Prague Castle ( cs, Pražský hrad; ) is a
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
complex in
Prague 1 Municipality within
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
,
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, built in 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
The Duchy of Bohemia was established in 870 and raised to the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1198. Several Bohemian monarchs ruled as non-hereditary kings beforehand, first gaining the title in 1085. From 1004 to 1806, Bohemia was part of the Holy Roman ...
,
Holy Roman emperors
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
, and
presidents
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
. The
Bohemian Crown Jewels
The Bohemian crown jewels, also called the Czech crown jewels ( cs, české korunovační klenoty), include the Crown of Saint Wenceslas (''Svatováclavská koruna''), the royal orb and sceptre, the coronation vestments of the Kings of Bohemi ...
are kept within a hidden room inside it.
According to the
Guinness Book of Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world, occupying an area of almost , at about in length and an average of about wide. The castle is among the most visited
tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural b ...
s in Prague, attracting over 1.8 million visitors annually.
History
Přemyslid fort
The history of the castle began in 870 when its first walled building, the
Church of the Virgin Mary, was built. The
Basilica of Saint George and the
Basilica of St. Vitus were founded under the reign of
Vratislaus I, Duke of Bohemia and his son
St. Wenceslas in the first half of the 10th century.
The first convent in
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
was founded in the castle, next to the church of St. George. A Romanesque palace was erected here during the 12th century.
Several 13th-century
Venetian coins found there were studied by the numismatist
Zdenka Nemeškalová-Jiroudková
Zdenka Nemeškalová-Jiroudková is a Czech numismatist and archaeologist. She was born in Prague on 9 April 1928.
Career
During her career she studied Czech coin finds, including those of thirteenth-century Venetian coins at Prague Castle a ...
.
Medieval castle
King
Ottokar II of Bohemia
Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his deat ...
improved fortifications and rebuilt the royal palace for the purposes of representation and housing. In the 14th century, under the reign of
Charles IV the royal palace was rebuilt in
Gothic style
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
and the castle fortifications were strengthened. In place of the rotunda and basilica of St. Vitus, building began of a vast Gothic church, that were completed almost six centuries later.
During the
Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...
and the following decades, the castle was not inhabited. In 1485, King
Vladislaus II Jagiellon began to rebuild the castle. The massive
Vladislav Hall
Vladislav Hall ( cs, Vladislavský sál) is a large hall within the Prague Castle complex in the Czech Republic, used for large public events of the Bohemian monarchy and the modern Czech state. Built between 1493–1502 by Benedikt Rejt dur ...
(built by
Benedikt Rejt
Benedikt Rejt (often spelled Benedikt Ried; c. 1450 – between 1531 and 1536) was a leading medieval architect in Bohemia, today's Czech Republic. He built Vladislav Hall (1497–1500) in Prague Castle, St. Barbara's Church, Kutná Hora, (c. 14 ...
) was added to the Royal Palace. New defence towers were also built on the north side of the castle.
A large fire in 1541 destroyed large parts of the castle. Under the
Habsburgs
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
, some new buildings in
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
style were added.
Ferdinand I built the Belvedere as a summer palace for his wife
Anne
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
.
Rudolph II
Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the Ho ...
used Prague Castle as his main residence. He founded the northern wing of the palace, with the
Spanish Hall, where his precious art collections were exhibited.
The
Third Defenestration of Prague
The Defenestrations of Prague ( cs, Pražská defenestrace, german: Prager Fenstersturz, la, Defenestratio Pragensis) were three incidents in the history of Bohemia in which people were defenestrated (thrown out of a window). Though already ex ...
in 1618 took place at the castle which kick-started the
Bohemian Revolt
The Bohemian Revolt (german: Böhmischer Aufstand; cs, České stavovské povstání; 1618–1620) was an uprising of the Bohemian estates against the rule of the Habsburg dynasty that began the Thirty Years' War. It was caused by both relig ...
. During the subsequent wars, the castle was damaged and dilapidated. Many works from the collection of
Rudolph II
Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the Ho ...
were looted by Swedes in 1648 during the
Battle of Prague (1648) which was the final act of the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
.
The last major rebuilding of the castle was carried out by
Empress Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...
in the second half of the 18th century. Following the abdication of
Ferdinand I, in 1848, and the succession of his nephew,
Franz Joseph
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...
, to the throne, the former emperor,
Ferdinand I, made Prague Castle his home.
Presidential residence
![Praha, Hradní stráž 05](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Praha%2C_Hradn%C3%AD_str%C3%A1%C5%BE_05.jpg)
In 1918, the castle became the seat of the president of the new
Czechoslovak Republic
Czechoslovak Republic (Czech and Slovak: ''Československá republika, ČSR''), was the official name of Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1939 and between 1945 and 1960. See:
*First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1938)
*Second Czechoslovak Republic ...
,
Tomáš Masaryk
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (7 March 185014 September 1937) was a Czechoslovak politician, statesman, sociologist, and philosopher. Until 1914, he advocated restructuring the Austro-Hungarian Empire into a federal state. With the help of ...
. The New Royal Palace and the gardens were renovated by Slovenian architect
Jože Plečnik
Jože Plečnik () (23 January 1872 – 7 January 1957) was a Slovene architect who had a major impact on the modern architecture of Vienna, Prague and of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, most notably by designing the iconic Triple Bridge and ...
. In this period the
St. Vitus Cathedral
, native_name_lang = Czech
, image = St Vitus Prague September 2016-21.jpg
, imagesize = 300px
, imagelink =
, imagealt =
, landscape =
, caption ...
was finished on September 28, 1929. Renovations continued in 1936 under Plečnik's successor
Pavel Janák
Pavel Janák (12 March 1881 in Karlín – 1 August 1956 in Prague-Dejvice) was a Czech modernist architect, furniture designer, town planner, professor and theoretician.
Life
Janák studied with Otto Wagner in Vienna between 1906 and 1908, and ...
.
On March 15, 1939, shortly after
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
forced Czech President
Emil Hacha
Emil or Emile may refer to:
Literature
*'' Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
* ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life
*'' Emil and the Detecti ...
(who suffered a heart attack during the negotiations) to hand his nation over to the Germans,
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
spent a night in the Prague Castle, "proudly surveying his new possession." During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in World War II, Prague Castle became the headquarters of
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( ; ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a high-ranking German SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust.
He was chief of the Reich Security Main Office (inclu ...
, the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia. According to a popular rumor, he is said to have placed the Bohemian crown on his head; old legends say a
usurper
A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. In other words, one who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for oneself, without any formal or legal right to claim it as ...
who places the crown on his head is doomed to die within a year. Less than a year after assuming power, on May 27, 1942, Heydrich was ambushed during
Operation Anthropoid
On 27 May 1942 in Prague, Reinhard Heydrichthe commander of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), acting governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and a principal architect of the Holocaustwas attacked and wounded in an assassinati ...
, by British-trained Slovak and Czech resistance soldiers while on his way to the Castle, and died of his wounds, which became infected, a week later. Klaus, his
firstborn son
Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...
, died the next year in a traffic accident, also in line with the legend.
After the liberation of Czechoslovakia and the
coup in 1948, the Castle housed the offices of the communist Czechoslovak government. After
Czechoslovakia split in 1993 into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the castle became the seat of the
Head of State
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
of the new Czech Republic. Similar to what Masaryk did with Plečnik, president
Václav Havel
Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then as ...
commissioned
Bořek Šípek to be the architect of post-communist improvements for Prague Castle, in particular of the facelift of the castle's gallery of paintings.
Architectural styles of Prague Castle
The castle buildings represent many of the architectural styles of the last millennium. Prague Castle includes
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
St. Vitus Cathedral
, native_name_lang = Czech
, image = St Vitus Prague September 2016-21.jpg
, imagesize = 300px
, imagelink =
, imagealt =
, landscape =
, caption ...
,
Romanesque Basilica of St. George, a monastery and several palaces, gardens and defense towers. Most of the castle areas are open to tourists. The castle houses several museums, including the
National Gallery
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...
collection of Bohemian
baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
and
mannerist
Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...
art, exhibition dedicated to Czech history, Toy Museum and the picture gallery of Prague Castle, based on the collection of Rudolph II. The
Summer Shakespeare Festival regularly takes place in the courtyard of Burgrave Palace.
The neighborhood around Prague Castle is called
Hradčany
Hradčany (; german: Hradschin), the Castle District, is the district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic surrounding Prague Castle.
The castle is one of the biggest in the world at about in length and an average of about wide. Its history ...
.
Churches
![2014 Praga, Hradczany](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/2014_Praga%2C_Hradczany.JPG)
* Katedrála svatého Víta, Václava a Vojtěcha (
St. Vitus Cathedral
, native_name_lang = Czech
, image = St Vitus Prague September 2016-21.jpg
, imagesize = 300px
, imagelink =
, imagealt =
, landscape =
, caption ...
)
* Bazilika svatého Jiří (
St. George's Basilica, Prague) and Klášter svatého Jiří (
St. George's Convent, Prague), it is the oldest surviving church building within Prague Castle.
* Chrám Všech svatých (
All Saints Church)
* Kaple svatého Kříže ()
Palaces
* Starý královský palác (
Old Royal Palace
The Old Royal Palace ( el, Παλαιά Ανάκτορα ''Palaiá Anáktora'') is the first royal palace of modern Greece, completed in 1843. It has housed the Hellenic Parliament since 1934. The Old Palace is situated at the heart of modern A ...
)
* Letohrádek královny Anny (
Queen Anne's Summer Palace
Queen Anne's Summer Palace (Czech: ''Letohrádek královny Anny''), sometimes called Belvedere, is a Renaissance building located in the Royal Garden of Prague Castle in the Czech Republic. It is considered to be one of the purest Italian Renaiss ...
, better known as the Belvedere)
* Lobkovický palác (
Lobkowicz Palace
The Lobkowicz Palace ( cs, Lobkowický palác) is a part of the Prague Castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the only privately owned building in the Prague Castle complex and houses the Lobkowicz Collections and Museum.
The palace wa ...
, not to be confused with the
German embassy in
Malá Strana
Malá Strana (Czech for "Little Side (of the River)", ) or more formally Menší Město pražské () is a district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic, and one of its most historic neighbourhoods.
In the Middle Ages, it was a dominant center o ...
)
* Nový královský palác ()
Halls
* Sloupová síň ()
* Španělský sál (
Spanish Hall)
* Rudolfova galerie (Rudolph's Gallery)
* Rothmayerův sál (Rothmayer's Hall)
* Vladislavský sál (
Vladislav Hall
Vladislav Hall ( cs, Vladislavský sál) is a large hall within the Prague Castle complex in the Czech Republic, used for large public events of the Bohemian monarchy and the modern Czech state. Built between 1493–1502 by Benedikt Rejt dur ...
)
Towers
* Bílá věž ()
* Černá věž ()
* Daliborka ()
* Prašná věž or Mihulka ()
Other buildings
* Zlatá ulička (
Golden Lane)
* Staré purkrabství ( )
* Míčovna ()
* Jízdárna Pražského hradu ()
* Staré proboštství ( )
* Nové proboštství ()
* Obrazárna Pražského hradu ()
* Konírna Pražského hradu (stable)
* Prašný most ()
Gardens
* Královská zahrada (
Royal Garden of Prague Castle)
** Oranžérie (
Orangery
An orangery or orangerie was a room or a dedicated building on the grounds of fashionable residences of Northern Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries where orange and other fruit trees were protected during the winter, as a very large ...
)
* Zahrada na terase Jízdárny ()
* Zahrada Na Baště (The Garden on the Bastion)
* Jižní zahrady (South Gardens)
** Rajská zahrada ()
** Zahrada Na Valech ()
** Hartigovská zahrada ()
* Jelení příkop (
Deer Moat)
* Svatováclavská vinice ()
* Produkční zahrady Pražského hradu ()
Structures
* Kohlova kašna (
Kohl's Fountain)
* Matyášova brána (
Matthias Gate)
* Obelisk (
Obelisk
An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...
)
* Socha svatého Jiří (
Statue of Saint George)
See also
*
History of early modern period domes
Domes built in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries relied primarily on empirical techniques and oral traditions rather than the architectural treatises of the time, but the study of dome structures changed radically due to developments in mathemati ...
*
Prague Castle skeleton
References
Sources
*
* Fischer, Klaus. ''Nazi Germany: A New History''. New York: Continuum, 1995.
* Reitlinger, Gerald. ''The SS: Alibi of a Nation, 1922-1945''. New York: Da Capo Press, 1989.
External links
Virtual visit with map and written commentary (in Czech)Virtual visit with map and written commentary (in English)Tourist information– Official tourist website
Prague Castle– Official website
{{Attached KML
Presidential residences
Jože Plečnik buildings
National Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic
Castles in the Czech Republic
Tourist attractions in Prague