S L Song : Love to travel but hate the travelling: November 2011

Monday, November 28, 2011

Old Castle Steps

We left the Prague Castle through the eastern gate then going down the Old Castle Steps. Our next destination: Wallenstein Palace

A beautiful view of Prague from here

This tower was built in the 15th Century. It was named after its first prisoner in 1498. Prisoners were often starved to death. However, Dalibor managed to keep himself alive by playing the violin and people who came to listen provided him with food.

The torture instruments can still be seen here.

There is an odd structure of a skull on top of a crawling man. I can not find any information about this strange structure. Can anyone help?

The Golden Lane

Named after the goldsmiths who lived here in the 17th Century. These brightly coloured houses were built right into the arches of the castle walls. They are mainly souvenirs shops now. There is an armour museum on the upper floor.

Franz Kafka used to live here at No.22 in 1916-17 and wrote some stories for the book A Country Doctor here

Stained Glass in St Vitus's Cathedral

St Vitus is also famous for its stained glass.

The Rose Window

The Rose Window depicts the scenes from the biblical story of the creation

20th Century stained glass by Alfons Mucha

The Last Judgement

St Vitus's Cathedral (interior)

We came back to the Prague castle after lunch to see St Vitus.

The chancel was built by Peter Parler from 1372. It is remarkable for the soaring height of its vault.

Tomb of St John Nepomuk

St Wencelas Chapel

This Chapel holds Tomb of St Wencelas. Gothic frescoes with scenes from the Bible and the life of the Saint cover the walls

The Royal Mausoleum

Lunch near the Prague Castle

We had lunch near the castle at a restaurant we saw on our walk here from Loreto.

Gulash with dumpling

St George's Convent

It now houses the National Gallery's collection of Bohemian Baroque art.

St George's Basilica

This basilica was founded in 915 and predates the St Vitus Cathedral. It is the best preserved Romanesque church in Prague. It was enlarged in 973 when the adjoining St George's Convent was established here.

Tomb of St Ludmilla

She became Bohemia's first female christian martyr : she was strangled as she knelt down to pray.

The Old Royal Palace

Dating from 1135, it is the oldest part of the castle. This used to be the residence of the Bohemian Kings.

Vladislav Hall

This was the largest secular hall in medieval Prague. This hall has been used for coronation and knights' tournaments since the 16th Century. This hall is now being used for the election of the president of the Czech Republic.

The Observation Gallery offers a beautiful view of Prague

Coats of Arms cover the walls and ceiling of the Room of the New Land Rolls
(Oops caught by the guard)

St Vitus's Cathedral (the exterior)

St Vitus is the largest and most important church in Prague. It has two parts: the Gothic eastern part built in 14th and 15th century while the western neo Gothic in the 19th century.

The Bell Tower

This Renaissance tower holds the Zikmund, the biggest bell in the Czech Republic

The western main entrance into the church

The bronze door

The Gargoyles

The Rose Window

The church was closed during lunch time. So we went to the other parts of the castle before coming back here after lunch.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Prague Castle

Prague Castle was built in 870 and is the largest ancient castle in the world. The current Baroque style was built by Maria Teresa in the 18th century.