Prague Castle

So the most obvious and and largest tourist attraction in the city is the Castle. Construction started in the 9th century and has continued through the 20th century. It is amazing that the Czechs worked on this castle longer the America has been a nation, in fact, since long before Columbus introduced the white plague that would eventually become the most unsustainable nation on the planet. As I ride my bike along the local bike route from the metronome to the castle I paused in the Royal Garden. The Garden was originally built as a zoo and used to house the royal pets, like the lions that are so much a part of the Czech imagery. From the garden I take one of many pictures of the castle itself. Depicted here is the most famous part of the castle, St. Vitus Cathedral. The cathedral is truly amazing and a masterful work of architectural wonderment. Construction of the cathedral began in 1344 on the grounds of an old Roman ruin. It is impossible to put into words how majestic it really is, so here are some pictures to attempt to capture it. The cathedral actually houses multiple chapels, each with an ornate stained glass window and its own unique scene. The main section, the chorus I think, is large enough to be a B-52 with the individual chapels each holding a UH-60.

The main tower, which houses the bells and the clockworks, has a tight spiral staircase that leads to the top of the cathedral and easily the most spectacular view of/in the city. The balcony allows you to walk all the way around the tower and to see all of ancient Prague. The view is even more amazing then that from the Space Needle and feels just just as high, especially after walking up the seemingly never ending staircase of doom. But it was worth it, see below.

In the crypt below the cathedral are the remains of many of the ancient rulers of Prague including Charles IV. I was overtaken by a mob of French teenagers on a guided tour before I was able to get any good pictures of the tomb, sorry.

As it turns out, there is much more inside the walls then just the cathedral. There is the main gate:

The first and second courtyards are surrounded by the official government buildings but once were part of a huge palace.

Finally, the old palace and the main courtyard between the Cathedral and the palace. The old palace is open to tourists and is not inhabited no longer, but it is easy to imagine what it must have been like when it was in its prime. The main ballroom is again large enough for a large airplane and was used as a multipurpose hall. They even had indoor jousting here, if you can imagine.



I failed to get some great pictures of the moat and the bridge across it that connects the second courtyard to the royal garden and the old noble garrison and artisan buildings. There is a large tower that overlooks the moat and houses the armory and old canon works where the Czech artillery was first started and where the original Howitzer was invented. Apparently the tower never saw action, but it is an amazing work of medieval military might. Behind the cathedral in the third courtyard, and the center of the castle, is a fountain and an old convent. The castle continues down the hill and is easily large enough to house the entire population of my home town, comfortably. There are houses and restaurants inside the walls below the palace, but nothing as amazing as that seen above.