Prague

Prague Castle

Prague Castle dominates the skyline all around the city, sitting on top of a hill it affords incredible views over the city. Prague Castle is where the Czech kings, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices and it is still used as the work place and offical residence of the President.

Opening Hours and Costs

From April 1 till October 31 the Castle complex is open from 5 a.m. to midnight. Premises requiring tickets are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Old Royal Palace, exhibition “The Story of Prague Castle”, St. George’s Basilica, Convent of St. George – National Gallery (closed till May 6), Golden Lane with Daliborka Tower, Prague Castle Picture Gallery, Powder Tower).

The castle grounds are open from 5am to midnight through-out the year - the parts that you need a ticket for are open 9am to 4pm - and will close at 4pm sharp. To take any photos you will also need to buy a photo license. The costs vary depending on which tour you want and your age from CZK 70 to CZK 500 for a family - check out their website for full details.

What to see and do in the Prague Castle area

Saint Vitus’s Cathedral - this is the main Cathedral in the Czech Republic and in Prague.  It is located within the Castle, well worth a visit.

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) at about 570 meters in length and an average of about 130 meters wide. It would be easy to give one full day over to this whole area.

The history of Prague Castle

The first walled building was the church of Our Lady in the 9th century (870). 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 defense towers on the northern side of the castle. A big fire of 1541 destroyed large parts of the castle. Under the 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 Jože Ple?nik. Renovations continued in 1936 under Ple?nik’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 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. During the Velvet Revolution, Alexander Dub?ek, the leader of Czechoslovakia during the Prague Spring, appeared on a balcony overlooking Wenceslas Square to hear throngs of protesters below shouting “Dub?ek 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 Ple?nik, president Václav Havel commissionned Bo?ek 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.