While your eyes take in the sparkle of stained glass and perfectly manicured gardens, the history will captivate your mind. Original examples of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance architecture stand shoulder to shoulder, like the many soldiers who have guarded the grounds.
If the walls of those buildings, churches and gardens could talk, they would tell stories ranging from the 9th century monarchs to modern day politicians. Luckily you'll have our guide fill you in on the details of the defenestrations and the role the castle played through world wars and revolutions.
Prague Castle is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic, dating from the 9th century. It is the official office of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle was a seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman emperors, and presidents of Czechoslovakia. The Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept within a hidden room inside it.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world, occupying an area of almost 70,000 square metres (750,000 square feet), at about 570 metres (1,870 feet) in length and an average of about 130 metres (430 feet) wide. The castle is among the most visited tourist attractions in Prague attracting over 1.8 million visitors annually. More at Wikipedia.
The Tour Route includes visits to the following places
The Prague Castle Guard or simply the Castle Guard (Czech: Hradní stráž) is a specific and autonomous unit of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic directly subordinate to the Military Office of the President of the Czech Republic. Its main task is to guard and defend the seat of the President of the Czech Republic at the Prague Castle
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saints Vitus, Wenceslaus and Adalbert (Czech: metropolitní katedrála svatého Víta, Václava a Vojtěcha) is a Roman Catholic metropolitan cathedral in Prague, the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. Until 1997, the cathedral was dedicated only to Saint Vitus, and is still commonly named only as St. Vitus Cathedral.
This cathedral is a prominent example of Gothic architecture and is the largest and most important church in the country. Located within Prague Castle and containing the tombs of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors, the cathedral is under the ownership of the Czech government as part of the Prague Castle complex
There are six gorgeous gardens in the Prague Castle premises in total. In the north side we will find the greatest gem among the gardens, the Royal Garden(czech: Královská zahrada), which not only covers the largest area but also contains uncountable number of very important historical buildings and other curiosities. Further in the north part we will find the garden On the terrace of the Riding Hall (czech: Jízdárna). On the contrary, there is a garden called „Na Baště“ in the north part. They are called the Garden of Eden (czech: Rajská zahrada), the Garden on the Ramparts (czech: Na Valech) and the Hartig Garden (czech: Hartigovská zahrada) . Let´s visit them one by one. We will highlight the interesting points and see the individual green grace of the Prague Castle.
The mosaic is a triptych that depicts the second coming of Jesus Christ. The central image on the mosaic is Christ in Majesty, surrounded by angels. The angels surrounding him are carrying trumpets to signify the coming of the Lord. Underneath him, six Czech patron saints are kneeling.Royal Palace
In 1918, the castle became the seat of the president of the new Czechoslovak Republic, T.G. Masaryk. The New Royal Palace and the gardens were renovated by Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik. In this period the St Vitus Cathedral was finished (on September 28, 1929). Renovations continued in 1936 under Plečnik's successor Pavel Janák.
St. George's Basilica (Czech: Bazilika Sv. Jiří) is the oldest surviving church building within Prague Castle, Prague, Czech Republic. The basilica was founded by Vratislaus I of Bohemia in 920. It is dedicated to Saint George.
The basilica was substantially enlarged in 973 with the addition of the Benedictine St. George's Abbey. It was rebuilt following a major fire in 1142. The Baroque façade dates from the late 17th century. A Gothic style chapel dedicated to Ludmila of Bohemia holds the tomb of the saint. The shrines of Vratislav and Boleslaus II of Bohemia are also in the basilica. The abbess of this community had the right to crown the Bohemian queens consort.
The building now houses the 19th century Bohemian Art Collection of National Gallery in Prague. It also serves as a concert hall.
The Lennon Wall or John Lennon Wall is a wall in Prague, Czech Republic. Once a normal wall, since the 1980s it has been filled with John Lennon-inspired graffiti and pieces of lyrics from Beatles' songs.
The wall is owned by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which allowed the graffiti to continue on the wall, and is located at Velkopřevorské náměstí (Grand Priory Square), Malá Strana.
Charles Bridge (Czech: Karlův most [ˈkarluːf ˈmost] (About this sound listen)) is a historic bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century.
The bridge is 621 metres (2,037 ft) long and nearly 10 metres (33 ft) wide, following the example of the Stone Bridge in Regensburg, it was built as a bow bridge with 16 arches shielded by ice guards. It is protected by three bridge towers, two of them on the Lesser Quarter side and the third one on the Old Town side. The Old Town Bridge Tower is often considered to be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in the world. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, originally erected around 1700 but now all replaced by replicas.
