Exclusive Destination Management Services
P R A G U E
TOP 10 SIGHTS
6. Jewish Quarter Museum and Old New Synagogue
9. Loreta
10. Strahov Library
11. blbost
The Old Town Square (Staromestske Namesti) is one of two main squares in the city center (the other is Wenceslas Square, only 5 minutes walk away). With its ancient buildings, magnificent churches, cobble stones, horse drawn carriages, restaurants and cafes, this is one of the most beautiful historical sights in Europe.
Dating back to the late 12th century, the Old Town Square started life as the central marketplace for Prague. Over the next few centuries, many buildings of Romanesque, Baroque and Gothic styles were erected around the market, each bringing with them stories of wealthy merchants, intrigue and even legends of ghosts!
The Old Town Square's most notable sights are the “Church of Our Lady before Tyn”, the “Old Town Hall with the Astronomical Tower and Clock and the beautiful St. Nicholas Church.
It is the oldest square in Prague and considered the center of the city.
At the center of the Old Town Square is the Jan Hus statue, erected on the 6th July 1915 to mark the 500th anniversary of the reformer’s death.
The Prague Astronomical Clock or Prague Orloj (Czech: Prazský orloj) is a medieval astronomical clock located in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, at 50°5′13.23″N, 14°25′15.30″E.
The Orloj is mounted on the southern wall of Old Town City Hall in the Old Town Square and is a popular tourist attraction.
The Orloj is composed of three main components: the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; "The Walk of the Apostles", a clockwork hourly show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months.
The oldest part of the Orloj, the mechanical clock and astronomical dial, dates back to 1410 when it was made by clockmaker Mikuláš of Kadaň and Jan Šindel, the latter a professor of mathematics and astronomy at Charles University. The Prague Orloj was one of a number of complex astronomical clocks designed and constructed during the 14th and 15th centuries, soon after the invention of the mechanical clock. Other examples were built at Norwich, St Albans, Wells, Lund, Strasbourg, and Padua.
Later, presumably around 1490, the calendar dial was added and clock facade decorated with gothic sculptures.
In 1552 it was repaired by Jan Taborský, clockmaster of Orloj, who also wrote a report on the clock where he mentioned Hanuš as maker of the clock. This was a mistake, and was corrected during the 20th century.
The Orloj stopped working many times in the centuries after 1552, and was repaired many times. In the 17th century moving statues were added, and figures of the Apostles were added after major repair in 1865-1866.
The Orloj suffered heavy damage on May 7 and especially May 8, 1945, just hours before German capitulation in Prague was forced by the approaching Red Army, when Germans directed incendiary fire from several armored vehicles and an anti-aircraft gun to the south-west side of the Old Town Square in an effort to silence the provocative broadcasting initiated by the National Committee on May 5. The hall and nearby buildings burned along with the wooden sculptures on the Orloj and the calendar dial face made by Josef Mánes. The machinery was repaired, the wooden Apostles restored by Vojtìch Sucharda, and the Orloj started working again in 1948, but only after significant effort.
There exists a good deal of misinformation relating to the construction of the Orloj. For a long time it was believed that the Orloj was constructed in 1490 by clockmaster Jan Růže (also called Hanuš) and his assistant Jakub Čech. Another fictitious story involves the clockmaker Hanu¹ being blinded on the order of the Prague Councillors to prevent him from constructing another similar clock.
The astronomical dial is a form of mechanical astrolabe, a device used in medieval astronomy. Alternatively, one may consider the Orloj to be a primitive planetarium, displaying the current state of the universe.
The astronomical dial has a background that represents the standing Earth and sky, and surrounding it operate four main moving components: the zodiacal ring, an outer rotating ring, an icon representing the Sun, and an icon representing the Moon.
The background represents the Earth and the local view of the sky. The blue circle directly in the center represents the Earth, and the upper blue is the portion of the sky which is above the horizon. The red and black areas indicate portions of the sky below the horizon.
During the daytime, the sun sits over the blue part of the background and at night it sits over the black. During dawn or dusk, the mechanical sun is positioned over the red part of the background.
Written on the eastern (left) part of the horizon is aurora (dawn in Latin) and ortus (rising). On the western (right) part is occasus (sunset), andcrepusculum (twilight).
Golden Roman numbers at the outer edge of blue circle are the timescale of a normal 24 hour day and indicate time in local Prague time, or Central European Time. Curved golden lines dividing the blue part of dial into 12 parts are marks for unequal hours. These hours are defined as 1/12 of the time between sunrise and sunset, and vary as the days grow longer or shorter during the year.
Inside the large black outer circle lies another movable circle marked with the signs of the zodiac which indicates the location of the sun on the ecliptic. The signs are shown in anticlockwise order. In the photographs accompanying this article, the sun is currently in Aries, and will be moving anticlockwise into Taurus next.
The displacement of the zodiac circle results from the use of a stereographic projection of the ecliptic plane using the North pole as the basis of the projection. This is commonly seen in astronomical clocks of the period. The small golden star shows the position of the vernal equinox, and sidereal time can be read on the scale with golden Roman numbers.
At the outer edge of the clock, golden Schwabacher numerals are set on a black background. These numbers indicate Old Czech Time (or Italian hours), measured starting with 1 at sunset. This ring moves during the year to coincide with the time of sunset.
The golden Sun moves around the zodiacal circle, thus showing its position on the ecliptic. The sun is attached to an arm with a golden hand, and together they show the time in three different ways:
-
The position of the golden hand over the Roman numerals on the background indicates the time in local Prague time.
-
The position of the sun over the curved golden lines indicates the time in unequal hours.
-
The position of the golden hand over the outer ring indicates the hours passed after sunset in Old Czech Time.
Additionally, the distance of the Sun from the center of the dial shows the time of sunrise and sunset.
The movement of the Moon on the ecliptic is shown similarly to that of the Sun, although the speed is much faster. The half-silvered sphere of the moon also shows the Lunar phase.
The four figures flanking the clock are set in motion at the hour. These represent the four things which are despised. Starting with Death (represented by a skeleton) striking the time. On the hour. Vanity (represented by the figure holding a mirror), Greed (the figure with the bag) and finally the Turkish (the figure with the turban). There is also a presentation of statues of the Apostles at the doorways above the clock, with all twelve presented at noon. The calendar below the clock was added in 1870.
Wenceslas Square (Czech: Václavské náměstí) is one of the main city squares and the centre of the business and cultural communities in the New Town of Prague. Many historical events occurred there, and it is a traditional setting for demonstrations, celebrations, and other public gatherings. The square is named after Saint Wenceslas, the patron saint of Bohemia.
Formerly known as Koňský trh (English: Horse Market), for its periodical accommodation of horse markets during the Middle Ages, it was renamed Svatováclavské náměstí (English: Saint Wenceslas square) in 1848 on the proposal of Karel Havlíček Borovský.
Less a square than a boulevard, Wenceslas Square has a shape of a very long (750 meters long - total area 45,000 m²) rectangle, in a northwest–southeast direction. The street slopes upward to the southeast side. On that end, the street is dominated by the grand neoclassical Czech National Museum. The northwest end runs up against the border between the New Town and the Old Town.
In 1348, Bohemian King Charles IV founded the New Town of Prague. The plan included several open areas for markets, of which the second largest was the Koňský trh, or Horse Market. At the southeastern end of the market was the Horse Gate, one of the gates in the walls of the New Town.
During the Czech national revival movement in the 19th century, a more noble name for the street was requested. At this time the statue was built, and the square was renamed.
On October 28, 1918, Alois Jirásek read the proclamation of independence of Czechoslovakia in front of the Saint Wenceslas statue.
The Nazis used the street for mass demonstrations. During the Prague Uprising in 1945, a few buildings near the National Museum were destroyed. They were later replaced by department stores.
This is also the site associated with the invasion of the Warsaw Pact (except communist Romania) countries into Czechoslovakia on August 21, 1968.
On January 16, 1969, student Jan Palach set himself on fire in Wenceslas Square to protest the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1968.
On March 28, 1969, the Czechoslovakian national ice hockey team defeated the USSR team for the second time in that year's Ice Hockey World Championships. As the country was still under Soviet occupation, the victory induced great celebrations. Perhaps 150,000 people gathered on Wenceslas Square, and skirmishes with police developed. A group of agents provocateurs provoked an attack on the Prague office of the Soviet airline Aeroflot, located on the street. The vandalism served as a pretext for reprisals and the period of so-called normalization.
In 1989, during the Velvet Revolution, large demonstrations (with hundreds of thousands of people or more) were held here.
Wenceslas Square is lined by hotels, offices, retail stores, currency exchange booths and fast-food joints. To the dismay of locals and city officials, the street is also a popular location for ladies of the night and clubs that go along with this trade.
The two obvious landmarks of Wenceslas Square are at the southeast, uphill end: the 1885-1891 National Museum Building, designed by Czech architect Josef Schulz, and the statue of Wenceslas.
The mounted saint was sculpted by Josef Václav Myslbek in 1887–1924, and the image of Wenceslas is accompanied by other Czech patron saints carved into the ornate statue base: Saint Ludmila, Saint Agnes of Bohemia, Saint Prokop, and Saint Adalbert of Prague.
The statue base, designed by architect Alois Dryák, includes the inscription: "Svatý Václave, vévodo české země, kníže náš, nedej zahynouti nám ni budoucím" ("Saint Wenceslas, duke of the Czech land, prince of ours, do not let perish us nor our descendants").
A memorable parody of this statue, created by David Černý, hangs in a Lucerna Palace gallery near the square.
Other significant buildings on the square include:
Antonin Pfeiffer and Matěj Blecha's Palác Koruna office building and shopping center, #1-2, 1912-1914, with architectural sculpture by Vojtěch Sucharda
Ludvik Kysela's Lindt Building, #4, an early work of architectural constructivism
the BAFA shoe store, #6, 1929
Matěj Blecha and Emil Králíček's Adam Pharmacy, #8, 1911-1913
Jan Kotěra's Peterka Building, #12, 1899-1900
Pavel Janák's Hotel Juliš, #22, 1926
Alois Dryák's Hotel Europa, #25-27, 1905 redesign, with architectural sculptor Ladislav Šaloun
Antonin Wiehl's Wiehl House, #34, 1896
the Melantrich Building, #36, 1914, where Alexander Dubček and Václav Havel appeared together on its balcony in November 1989, a major event of the Velvet Revolution
Charles Bridge is a stone Gothic bridge that connects the Old Town and the Little Quarter (Mala Strana). It was called the Stone Bridge during the first several centuries. Its construction was commissioned by Czech king and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. The king himself stood on the construction site on July 9, 1357 at 5:31 in the morning to set the first stone. Writing the date down in numerical sequence, you will get - 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 7, 5, 3, 1 - which was carefully chosen by Charles’ numerologist. In charge of the construction was architect Petr Parler whose other works include the St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle. It is said that egg yolks were mixed into the mortar to strengthen the construction of the bridge.
Charles Bridge is one of the many monuments that were built during Charles' reign but it is not the first bridge that ever connected the Prague banks of the Vltava. Another bridge used to stand in its place - the Judith Bridge, which was the first stone bridge over the river. It was built in 1172 and collapsed in a flood in 1342.
Unlike its predecessor, Charles Bridge has survived many floods, most recently in August 2002 when the country experienced the worst flood in the past 100 years - so the egg yolks and numerology must not have been such a bad idea.
There is a tower standing on each end of the bridge. Both the "Staromestska Vez" on the Old Town end and the "Malostranska Vez" on the Little Quarter side can be climbed for a view of Prague and the bridge from above.
Baroque statues (a total of 31) began to be placed on either side of Charles Bridge in the 17th century. Now many of them are copies and the originals can be seen in the Lapidarium and other museums. The most popular statue is probably the one of St.John of Nepomuk, a Czech martyr saint who was tortured and killed during the reign of Wenceslas IV and then trown into the river from the bridge. The plaque on the statue has been polished to a shine by countless people having touched it over the centuries. Touching the statue is supposed to bring good luck and ensure your return to Prague.
The bridge is also popular with Czech artists, musicians and souvenir vendors whose stands line both sides of the bridge year-round. A great time of day to come to the bridge is at sunset when one can enjoy a breathtaking view of the fully lit Prague Castle against the evening sky. The bridge is now a pedestrian zone (although both tram and car traffic were allowed there in the past) and is almost constantly filled with people. If you want to have it all to yourself, go there at night or very early in the morning.
The statue of the "Infant Jesus of Prague" is made of wax and wood. It is 47 cm (about 19 inches) tall and when "undressed" is still dressed in a simple robe. Its history starts in Spain. It is the work of an unknown artist, probably going back to the 16th century. It is believed that it comes from a convent between Cordoba and Seville and is a copy of a venerated wooden sculpture. There Dona Isabela Manrique de Lara a Mendoza obtained it. The sculpture then traveled as a wedding gift to her daughter Maria Manrique de Lara. She married a prominent Czech nobleman Vojtech of Pernstejn. During her travel to meet her new, never met husband, she prayed for a safe journey and a happy marriage. Since both came through, this was the first miracle performed by the statue. Later, again as a wedding gift to her daughter Polyxena, who married Vilem of Rozmberk, it became a central point on the private altar of the new bride. She took the sculpture with her to her second marriage with Zdenek Vojtech of Lobkowicz. After his death, she donated the statue of the Child Jesus to the monastery of the Teresian Carmelites, to the church of the Virgin Mary the Victorious in Prague Mala Strana.
There it was placed first in the chapel, where it was venerated mainly by the novices. It is now in one of the many altars of the church, taking a prominent, richly gilded position on your left, as you come in. The statue has become a symbol of Prague. It is a favorite sight to visit for people coming in from all over the world, especially Spain, certainly due to its Spanish heritage. We are proud of the fact that our "Infant Jesus of Prague" has become the Patriot Saint of the country of the Philippines. In Italy, he is called the "Bambini de Praga" and also celebrated.
The statue apparently performed many miracles and still does. Supposedly, when Polyxena of Rozmberk would not conceive, she prayed to the statue to become pregnant. Eventually, she did have several children, with her new husband Zdenek Vojtech, but attributed this fact to a miracle that the statue bestowed on her. Many "want to be mothers" pray at his feet even today for the same blessing. There are many plagues on the wall thanking the "Infant Jesus of Prague" for the same miracle in the donors life.
The statue today has a wardrobe of immense value and beauty. His richly adorned and decorated vestments are donated by different people, countries, institutions and the like. Some are on display in the museum in the church. The nuns change his robes into the colors suitable for that particular religious holiday. For example, he wears white for Christmas. The robe changing ceremony has been recorded and the film is on display in the museum.
The giftshop in the church is open during most days and all artifacts about the "Infant Jesus of Prague", such as books, copies of all sizes and made of all kinds of materials are for sale here.
Please contact the churches' website for more information and details. The priests of the "Church of the Virgin Mary the Victorious" is happy to welcome all visitors and should you want to meet with one of them, meetings have been possible.
The Jewish Museum in Prague is a collection of buildings and sites that came together under one authority and one entrance fee. They are all former working synagogues, however now serve as a museum.
One entrance tickets pays for all and it is not possible to purchase tickets for just one exhibit. They are all withing easy walking distance of oneanother.
They are:
The Maisel Synagogue - Jewish history in Bohemia and Moravia
The Pinkas Synagogue - the holocaust memorial as well as collection of childrens drawings and the entrance to the Old Jewish Cematary
The Old Jewish Cemetary - the famous cemetary in the center which is the resting place for most Jewish citizens of Prague until 1787. Entrance is through the Pinkas Synagogue.
The Ceremonial Hall - an exhibit of burial customs and more
The Klausen Synagogue - an exhibit of Jewish customs and more
The Spanish Synagogue - the moorish style Synagogue which houses the silver collection and more
The original aim of the museum when established in 1906 was to preserve valuable artifacts from the Prague synagogues that had been demolished during the reconstruction of the Jewish town at the beginning of the 20th century. The museum was closed to the public after the Nazi occupation of Bohemia and Moravia on March 15, 1939. In 1942 the Nazis established the Central Jewish Museum, to which were shipped artifacts from all the liquidated Jewish communities and synagogues of Bohemia and Moravia. Its founding was proposed by Dr. Stein who, in co-operation with other specialist members of staff, sought to save the Jewish objects that were being confiscated by the Nazis. Following long negotiations, the Nazis approved the project to set up a central museum.
After World War II, the Jewish Museum came under the administration of the Council of Jewish Communities in Czechoslovakia. In 1950, ownership was transferred to the state, which, as of 1948, was in the hands of the communists. As a result, the museum was markedly restricted in its preservation, exhibition and educational activities.
The collapse of the communist regime in 1989 created the necessary conditions that led to a change in the museums status. On October 1, 1994, the museum buildings and collections were returned to the Jewish Community of Prague and the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic respectively.
The Maisel Synagogue synagogue was built in 1590 - 1592 by the Mayor of the Jewish Town, Mordechai Maisel, who funded the extensive Renaissance reconstruction of the ghetto. The builders of this synagogue were Josef Wahl and Juda Goldsmied de Herz. The original building was seriously damaged by fire in 1689 and was then renovated in baroque style. In the end, it was considerably rebuilt in neo-gothic style by Prof. A. Grott in 1893-1905. All that remained intact of the original renaissance layout was the ground plan of the tripartite central hall with the upper-storey woman’s section. The Maisel Synagogue is currently used by the Jewish Museum as an exhibition venue and depository.
Exhibit: the history of the Jewish people in Bohemia and Moravia are on display as well as many valuable historical items.
The Spanish Synagogue was built in 1868 on the site of the oldest Prague Jewish house of prayer ("the Old Shul"). It was designed in a Moorish style by Vojtech Ignaz Ulmann. The remarkable interior decoration features a low stucco arabesque of stylized Islamic motifs which are also applied to the walls, doors and gallery balustrades. The interior, together with the stained glass windows, were designed by architects A. Baum and B. Munzberg and completed in 1893. Frantisek Skroup, the composer of the Czech national anthem, served as an organist here in 1836-45.
Exhibit: Silver objects as well as the sheer beauty of this unusual synagogue. Concerts are performed here often.
The Pinkas Synagogue is the work of the Horowitz family. In 1535 Aaron Meshullam Horowitz had it built between his house "U Erbu" and the site of the Old Jewish Cemetery. After the Second World War, the synagogue was turned into a Memorial to the Jews of Bohemia and Moravia murdered by the Nazis. On its walls are inscribed the names of the Jewish victims, their personal data, and the names of the communities to which they belonged. In 1968, however, the Memorial had to be closed because ground water had penetrated the buildings foundations, thus endangering the structure. The communist regime held up renovation work and the inscriptions were removed. Not until 1990 was it possible to complete the building alterations. Finally, in 1992-1994, the almost 80,000 names of the Jewish victims of Bohemia and Moravia were rewritten on its walls.
Exhibit: Memorial to the Jewish Victims of the Holocaust from Bohemia and Moravia. Children’s drawings from Terezin 1942-1944.
The Old Jewish Cemetery was established in the first half of the 15th century. Along with the Old-New Synagogue, it is one of the most important historic sites in Prague’s Jewish Town. The oldest tombstone, which marks the grave of the poet and scholar Avigdor Kara, dates from the year 1439. Burials took place in the cemetery until 1787. Today it contains some 12,000 tombstones, although the number of persons buried here is much greater. The cemetery was enlarged a number of times in the past. In spite of this the area did not suffice and earth was brought in to add further layers. It is assumed that the cemetery contains several burial layers placed on top of each other. The picturesque groups of tombstones from various periods emerged through the raising of older stones to the upper layers.
The Klausen Synagogue is located by the entrance to the Old Jewish Cemetery. It takes its name from the German word "Klaus" meaning "small building", which is derived from the Latin "claustrum". "Klausen" (plural of "Klaus") was the name of the originally three smaller buildings, which Mordechai Maisel, head of the Prague Jewish community, had erected in honor of a visit from Emperor Maximilian II to the Prague ghetto in 1573. After the destruction of the original Clause by the fire of 1689, work began on the present Klausen Synagogue building which was completed in 1604. Further reconstruction of the Klausen Synagogue took place in the 1880s. The Klausen Synagogue held an important place in the history of Prague’s Jewish Town. It was the largest synagogue in the ghetto and the seat of Prague’s Burial Society.
Exhibit: The permanent exhibition of Jewish customs and traditions, which is housed in the main nave of the synagogue, highlights the significance of the synagogue and of specific Jewish festivals. The gallery of the Klausen synagogue contains exhibits associated with the everyday life of the Jewish family and customs connected with birth, circumcision, bar mitzvah, wedding, divorce and the Jewish household.
The building housing the former Ceremonial Hall and mortuary of the Old Jewish Cemetery was built in a new-Romanesque style in 1911-12 to a design by architect J. Gerstl. As part of the Jewish Museum, the Ceremonial Hall of the Prague burial society Hevrah Kaddishah (founded in 1564) later became an exhibition venue.
Exhibit: on the ground and upper floors of the hall are the customs and traditions of burials.
The Old-New Synagogue was built in early Gothic style around the middle of the 13th century. It was originally called the “New” or “Large” Synagogue, as opposed to the older house of prayer which did not survive. It was not until the 16th century, when other synagogues were built in Prague, that it became known as the “Old-New” Synagogue. The main hall is the only existing medieval-type hall of its kind, represented originally by the Romanesque synagogue in Worms (dating from the 12th century) and the early Gothic synagogue in Regensburg. The hall is vaulted by six five-partite vault compartments supported by two octagonal pillars. The Old-New Synagogue, which is not part of the Jewish Museum, is one of the three Prague synagogues, together with the High and Jerusalem Synagogues, in which divine services are held.
Jubilee Synagogue is also known as the Jerusalem Synagogue. It is also known as the Jerusalem Synagogue because of its location on Jerusalem Street. It was built in 1906, designed by Wilhelm Stiassny and named in honor of the silver Jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. The synagogue is designed in Moorish Revival form with Art Nouveau decoration, especially in the interior. It was recently renovated and still serves religious purposes. After the Czech Republic became independent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, it became more usual to call the synagogue the Jerusalem Street Synagogue.
The synagogue preserves inscribed plaques removed from the former Zigeuner synagogue, demolished by the urban renewal campaign that was the cause of the building of the Jubilee synagogue.
The facade and form of the synagogue are a hybridized blend of Moorish Revival and art nouveau, with Horseshoe arches on the facade and on the interior columns supporting the women's galleries in a three-bay building. The Mudéjar red-and-white coursing of the stone facade is particularly striking. Inside, the Moorish elements are overlaid with brilliantly painted Art nouveau patterning.
After a century of being open to the public as a house of worship, on April 1, 2008 the Jubilee Synagogue began opening its doors on a regular basis to tourists and aficionados of historic architecture.
Sites are closed each Saturday for Sabbath and during Jewish holidays.
For more informations see our Jewish site closures information page.
The Prague Castle (Prazsky Hrad) is a collection of buildings that came together to be the seat of royalty. It was built on a hill overlooking the Vltava river valley, where an earlier pagan ritual grounds used to be. From it’s humble beginnings in the 9th century, it has grown to be the largest royal palace complex in Europe with about 2000 rooms. It houses a permanent picture gallery, timed exhibitions, several churches, the office of the president of the Czech Republic, is the site of the ritual “changing of the guards”, state visits and more. The royal chambers are accessible only to special visitors, one day a year for everyone (with long lines) and visitors that pay a very large (CZK 3000 and up) fee for the privilege. These room contain period furnishings and are considered special due to some prominent guests that have visited or even stayed here as state visitors to our country.
The most visited sites are the St. Vitus Cathedral (the most important church in Prague), St. George Basilica (the oldest remaining church here - a Romanesque masterpiece), The Royal Palace (the former seat of the kings), the Golden Lane (some of the smallest houses in Prague) and the Lobkowicz Palace (the home of the Princely Art Collection).
The somewhat confusing and always changing entrance fees range from CZK 250 per person to CZK 500. Best to check at the time of your visit.
The history of the Prague castle stretches back to the 9th century (870). The first walled building was the church of Our Lady. The Basilica of Saint George and the Basilica of St. Vitus were founded in the first half of the 10th century. The first convent in Bohemia was founded in the castle, next to the church of St. George. A Romanesque palace was erected here during the 12th century. In the 14th century, under the reign of Charles IV the royal palace was rebuilt in Gothic style and the castle fortifications were strengthened. In place of rotunda and basilica of St. Vitus began building of a vast Gothic church, that have been completed almost six centuries later. During the Hussite Wars and the following decades the Castle was not inhabited. In 1485 King Ladislaus II Jagello begins to rebuild the castle. The massive Vladislav Hall (built by Benedikt Rejt) was added to the Royal Palace.
Then were also built new defence towers on the northern side of the castle. A big fire of 1541 destroyed large parts of the castle. Under Habsburgs some new buildings in renaissance style appeared here. Ferdinand I built Belvedere, summer palace for his wife Anne. Rudolph II used Prague Castle as his main residence. He founded the northern wing of the palace, with the Spanish Hall, where his precious artistic collections were exhibited. Second Prague defenestration in 1618 began the Bohemian Revolt. During the subsequent wars the Castle was damaged and dilapidated. Many works from the collection of Rudolph II were looted by Swedes in 1648, in the course of the Thirty Years' War. The last major rebuilding of the castle was carried out by Queen Maria Theresa in the second half of the 18th century. Ferdinand V after abdication in 1848 chose Prague Castle as his home.
In 1918 the castle became the seat of the president of the new Czechoslovak Republic. The New Royal Palace and the gardens were renovated by Slovenian architect Jo¾e Pleènik. Renovations continued in 1936 under Pleènik's successor Pavel Janák.
During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia during World War II, Prague Castle became the headquarters of Reinhard Heydrich, the "Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia". It is said that he placed the Bohemian crown on his head, believing himself to be a great king. Old legends say that a person who is not the rightful king or queen, who places the crown on his head, is doomed to die within a year. Less than a year after assuming power, Heydrich was assassinated.
After the liberation of Czechoslovakia, it housed the offices of the communist Czechoslovak government. During the Velvet Revolution, Alexander Dubèek, the leader of Czechoslovakia during the Prague Spring, appeared on a balcony overlooking Wenceslas Square to hear throngs of protesters below shouting "Dubèek to the castle!" As they pushed for him to take his seat as president of the country at Prague Castle, he embraced the crowd as a symbol of democratic freedom.
After Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the castle became the seat of the Head of State of the new Czech Republic. Similar to what Masaryk did with Plečnik, president Václav Havel commissioned Bořek Šípek to be the architect of post-communism Prague Castle's necessary improvements in particular of the facelift of the Castle's Gallery of paintings.
The castle houses many buildings. It is said that it is the largest royal palace in Europe with over 2000 rooms.
St. Vitus Cathedral is the largest and the most important temple in Prague. Apart from religious services the coronations of Czech kings and queens also took place in here. The cathedral is a place of interment of remains of provincial patron saints, sovereigns, noblemen and archbishops.
The cathedral is the third church consecrated to the same saint on the identical site. About the year 925 Prince Vaclav I founded a Romanesque rotunda here which after 1060 was converted into a basilica with three naves and two steeples. The importance of the cathedral grew especially after the establishment of the Prague bishopric in 973 and the founding of the body of canons - the St. Vitus chapter, which later became an important cultural and administrative institution.
In 1344 Charles IV began the construction of a Gothic cathedral. Its first builders, Matthias of Arras and later Peter Parler, built the chancel with a ring of chapels, St. Wenceslas Chapel, the Golden Portal and the lower part of the main steeple.
In spite of the endeavours of some sovereigns to secure the continuation of the construction work the cathedral remained uncompleted for whole centuries. The main steeple was crowned with a Renaissance helmet and the music choir was built. The facade of the cathedral was provisionally closed.
It was not until the latter half of the 19th century that the Union for the Completion of the Building of St. Vitus Cathedral began the repair of the original part and the completion of the building of the cathedral in Neo-Gothic style. The cathedral was solemnly consecrated in 1929. Its interior was subjected to adaptations even in later years.
Visitors enter the cathedral through the portal in the western facade, opposite the passage-way between the Second and Third Courtyards of Prague Castle.
Its bronze door is decorated with reliefs with scenes from the history of the cathedral and from the legends about St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert.
The Neo-Gothic part of the cathedral consists of the main nave and the narrow side aisles, lined with chapels, and the northern wing of the transverse nave. The chapels have stained glass windows. The construction of the large southern steeple was started by Peter Parler, but he did not complete it. It gained its originally planned height after being provided with a Renaissance helmet in the 16th century. St. Wenceslas's Chapel partly reaches on to the area of the transverse nave. The different conception of its architecture and its magnificent decoration emphasize its importance as the central point of the cathedral as a whole. The solemn entrance to the cathedral, the Golden Portal, affords access to the chapel from the Third Courtyard.
Situated in the chancel of the cathedral, in front of the high alter, is the royal mausoleum below which, in the crypt, there is the royal tomb. The chancel is surrounded by a ring of Gothic chapels. Czech sovereigns and patron saints are interred in some of them.
St. Wenceslas Chapel is a cult center of St. Vitus Cathedral. Its magnificent decoration and the different conception of its architecture emphasize its singularity as the central point of the cathedral with the tomb of the most important provincial patron saint. The facing of the walls, consisting of precious stones, and the wall paintings of the Passion cycle are parts of the original 14th-century decoration of the chapel. The scenes from the life of St. Wenceslas forming another decorative band are attributed to the workshop of the Master of the Litomerice Altar (the cycle is dated in 1509).
The door in the south-western corner of the chapel leads to the Crown Chamber in which the Bohemian Coronation Jewels are kept.
From the 16th century the Vladislav Hall served particularly royal state purposes. It was the scene of coronation festivities and banquets, knights' tournaments and markets with artistic and luxurious goods. The Vladislav Hall still partly fulfils the state function: the elections of the president of the Czech Republic and ceremonial gatherings connected with important days in the life of this country take place in it. Neighbouring on the Vladislav Hall is the Diet, which through the furnishings of its interior affords an idea of the way in which the proceedings of the Diet took place after 1627, and also All Saints' Church. From the south-western corner of the Vladislav Hall a portal leads to the Ludwig Wing with the offices of the Czech Chancellery. In 1618 its second room witnessed the beginning of the uprising to the Czech Estates when two governors and a scribe were thrown into the castle ditch from its window. The uprising of the Czech Estates was the first conflict of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648).
The observation gallery on the southern wall of the Vladislav Hall affords a beautiful view of the Garden on the Ramparts and of Prague. Nowadays the exit from the Vladislav Hall is formed by the Riders' Staircase, built originally to enable knights to enter the hall on horseback in order to take part in the jousting competitions held in it. The staircase is vaulted with a complicated Late Gothic rib vault.
St. George's Basilica originated as the second church at Prague Castle. Only the foundations of the building, founded about 920 by Prince Vratislav I have been preserved. When the convent for Benedictine nuns was founded in 973 the church was enlarged and reconstructed. The present Romanesque appearance of the church with main apse and two steeples dated from the time of the reconstruction carried out after the devastating fire which occurred in 1142. In the first half of the 13th century a chapel consecrated to St. Ludmila was added to the church as well as a portico on its western side. The Early Baroque period left its mark in the form of the present striking facade and the reconstruction of the whole convent. In the early 18th century the architect F.M. Kanka added the Baroque Chapel of St. John Nepomuk to the church.
After the devastating occupation of the convent by troops in the late 18th century the church was renewed in the years 1887 to 1908 after a design by F. Mach, who tried to restore its Romanesque appearance. In the period of from 1969 to 1975 the convent was also reconstructed and adapted for the installation of the exposition of old Bohemian art of the National Gallery.
The interior of the basilica is Romanesque, austere and monumental. The tombs of members of the Premyslid dynasty of princes are situated in the main nave.
The southern side of the chancel is adjoined by St. Ludmila's Chapel. The convent has a simple and soberly decorated Early Baroque facade. From the eastern branch of the cloister access can be gained to St. Anne's Chapel in the convent.
The most beautiful works of Bohemian Gothic art and art of the Rudolphian and Baroque period are exhibited in the interiors of the convent.
Open daily except Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Golden Lane originated after the construction of the northern wall of the Castle. The area of the northern bailey was used for the building of modest dwellings, which are now the last remainder of the small-scale architecture of Prague Castle. They were inhabited by the castle servants, perhaps goldsmiths (the name "Golden Lane" is documented from the 16th century] and the castle marksmen. The tiny houses were occupied until World War II, but already during the period of the First Republic care was taken to ensure that the picturesque character of the lane was not changed in the course of modifications. From 1916 to 1917 house No. 22 was inhabited by the writer Franz Kafka.
The appearance of a 16th-century dwelling is best demonstrated by house No. 20 with a frame upper floor. The original size is documented by house No. 13, which is the only dwelling here to have adhered to the present to the original regulation according to which the room had to be built in an arch of the wall - its facade does not protrude into the lane at all.
The staircase in house No. 12 affords access to the terrace in front of the tower called Daliborka. This round cannon tower formed a part of the Jagello fortification system and its bottom floor was used as a prison from the beginning. The first and also the best-known prisoner was the knight Dalibor of Kozojedy, who was imprisoned here in 1498. Another well-known prisoner was Baron Frantisek Antonin Spork of East Bohemia, renowned in the 18th century as an admirer and patron of art.
Open daily with ever changing entrance fees.
The Lobkowicz Palace is on Jirska street, which runs from the square U sv. Jiri (St. George square) in the direction of the eastern gate of Prague Castle. Standing on the southern side in its lower part is Lobkowicz Palace.
Dwelling houses stood here already in the 13th century. Later two large Gothic houses belonging to Czech noblemen were built on this site. The construction of a palace building was started here before the mid- 16th century by Wolf Krajir of Krajek and continued after him by the lords of Pernstejn, one of the largest Bohemian noble families of the 16th century.
The Renaissance palace had four wings surrounding a courtyard and it was outstanding for its rich architectural decoration. During the period of from 1651 to 1668 Carlo Lurago adapted it in Early Baroque style for Eusebius of Lobkowicz, then the Bohemian governor. Two rooms and the chapel on the first floor have been preserved in their original form.
The Palace houses a permanent exposition created from a private collection of the Lobkowicz family called - The Princely Collections. On display are pictures by Velázquez Brueghel, Canaletto and others, works of art from the 12th to the 20th century, musical instruments and original manuscripts and period prints of significant musical works (Händel, Haydn, Beethoven), and a unique collection of arms.
Open daily from 10:30 to 18:00.
The Old Royal Palace grew and gradually gained its present appearance from the time of its founding in the late 9th century. The original wooden building with a stone foundation wall was converted into a stone Romanesque palace by Prince Sobeslav in the early 12th century. Remainders of it have been preserved in the underground to the present. The palace was adjoined on its eastern side by All Saints' Chapel, which was consecrated in 1185.
In the first half of the 14th century the king and emperor Charles IV had a Gothic palace with a vaulted interior for state purposes and a band of arcades on its northern side built on the site of the Romanesque building. During the reign of his son Wenceslas IV two perpendicular wings were added and All Saints' Chapel was reconstructed.
The palace was deserted for entire eighty years of the stormy 15th century. After 1483 the king Vladislav Jagello returned to Prague Castle and commenced the last large-scale reconstruction of the palace. The magnificent solemn Vladislav Hall was added to it and when designing it the architect Benedikt Ried combined the art of the Late Gothic with elements of the newly arriving Renaissance style. The perpendicular palace wing named after Vladislav's son Ludvik is also the work of B. Ried. After the succession of the Habsburgs to the Bohemian throne the interiors of the Old Royal Palace were used for coronation festivities and diets and as conference rooms, offices and depositories. New dwelling quarters were built to the west of the palace, in the southern part of the Castle complex. After the catastrophic fire which occurred in 1541 the Diet and All Saints' Church were rebuilt.
The Theresian Wing originated in the course of the reconstruction of the Castle in the 18th century. During the 20th century it has been subjected to several reconstructions. In 1993 it was adapted for an exhibition of creative art.
Loreta - a Marian pilgrimage place with a copy of the Italian Santa Casa (G. Orsi, 1626 - 1627) including also the baroque Church of the Nativity of Our Lord (K. I. Dienzenhofer, 1734 - 1735). The ground is encircled by a cloister and chapels. The spire houses a carillon which consist of 27 Loreta bells which tune a Marian song We Greet You a Thousand Times (every hour from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.). The most valuable item of the liturgical treasury is the so-called Loreta Treasure, a collection of sacral object from the 16th to 18th centuries. The most famous of these is the Diamond Monstrance adorned with 6 222 diamonds. Closed during lunch hour - from 12:15 to 1:00 pm
Strahov Library and Strahov Monastery - This picturesque building complex overlooking the castle and Prague is a Premonstratensian order monastery, founded in 1140 by Vladislav II. The present baroque shape was acquired in the latter half of the 17th and during the 18th century (J. B. Mathey, A. Lurago, I. J. Palliardi). Within the monastery precincts there are the church of the Assumption (1743 - 1752), the Strahov picture gallery, the valuable Strahov library with a large number of medieval illuminated manuscripts, maps, globes and graphics, the baroque Theological Room (1671 - 1679), and the classicist Philosophy Room (1785 - 1794) decorated with fresco paintings of A. Maultbertsch and Nosek. Both of these halls are a prime example of impressive baroque wall paitings and much more. Open every day with a closure for lunch.
