Prague Castle, Prague

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Golden lane was named after the Goldsmiths that used to live in the houses here. It is quite scenic, but whilst I was there, it was so busy that it was impossible to take a decent picture of the street with the brightly coloured houses.

The houses were initially built for the Kings guards in the 1500’s. The Goldsmiths came next, then by the 19th century it had become a slum. These days, the houses are all shops selling weapons, armour, chastity belts, books and various other things you never knew you needed. Window shopping can be good fun however. There is also the opportunity to do things like crossbow shooting, which I have to admit to trying.

As the outside of the street was so busy, I have posted pictures here of some of the weapons and armour on display, as well as an arrow slit at the back of the buildings, which allows the archer to rotate it round so he can fire in the direction he wants and get protection from the sides.

This too is within Prague castle. It is considered to be the best preserved Romanesque Church in Prague (dating back as far as 915 AD or so). It was rebuilt in 1142 after a fire. This church has a very old feel to it, even if it has been extensively restored and a lot of the stone work looks quite new.

Amongst Royalty buried here in this church is St Ludmilla. Apparently she was the first ever female Christian Martyr after she got strangled whilst at prayer (on the orders of her daughter-in-law). She wasn’t the only person to be murdered within the castle by her own family – St Wenceslas was murdered on his own brother’s orders.

If you didn’t know, and wandered into this room in the Royal Palace, you would assume that the crests that decorate the ceilings (they have been painted on) are those of Czech Royalty and Nobility – they certainly look impressive.

The truth is a little more bizarre however! These crests actually belong to the clerks that worked in this room between 1561 and 1774. I’m sure if I started painting my crest on the ceiling of the office I work in, it would not go down terribly well! Although to be fair, the painting is of a much higher standard than anything I could achieve.

The huge Vladislav Hall is built in the gothic design. It was built by a German – Benedikt Reid and has impressive ribbed vaulting like on the cathedral, but on a much grander scale. You can see this in my photo.

Every Czech president since 1918 has been sworn in to office in this hall, and of course in earlier days it was used by the Kings. It is so massive that indoor public markets, festivals, and even jousting competitions were held in here. The Jousting only took place here when it was too wet to hold outdoors.

The Riders Staircase leads in to the Vladislav Hall. One fo the functions of this hall was to hold Jousting competitions in the wet weather. You may now be able to guess why this staircase is referred to as the riders Staircase! Yes, so that the knights did not have to dismount, a very gentle staircase with very wide steps was built that allowed the riders, still on horseback to ride in and out of the hall.

My picture shows these steps, and also the ribbed vaulting on the ceiling which compliments Vladislav Hall.

When you are looking at the profile of the cathedral from the little square, make sure you check out the Gothic Vaulting in the Golden Portal. The Golden portal used to be the main entrance into the cathedral until the 19th Century. It’s easy to identify by the 3 archways side by side on the wall of the building. If you have already been inside the cathedral, the Golden Portal is more or less where the Chapel of St Wenceslas.

Once you get to the 3 arches, look up. You will see this very intricate vaulting with these 6 very delicate ribs. This is supposed to show the skills of the architect (Peter Parler) off to full extent.

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If you can be bothered to climb up the cathedral tower, you get some pretty good views. I remember the stair case as being a bit narrow.

My personal opinion here is that if you want to see views of Prague, then climb the hill in Letna Park, for the classical view of the Bridges. The next best view can then be had from the Observation Tower on Petrin Hill. If after seeing these, you are still after yet another view, then climb this tower. You can get good views from here, but location is everything, and this is not the best location for getting the best views.

I have posted two pictures so you can see the views. Compare these to my other tips of Letna Park and Petrin Hill (also on my Prague page) so you can make up your own mind. My first picture shows the view towards Charles Bridge, the second shows the bend in the river.

Prague Castle is beautiful and is one of Europe's largest medieval castles.
Prague Castle was established in the 9th century. A Romanesque palace was erected during the 12th century, and in the 14th century, under the reign of Charles IV, it was rebuilt to Gothic style. A further reconstruction of the Royal Palace then took place under the Jagellons at the end of the 15th century.

If you go to the top of The Old Town Tower you can see fantastic views of Prague City & Prague Castle.
The opening times are:
Prague Castle Complex:
Apr-Oct: Daily 05am till 11pm
Nov-Mar: Daily 06am till 11pm
Prague Castle Sights:
Apr-Oct: Daily 09am till 5pm
Nov-Mar: Daily 09am till 4pm
Prague Castle Gardens:
Apr-Oct: Daily 10:am 6pm.