Summary: informative text about the Prague Castle and it surroundings. Basilica and Convent of St. George and S.Vito’s Cathedral.
The Prague Castle was founded around the year 880 by Prince Borivoj of the house of Premyslides. They moved to this tactical location, a rocky ridge above the Moldava River, and the future city of Prague grew on the mountain below the castle.
It’s not a simple castle but a whole area with a church, a cathedral and a convent. Over the years from middle ages the monarchal power habited the castle, and later the spiritual center of the country and the scene of the negotiations of the estates fathers were the symbol and expression of the unity of the Czech state.
The Basilica of St. George is one of the few Roman churches that still remain of the previous stone building inside and it was founded by Vratislaus I of Bohemia in 920. It was then distended in 973 with the accumulation of the Benedictine St. George’s Convent. After the fire of 1142 the basilica was rebuild again, although the Baroque dates only the 17th century. The vestiges of the Gothic were in honor of Ludmila of Bohemia . It was in the 10th century that the basilica was build as well as the S. Vito Cathedral. This Cathedral is now the most important of the country and the best example of the gothic style giving the city of Prague the mystic aura so many times connected to the idea of a fairytale land. Around this area you will find many Prague Hotels with great view to the Castle of Prague. One fraction of it was completed as late as in the 20th century. Inside there is a Royal Mausoleum of Czech Kings and also the valuable St. Wenceslas Chapel, adorned with impressive Gothic murals and semi precious stones. One of the doors in the chapel gives you the direction to the Crown Chamber, where the Czech Crown Jewels are kept. In the castle, next to the church of St. George was founded the first convent in Bohemia. This Romanesque fortress was erected here during the 12th century.
In the 14th century, by the hand of Charles IV the royal palace was rebuilt in Gothic style and the castle fortifications were strengthened. In 1485 King Ladislaus II Jagello begins to rebuild the castle. Built by Benedikt Rejt was supplementary to the Royal Palace the immense Vladislav Hall. New fortifications were built too in the north o the Castle. During the ruling of the Habsburgs there was a fire in the year of the1541 making them construct renaissance buildings. Ferdinand I continued the renaissance construction by adding a summer place for his wife. Then Rudolph II came and founded the northern wind of the castle, the Spanish Hall and he was mainly living there and began to turn it into a grand and dignified centre of the empire. After this the cathedral and the royal palace were modified. New private residences started to be built to the west of the Old Royal Palace, along the southern ramparts. In the year of 1618 began the Bohemian Revolt and with it the second Prague Defenestration witch destroyed part of the Castle.
Throughout the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia and the World War II, Prague Castle became the headquarters of Reinhard Heydrich, the “Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia”. During the communist regime it housed the offices of the Czechoslovak government. After Czech Republic was born the castle become the Head of the State.