THE PRAGUE CASTLE ARCHITECTURE
The Prague Castle Architecture
The Prague Castle, located in Prague, Czech Republic, is one of the most beautiful and the most important ancient castles globally. Prague Castle is an impressive architectural marvel consisting of historical palaces, offices, churches, fortification buildings, gardens, and picturesque spots.
Prague Castle has fascinating museums: the National Gallery collection of Bohemian baroque and Mannerism art, an exhibition dedicated to Czech history, a toy museum, beautiful fountains, massive statues, and expansive statues courtyards.
The construction of Prague Castle
Matthias of Arras and Peter Parler started the construction of the Prazský Hrad during the reign of Bořivoj, the first Christian prince of Bohemia, in the late 9th century. The whole complex of Prague Castle is renovated in various periods. The Prague Castle includes the Old Royal Palace, the Romanesque Basilica of St. George, the Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral, several palaces, a monastery, gardens, and defense towers.
When Was Prague Castle Built?
Prague Castle was built in the 9th century. The construction of Prague Castle began in 870.
How Big Is Prague Castle?
Prague Castle covers a 45 hectares area.
In Which Architectural Style Was Prague Castle Built?
Prague Castle is built in Baroque and Mannerism styles of architecture. The Baroque architecture style is famous for its opulence, while Mannerism is known as the Late Renaissance.
What Does Prague Castle Contain?
Prague Castle is a castle complex and not just one building. The landmark of Prague Castle includes Old Royal Palace, St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George Basilica, Chapel of St. Wenceslas, Daliborka Tower, Royal Garden, and Golden Lane street.
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Old Royal Palace
The original residence building Royal palace was built at the turn of the 9th and the 10th century at Prague Castle. It was a primarily wooden palace. In the 12th century, Prince Soběslav built the Romanesque Palace, the part of the Castle in the Czech Republic, right next to a new fortification wall. It became the Royal Palace in the 13th century.
King Charles IV and his son Wenceslas IV enlarged the Romanesque building in the Prague Castle at the end of the 14th century. Vladislav II rebuilt it after 1483. The Vladislav Hall is a large room within the Prague Castle complex, representing Gothic and Renaissance architecture. The New Royal Palace, located inside the Castle Prague, took shape in the 16th and 17th centuries when the Habsburgs moved their residence to the western part of Castle Prague. Now, it houses Czech government offices.
The palace that stands today as a part of the Prazský head is a regal combination befitting the most significant building in the complex and Prague itself
St. Vitus Cathedral
The Prague Castle Cathedral St.Vitus is a Roman Catholic metropolitan cathedral in Prague dedicated to Saint Vitus. It is the most important temple in Prague. As an example of Gothic architecture located within the Prague Castle, the Prague cathedral contains the tombs of Holy Roman Emperors and many Bohemian kings, noblemen, and archbishops. As a part of the Prague Castle, the St. Vitus cathedral became an important cultural and administrative institution, especially after the establishment of the Prague diocese in 973 and the founding of the body of canons.
Matthias of Arras and Peter Parler are famous architects who built the Castle in Prague. They also made the chancel with a ring of chapels, St. Wenceslas chapel, the lower part of the Great South Tower, and the Golden gate. During the Hussite wars, the cathedral’s construction was stopped. It started again in the 19th century when the Union for the cathedral’s Completion began repairing the original part and giving the Neo-gothic style touch.
The bronze door of the Prague castle cathedral is decorated with relief with scenes from the legends about St.Wenceslas and st. Adalbert and the settings from the history of the cathedral. The central nave, the narrow side aisles lined with chapels, and the northern wing of the transverse core are elements of Neo-Gothic style. In the cross, the center can be seen the golden gate. In front of the high altar of the Castle, Prague Cathedral is the Royal Mausoleum. A ring of Gothic chapels surrounds the chancel. Buy the best Prague Castle Tickets.
Wenceslas Chapel
The most fabulous place in the Castle Prague Cathedral is the Chapel of St. Wenceslas. The Chapel houses relics of the saint. The different conception of the Prague Castle architecture accentuates the central point of the cathedral, the tomb of the most important Czech saint. In the southwestern corner of the chapel are the doors that lead to the crown chamber where Bohemian Coronation kept the jewels within the Prazský Hrad.
Golden Lane
Golden Lane is a street in the Castle Prag complex built in the 16th century to house Rudolf II’s castle guards. The lane in Castle Prague is located between White Tower and the Daliborka Tower. The street situated within the Prazský Hrad consists of tiny houses painted in bright colors in the 1950s. In the beginning, it had houses on both sides, but in the 19th century, it was demolished. The homes now contain exhibitions about life in the lane of the Prague Castle complex over the past 500 years.
Basilica of St. George
Basilica of St.George is the oldest surviving church building within the Prague Castle complex. It was founded in the Romanesque Style around 920 AD by Vratislaus I of Bohemia. The basilica served as an abbey church, and it is consecrated to Saint George. The church is dominated by two stone steeples: Adam’s wider southern tower and Eve’s narrower tower. The original three-nave building is completed with a crypt, a tribune for the nuns, and a choir in the Prague Castle complex. The interior of the basilica is an austere and straightforward limestone block. In the central nave inside Castle Prague are situated the tombs of members of the ruling Premyslid dynasty.
The basilica is part of the Castle Prague complex of building, the nation’s political capital. The basilica was part of its spiritual center. The building located within Prague Castle is declared a national cultural monument and converted into a concert hall. Castle basilica in Prague was converted into an exhibition space in the 1970s. Today the Basilica of St. George houses the Bohemian art collection of the national gallery in Prague.
Daliborka Tower
The tower Daliborka within Castle Prague is used as a prison. It takes its name from the Dalibor of Kozojedy, first prisoner. The area is separated by wooden partitions and even heated. The jail in Prague Castle had a dungeon for brutal criminals situated in the basement. Round Tower as a part of the Castle Prague Complex dates back to 1946.
Royal Garden of Prague Castle
The Royal Garden of Prague Castle is the most valuable garden within the Castle Prague complex. It is inspired by Italian designers and founded by Ferdinand I. Habsburg in 1534. One of the most mesmerizing fountains in Renaissance Europe, the Singing Fountain, is located in the Prague Castle Royal garden. Gardens Paradise, Ramparts, and Hartig gardens on the southern facade of the Prazský Hrad offer the view of the Old Town, Lesser Town, and Petřín.