Prague Castle, Prague

Strolling through Prague Castle is much different than places like Blarney, Neuschwanstein, Edinburgh, etc. It is, by far, the largest castle I have been in. It is more of a walled town than a castle in my opinion, with about 6 or 7 components, each serving a seperate purpose, and each being constructed in different eras.

This makes for a very interesting afternoon, as you explore not only the history of the use status of the castle, but you also go on a historical tour of several architectural periods.

The centerpiece of the castle is St. Vitus Cathedral, with is a gothic monster! It towers over the remaining 3 churches, which are all constructed in different architectural styles.

There are also several palaces to explore, as well as the Golden Lane, which is a small trip into a fairy tale.

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Probably you need more than a day to see everything, if you include the cathedral and the gardens (you should!). We didn't go into half the things, and just spent half a day wandering about . Hope to go back for the rest!

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I chose to walk up the hill from Charles Bridge to the castle and I can tell you that it was a struggle (about half an hour walk uphill). When I got to the top of the hill where the street curves up to the castle entrance, I decided to take a break at a restaurant/cafe and had myself a couple of Pilsner Urquell and a few Marlboros before I headed into the castle. It was just amazing. Every step I took going up the hill was well worth it.

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Our group spent several hours here but even that was not enough. Several of our members either stayed to see more of the castle or went back again the following day. I must say I liked St. Vitus Cathedral for its stained glass windows and the outside facade of the building. The Royal; Garden would be nice to slowly walk through with its different plants and fountains. We unfortunately had to run through it to catch up with our group instead of walking though t and enjoying it. The castle itself is huge with many courtyards. Our guide was telling us the significance of each one but all I could hear was the title courtyard 1, 2 and 3, since she was walking too fast.
When you enter there are statues of giants with clubs and knives. The palace guards were guarding the gate. The first courtyard leads to the old headquarters of the Czech president, which is now in old town. From the second courtyard you can see the Holy Cross Chapel and Prague Castle Picture Gallery. The third courtyard leads you to Vitus Cathedral.
One thing you should not miss when here is the changing of the guards in their 1920.s uniforms which occurs every hour from 5AM-11PM. The 12PM ceremony is the one to catch since there is additional ceremony and a banner exchange.
All in all to see the basics of the castle and the changing of the guard it could take you about 4 hours. Afford yourself more time if you want to see more. When you leave the castle through the arc gateway you can see a beautiful view of the old and new city. We almost missed the bus since we were taking picture and talking to some painters painting this view.

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Prague Castle can trace its history back to the 9th century. The Church of Our Lady was the first walled building built on the site. From this day until present a variety of different buildings were built or rebuilt as others were torn or burned down. The result is a mixture of architectural styles of the past millennium.
In the 10th century the Basilica of St. George and Basilica of St. Vitus were constructed. A palace in the Romanesque style were created in the 12th century. The 14th century saw the rebuilding of the palace and Basilica of St. Vitus in the Gothic style. In the 1511, fire destroyed many parts of the castle. The Habsburgs built new Renaissance styled buildings. Ferdinand I added the Spanish Hall to the castle to hold his art collection and built a summer castle. In the 1600’s, the castle was damaged by many wars and revolts. In the last half of the 18th century, Empress Maria Theresa rebuilt the castle. In 1918, the president of the Czech Republic resided here and the new royal palace and gardens were remodeled. During the Nazi occupation it was the headquarters for Reinhard Heydrick who was assassinated. After the liberation, the people of Czechoslovakia called for Alexander Dubiek to become president. After Czechoslovakia was split, the castle housed the Head of State of the New Czech Republic and new renovations were made.
Today, Prague castle and the area around it called Hradcany is almost like a miniature village or city. It would take many hours to see the many major site in Hradcany. Walk around and look for the monastery, several palaces, the basilica of St. George, St Vitus cathedral, the defense tower and the several gardens. There are several museums housed within the castle such as the Toy museum, the picture gallery of Prague Castle and the National Gallery collection of Bohemian and mannerism art.

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Located at the end of Golden Lane, Daliborka Tower used to be a prison and is named after the first person to 'reside' there. It now houses some examples of torture instruments and there is an interesting sculpture outside (see photo).

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Dominating the skyline is the castle complex with the towers of St Vitus Cathedral. The castle is free to stroll around, as is the cathedral and the gardens on the ramparts, but to enter any of the other notable buildings requires an admission ticket. There are two different tickets:

Ticket B: Old Royal Palace, Basilica of St George & Golden Lane (costs 250 Kc - adult)
Ticket A: Ticket B + Story of Prague Castle Exhibit + National Gallery + Prague Castle Picture Gallery (400 Kc)

Please see the relevant tips for more info about these areas. You can buy tickets either across the courtyard from the cathedral entrance or at any of the sites listed above.

This was the original seat of power for the rulers of Prague Castle. Inside there are some nice artefacts, paintings and the like but most impressive of is Vladislav Hall which includes horse jousting among one of the funtions that used to take place there. Other than the hall I did not find this place that impressive.