Prague Castle or Hradčany is a huge complex of palaces, churches and fortifications and has been built, renovated, extended and altered throughout several centuries. The first building of Hradčany was erected way back in the 9th century. It was replaced by a Romanesque palace in the 12th century and in the 14th century redesigned to Gothic style under the reign of Charles IV. In the 15th century the palace was reconstructed further under the Jagellons before being severely damaged by fire. Thus in 1541 additional works were performed. During the reign of Empress Maria Theresa the acclaimed architect M. Pacassi conducted another major reconstruction. Finally, after the World War I, the palaces were renovated again by the renowned Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik whose characteristic architectural style can still be seen at Hradčany today.
Nowadays, Hradčany serve as the seat of the president of the Czech Republic and are considered the historical and political centre of Prague and Czech Republic. Of course Hradčany are also one of Prague's main tourist attractions, always teeming with visitors despite its sheer proportions.
The greatest crowds tend to assemble in front of the entrance to Hradčany on top of every hour in order to watch changing of the guards. The crowd is the thickest at noon when the ceremony is accompanied by fanfare.
The most notable sights of Hradčany include St. Vitus Cathedral, Golden Lane, several palaces and St. George's Basilica.
St. Vitus Cathedral
St. Vitus Cathedral stands proudly at the top of Hradčany hill and is visible from all over Prague. Not only is St. Vitus Cathedral one of the tourist symbols of Prague but also a spiritual symbol of Czech statehood. In St. Vitus Cathedral coronations of Czech kings and queens took place; there is a royal mausoleum in front of the high altar and royal tombs in the crypt.
Works on the Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral began in 1344 at the site of a 10th century rotunda. It took nearly six centuries for the cathedral to be completed!
The exterior of the cathedral is characterised by rich Gothic decorations: from lean, toothed towers, to a number of statues staring at the tourists below. Some windows of the Cathedral are adorned with gold-plated grids.
St. Vitus Cathedral is such a popular tourist sight that it sometimes takes up to an hour or longer to get in. We visited Prague in August and arrived at the cathedral around noon. The queue to get in was unimaginable so we decided not to wait and returned to the cathedral at 4:30 pm instead. The queue was gone by then. So if you would like to avoid long queues at St. Vitus Cathedral, get there shortly before closing time. From March to October the cathedral closes at 5 pm (Sundays at 4:15 pm) and from November to February at 4 pm. You might also want to try to get there early in the morning. The cathedral opens at 9 am (Sundays at 12 pm).
While in the cathedral, check the beautiful stained glass windows. The light in the cathedral gets particularly interesting when the sun is low as it drops colourful light from the stained glass windows onto the pillars of the cathedral.
St. George's Basilica
The red St. George's Basilica at the courtyard behind St. Vitus Cathedral is the oldest church at Prague Castle and best preserved Romanesque church in Prague. St. George's Basilica originates from early 10th century. It was rebuilt in 1142 following a fire. Its Baroque façade was completed in 1691.
St. George's Basilica is a popular concert venue.
Golden Lane
Golden Lane at Prague Castle was created in the 15th century, when a new outer wall was added to the existing castle complex. There were many goldsmiths residing at Golden Lane, thus it was originally named Zlatnicka Ulicka (Goldsmith's Lane) and not Golden Lane.
11 small, old and nicely renovated houses remain at Golden Lane today. One has an impression as if the little houses do not belong next to the grandiose churches and palaces of Prague Castle. As with other sights in Prague, Golden Lane tends to get overcrowded by tourists and you need to pay an entrance fee to get there too.
Note: Golden Lane is closed for renovations at least until 1 May 2011.