25 Kč
Family (2 adults and at least 1 child): 100 Kč
Free: children under 6
Route E: Prague Castle Picture Gallery
Full: 150 Kč
Reduced: 80 Kč
Family (2 adults and at least 1 child): 200 Kč
Free: children under 6
Route F: St. George's Convent - National
Gallery
Full: 100 Kč
Reduced: 50 Kč
Family (2 adults and at least 1 child): 150 Kč
Free: children under 6
Route P: 'The Story
of Prague Castle' Permanent Exhibition
Full: 140 Kč
Reduced: 80 Kč
Family (2 adults and at least 1 child): 260 Kč
Free: children under 6
The following monuments are wheelchair accessible:
Old Royal Palace - Wladislaw Hall entrance
St. George's Basilica
Ballgame Hall
Imperial Stables
Rudolf's Gallery and Spanish Hall
Prague Castle Picture Gallery
Prague Castle Gardens
St. Vitus Cathedral
St. Vitus Cathedral public restroom
