Prague Castle
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Prague Castle at night. |
The
Prague Castle (
Czech:
Pražský hrad) is the
castle in
Prague where the
Czech kings,
Holy Roman Emperors and
presidents of the Czech Republic (and
Czechoslovakia) have had their offices. The
crown jewels of the Bohemian Kingdom are kept here. Prague Castle is one of the biggest castles in the world (according to
Guinness Book of Records the biggest ancient castle [
1]) at about 570 meters in length and an average of about 130 meters wide.
The history of the castle stretches back to the
9th century (870). The first walled building was the church of Our Lady.
Basilicas of St. George and 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 strengthen. 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 Empress
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
Jože Plečnik.
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 usurper 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. After Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the castle became the seat of the
Head of State of the new Czech Republic.
The castle buildings represent virtually every architectural style of the last millennium. The Prague Castle includes gothic
St Vitus Cathedral,
romanesque basilica of St. George, a monastery and several palaces, gardens and defence towers. Most of the castle areas are opened to the tourists. Nowadays, the castle houses several museums, including the National Gallery collection of Bohemian
baroque and
mannerism art, exhibition dedicated to Czech history, Toy Museum and the picture gallery of Prague Castle, based on the collection of
Rudolph II.
Summer Shakespeare Festival regularly takes place in the courtyard of the Burgrave Palace.
The neighbourhood around the Prague Castle is called
Hradčany.
Churches
*
St. Vitus Cathedral* St George's Basilica and convent
Palaces
* Old Royal Palace
* Belvedere (Royal Summer Palace)
* Lobkovicz Palace
* Rosenberg Palace
* New Royal Palace (Spanish Hall, Rudolph's Gallery)
Other Buildings
* Dalibor Tower
* Powder Tower - Mihulka
* Golden Lane (Zlatá ulička)
* Supreme Burgrave's House
* Ball Game Hall
* Riding School
* Imperial Stables
* Old Provost Residence
* New Provost Residence
Gardens
* Royal Garden
* Riding School Terrace Garden
* The Garden on the Bastion
* South Gardens
** Paradise Garden
** Garden on the Ramparts
** The Hartig Garden
* Deer Moat
*
Defenestrations of Prague*
Official website (in Czech)*
Interactive VR Panorama & History of Prague Castle*
History of the castle (in English)*
Prague Castle after a rain (Czech and English)
