Walk the Golden Lane until it is possible

The opening of the Rosenberg Palace and the closing of the Golden Lane are two novelties that will affect tourism at Prague Castle in 2010.

The Golden Lane will be closed from 1 May 2010 due to an extensive reconstruction of the way and historical houses that are located there. By reason of the damaged old sewerage, rainwater runs into bases of the houses and endangers their statics. The Golden Lane will be closed probably one year, the real time depends on the simultaneous archaeological survey. After finishing of the reconstruction a part of the Golden Lane will make a new permanent exhibition documenting the life here in 1600 - 1956.

The picturesque, fabulous Golden Lane is one of a key place during a visit to Prague Castle. Menials and based on the name also goldsmiths lived here. The houses were inhabited until the World War II. Currently there are original shops, galleries and exhibitions. In a house No 22 there was a room of the well-known writer Franz Kafka in 1917. Upstairs in a house No 12 there is an enterance to a terrace in front of Daliborka Tower, which was used as a prison.

The Rosenberg Palace at the Institute for Noblewomen will be opened for the public in April 2010 for the first time in its history. Visitors will get the unique opportunity to see the Chapel of the Holy Trinity and of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, which thanks to its monumentality and fresco decoration is non-comparable in Prague. Likewise, visitors will see the restored great Renaissance Rosenberg Hall.

A part of the Rosenberg Palace will be furnished as a suite of a noblewoman living in the Institute, which was founded by the Empress Maria Theresa. The exposition, which aims to evoke the life of unmarried noblewomen in the first half of the 19th century, will be made of 60 items from depositories of Prague Castle. It concerned a popular Biedermeier and second rococo styles. In addition to furniture, visitors will see also stoves, stationery, lamps, candlesticks, glass, porcelain, or o´clock.

The Prague Castle Complex
The soaring spires of Prague Castle, the seat of Bohemian kings for a thousand years, can be seen from virtually anywhere in Prague. It is actually more of a complex than a castle, covering 45 hectares (110 acres) and comprising three courtyards, fortifications and gardens. Its most famous attraction is the Gothic St Vitus Cathedral, the country’s largest church, which was begun in 1344 under Charles IV but not completed until 1929, and is much loved for its stained glass. From St Wenceslas’ Chapel, which contains the tomb of the country’s most famous patron saint and a cycle of paintings depicting scenes from his life, visitors can enter the Crown Chamber to see the Bohemian coronation jewels. Another interesting place to visit is the Royal Palace, which has housed generations of Bohemian kings; the huge Vladislav Hall is now used for the swearing-in ceremony of the president of the Czech Republic. Directly behind the cathedral is the National Gallery of Bohemian Art. Lined on three sides by palaces (with the fourth by its main gate), there are a number of galleries and gardens to visit as well as the Military Museum. The Changing of the Guard takes place every hour on the hour; at noon expect an elaborate ceremony.

The Prague Castle Complex involves:
Prague Castle Riding School
Jizdarna Prazskeho hradu
This simple, yet elegant baroque style building was constructed in 1694 on a site that originally served as the ditch for the castle moat. Restored in the post WWII period, the Riding School has since been transformed into a popular venue for temporary art exhibitions. Despite being directly opposite the (immaculately kept) Royal Gardens, the school has its own pleasant outdoor area, making it a nice spot in which to relax after touring the Castle District.

St. Vitus Cathedral
Chram sv. Vita
This splendid cathedral, which towers above the third courtyard of Prague Castle is actually the largest holy site in the city. Gothic in style, the structure was built over the site of an earlier basilica, with construction beginning in 1344 during the reign of Charles VI. Richly decorated both inside and out, the cathedral's most prominent feature is the 96m-high Great Tower. Topped by a baroque three-tiered dome that holds the largest bell in Bohemia - Sigismund, the Tower's 297 steps (open to the public) provide for excellent views of the city during the summer, while to the right, the South Porch, or Golden Portal, incorporates a richly decorated mosaic of Venetian glass depicting the Last Judgment (circa 1380).

Belvedere - The Royal Summer Palace of Queen An
Belvedere- Letohradek kralovny Anny
At the far end of the Royal Gardens to the north of the castle, lies the Belvedere (a Renaissance-era building dating from 1538-1563), also known as Queen Anne's Summer Palace. Built for Anne by her husband Ferdinand I, it was designed by Paolo della Stella (a Genoese architect) and is now an art gallery and exhibition center Nearby, is the Singing Fountain (Zpivajici fontana) built between 1564 and 1568 and so named because of the sound of the water cascading into the fountain's metal bowls.

Lobkovic Palace
Lobkovicky palac
The Pernstein family began construction of this palace in the mid-16th century. In 1627 it became the property of Polyxena of Lobkovic and was rebuilt in 1651-68 by Carlo Lurago in the form seen today. Since 1983 it has been a part of the National Museum, containing monuments of Czech history including copies of the coronation jewels.

Imperial Stables
Cisarska konirna
Located at ground level in the northern wing of the Castle, this area was recently opened to the public and contains an exhibition hall.

Prague Castle Gallery
Obrazarna Prazskeho hradu
Created in 1965 the gallery houses paintings from the 16th – 18th centuries. The highlights include Titian's The Toilet of a Young Lady, Rubens' The Assembly of the Olympic Gods and Guido Reni's The Centaur Nessus Abducting Deianeira. There are also sculptures, paintings by Czech Baroque artists and many of Rudolph's II (Emperor, 1575 – 1611) best paintings.

Old Royal Palace
Stary kralovsky palac
This palace was home to the Bohemian kings and princes from the eleventh to the sixteenth centuries and has been added to by successive nobility. The palace houses Vladislav Hall - the largest secular space in medieval Prague - which was built between 1492 and 1502 by Benedikt Ried, a German mason. Nowadays, the Hall is used as the venue for the inauguration of the Czech President, the last occasion being in 1989 when Vaclav Havel was sworn in. There are several rooms off the main hall, including the Diet and All Saints Chapel.

Wallenstein Palace
Valdstejnsky palac
Located just below the castle, this baroque palace was built over several years (commencing in 1624) on the orders of Albrecht von Waldstein (1583-1634), a commander of the Imperial Catholic Army from the Thirty Years War. The main hall (the Knights Hall) was built between 1625 and 1630 and is where music recitals are now held. It covers two floors of the palace and adjoins the Leather Hall with its frescoed ceiling by Maxnier. The palace is now occupied by the Ministry of Culture, while the former stables house the Comenius Museum which is dedicated to Czech educational history.