Prague Castle

We headed to Prague at the end of September 2016 to meet with our American friends who were going to be in the city for a few days. I had visited Prague twice before (in 1995 & 2006) so was mostly looking forward to hanging out with our friends rather than sightseeing. But I have to say the city really impressed again!

In a city full of fantastic architecture and magnificent buildings, Prague Castle dominates them all with its place on the hill overlooking the river and the many interesting areas of Prague. The castle contains palaces, workshops, churches, prisons, exhibitions etc. and fantastic views to the river and the rest of the city. Together with our friends Gena & Chris we headed up the hill to the castle on our first day in Prague, taking in the sights, smells and tastes on the way up. It seemed that on this walk (and most of our walks in Prague) everywhere you looked there was so much to see. There were nice squares and churches but also fascinating detail on ordinary shops and buildings, random sculptures, cool doors, the list goes on!

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The delicious wafts of the Czech specialty Trdelnik greeted us from further up the street and as people kept passing us by eating them we felt we had to try them too. It was to be the first of three trdelniks we had, and the best. I had one with walnuts and Antony with cinnamon and of course there was sugar on both. The dough itself was not that sweet. The dough is wrapped around a metal tube thing in a spiral kind of formation and thus when you eat it, it kind of unwraps bit by delicious bit. I tried one with ice-cream inside it a few days later but this cannot be recommended! The soft ice was weird and the trdelnik was not warm and fresh like the usual ones you buy. Once the ice-cream was eaten, trying to eat the trdelnik while it unravelled was a bit messy… so stick with the unfilled versions!20161007_084442-collage

We enjoyed the views on the way up to the castle but once we arrived we saw the length of the queue to get into the castle grounds and decided to visit another day! It was hot and almost midday, we hadn’t eaten lunch either, so not ideal conditions for standing in a queue to get through the recently introduced security checks. Bright and early a few days later we arrived just before things opened at 9am so had a very short wait to get inside. We could purchase tickets and see the sights before the big tour groups and other tourists flocked in.

Enjoying the views on the way up to Prague Castle.

Enjoying the views on the way up to Prague Castle.

20160929_122750The Old Royal Palace itself is not that spectacular with a visit inside actually rather limited – one only gets to see the hall where coronation feasts were held, the diet and the rooms where the land rolls were kept. I spotted a cool door knob but otherwise not particularly exciting in here.

The Rosenberg Palace had an exhibition about coins, mining, and some other things we weren’t hugely interested in but the exhibition was well put together and the windows offered great views of the city below. There were some cool church things in the small but beautiful chapel, like a Gothic processional cross & Gothic monstrances made in the 1400s.

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Chapel, Rosenberg Palace at Prague Castle.

More interesting was the exhibition ‘The Story of Prague Castle’ which not only told the thousand year history of the place where Czech statehood unfolded but revealed the castle’s basement, old furnace heating systems and nine models showing what the castle looked like in different periods. Along with the story of the development of the Czech state, there were stories of the Bohemian patrons, the Church & Cathedral, Burials, Residences, Coronations, and the Story of Banquets featuring a bit on table manners! No photos allowed so you’ll just have to visit yourself to see this stuff.

The most stunning landmark in the complex is the church- St Vitus Cathedral. Not only stunning seen from a distance anywhere in Prague, especially all lit up at night, the interior was also gorgeous. So many different things to appreciate inside- from the sunlight reflections through the stained glass windows, to flying angels holding curtains over a tomb, to high vaulted ceilings, the decorated St Wenceslas chapel and gold monstrances. Here there was no ban on photography. 🙂

St Vitus Cathedral, Prague Castle.

St Vitus Cathedral, Prague Castle.

St Vitus Cathedral, Prague Castle.

St Vitus Cathedral, Prague Castle.

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Behind St Vitus Cathedral is the Basilica of St George, the oldest surviving church building within the castle. It was founded in 920 but after a major fire in 1142 it was rebuilt. The facade is from the 17th Century. There was a completely different feel in this small, simple church compared to the huge St Vitus Cathedral but it was really lovely too.

Front & back of St George's Basilica.

Front & back of St George’s Basilica.

Inside St George's Basilica, Prague Castle.

Inside St George’s Basilica, Prague Castle.

Inside St George's Basilica, Prague Castle.

Inside St George’s Basilica, Prague Castle.

The Golden Lane is a string of small buildings that once housed seamstresses, fortune tellers and craftsmen. Some of the small homes have been furnished and decorated as they would have been in various times to show how different people had lived. Many of the buildings now house Czech souvenir shops. The most interesting buildings are at the end you first arrive at, you can go both up and down stairs to see interesting collections of knives and other weapons, also full armour suits. The one that looked like a rooster was my favourite!

Golden Lane, Prague Castle.

Golden Lane, Prague Castle.

At the other end of the golden lane is the Dalibor Tower, a dungeon where torture was conducted. Several torture or killing tools were on display. Crazy to be in the round tower and imagine who had been held prisoner there and what fate they may have suffered. 

To finish off I will leave you with a picture of my lovely man by a fountain just inside the entrance to the castle and the statue of a boy with a golden penis! Not sure of the story behind this one…

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About the Author

Born and bred in New Zealand's South Island, this Kiwi likes getting 'out there' exploring the world and its wonderful people! I have taught English in South Korea, volunteered in Kyrgyzstan, studied in Denmark, lived in community in Scotland and visited friends and wonderful people all over the world. Now married to Antony the adventures continue together. I have a habit of being notoriously behind in my blog - but will do what I can to record my adventures, as much for my own record as anything (as I have a terrible memory). After an amazing year in Iran and Europe, in 2016, Antony and I are off again September 29 2019 - Feb 1 2020. Hopefully I can blog about most of what we get up to! Enjoy the read! Kate x

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