It is a series of buildings that can be seen from many points in Prague and is one of the first places on the list of places to visit in Prague. It will take at least half a day to visit Prague Castle. It is useful to make your planning accordingly.
Prague Castle is a castle located in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic and used by the heads of state of the Holy Roman Empire, Bohemia, Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. 570 meters long and 130 meters wide, the castle was first built in 870.
When you think of Prague Castle, don’t think of a castle built for defense purposes, this castle is a bit different. Prague Castle has become the largest building complex in the world with its important buildings built over time. Today, Prague Castle is one of the most popular tourist destinations and there are several museums to visit.
On the way up, you can see a toy museum on the right. Here is one of the toy museums in every big city center. When you enter the Prague Toy Museum, you climb up a tower to reach the box office and after a few floors you reach the box office. Prague Toy Museum is a great place to spend a few hours for those who are interested in toys. However, we didn’t choose to enter because the price didn’t suit us. However, we examined the works exhibited in the showcases until we left.
When we walk up from the toy museum, we see a cute medieval street on the right. The street called Golden Lane, was built on a wall added to Prague Castle and used as a house. The most important guest of the small and colorful houses is Franz Kafka. Kafka spent a few years here and wrote his writings.
At the end of Golden Lane is the Daliborka Tower, which was used as a prison for a long time. You can enter for free and see the torture instruments used until the 18th century up close. The exit is the same way you entered Prague Castle and you will have to walk back up again.
As we walk along the castle road, the Lobkowicz Palace and Museum is on our left. Works by important painters such as Canaletto, Brueghel the Elder, Cranach and Velozquez are on display, as well as original instruments, manuscripts and works by Beethoven and Mozart. You can also see items from the Lobkowicz family. The palace is open from 10:00 to 18:00 and you have to pay to enter. We didn’t enter here and continued walking excitedly towards the big cathedral.
St. George’s Basilica, which is the oldest church in Prague Castle, is on our right. This basilica was built in 920 and dedicated to St. George. Today the basilica is used as the Prague National Art Gallery and concert hall.
Old Royal Palace, one of the oldest buildings in Prague Castle, was built in the 9th century and is now used as a building for official institutions.
After passing the basilica, we come to one of the best Gothic buildings in the world, St. Vitus Cathedral. With its size and splendor, this cathedral is clearly visible from many points in Prague. Originally built to preserve the tombs of important leaders, the cathedral is beautiful outside and beautiful inside.
You can also climb the tower of St. Vitus Cathedral. For a high fee, you can watch Prague Castle from the top. However, it is worth remembering that there are 279 steps to climb the 96-meter-long tower.
There are 2 monuments in front of the cathedral. One of them is a 17 meter tall obelisk with 4 sides and a golden triangular prism. The other is a statue of St. George on a horse made in the 14th century. The bronze statue shows him on horseback slaying a dragon.
After a good tour of the cathedral, we head towards the front gate of Prague Castle. The soldiers on the right and left of the entrance gate of the castle are changed every hour with a small military show. The changing of the soldiers every hour from 05:00 until 23:00 in the evening is called Changing of the Guards. If you can arrange yourself to be there at the top of the hour, you will have the chance to watch the changing of the guard. If you are already there at the top of the hour, you will be able to see the crowd of spectators.
A wonderful view awaits you at the exit of the castle. If you are ready for coffee, you can have a coffee from Starbucks there to accompany you.
