Architecture in Prague : Prague Castle

For a thousand years Prague Castle in the Hradcany royal complex has towered above the river Vltava. Industrious building on the castle began in the late 9th century when the royal Premyslid family took power over the united Czech territories. Saint George Basilica, Saint Vitus Cathedral, and a convent were erected within the fortress walls.

The Premyslid family died out in the 14th century, and the castle fell into disrepair. Under the leadership of Charles IV, the castle was transformed into a prestigious gothic palace.

The royal complex was again remodeled under reign of Vladislav Jagellonský. His throne room is praised for for its expansive vaults with intricate network of intertwined ribs. The Archbishop's Palace was rebuilt from its Renaissance foundations.

In the late 1500s, during the reign of Rudolf II, Italian architects built a new palace with two big halls. The "New World," a district with modest homes along winding alleyways, was also constructed within the Hradcany compound.

The Castle became the seat of the president of the Republic in 1918, but large sections were closed to the public during the years of communist domination. Vast, secret underground shelters were supposedly built to connect the President's residence with the rest of the complex. The paranoia of the era gave rise to fears that counter-revolutionaries might use the passageways, so the exits were hastily blocked off with concrete slabs.