Hello everyone!
My recent Czech-based posts have been outlining the key
places to visit in Prague, one of the most beautiful cities in central Europe.
So far I've detailed the Old Town, Charles Bridge, Wenceslas Square and the
John Lennon Wall. There is one more part of Prague which can be described as a
‘must-see’ if you ever visit the Czech capital. Indeed, it is the one which
dominates the skyline, day or night.
Many people get confused with what ‘Prague Castle’ actually is. Many
mistake the cathedral for the castle itself, yet the latter is actually much
larger; the largest coherent castle complex in the world, with an area in excess of 70,000m². If you
are looking up from the centre, the castle itself starts at the white stone
tower and ends at the gates to the northwest.
These gates are where my own, ‘alternative’ tour of the
castle area will start. Many of the interesting facts espoused below were first
heard on a free walking tour I was on last year.
The golden gates are an imposing and regal sight to behold,
particularly when the resplendently-dressed guards perform their military march
on the hour.
If you look up and to the southeast, you may or may not see
a flag emblazoned with what look like eagles and lions fluttering above the
main entrance. If this is flying high, you can be sure that the
not-overly-popular Czech President, Milos Zeman, is in the country.
Though not universally loved in the manner of some of his
predecessors, such as Vaclav Havel, Zeman hasn't had to endure the humiliation
which is allegedly bestowed upon the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire at the
time of the main gate’s construction. It was envisioned and built by an Italian
called Filippi. He politely asked for more money to complete the gate area to
the best of his ability and was subsequently told to get lost or be executed. Before
scarpering (and you’ll soon see that he really did need to scarper), Filippi put
the finishing touches to the large date atop the arch…with one intentional
mistake. Those of you who know your European languages will surely chuckle when
I tell you that, rather than writing ‘anno’ to signify the year of completion,
he instead wrote ‘ano’. This made the emperor the ‘butt’ of many jokes.
The architecture of the castle complex is fascinating, a
melting pot of different styles. It also has many quirky features. One such
example can be found in a small garden to the side of the northern gate. If you
stand on the podium, facing north, and start speaking, you will hear a large,
resonating echo. Great fun.
Upon passing under the funny gate sign, after looking to the
right and admiring the red carpet which world leaders shake hands on and walk
up to have meetings, you enter a spacious plaza, surrounded by a shell of
buildings. What you may notice, if you look carefully, is that the floor isn’t
entirely flat.
Walking under another concrete archway leads you to arguably
the most impressive sight in the castle: St Vitus Cathedral. It looms
dominantly in front of you, with its dark, gothic spires piercing the bright
blue sky. The exterior of the cathedral is fascinating and reflects quite how
long it took to construct. It was finished in 1929, which is noticeable if you
look carefully at the figures on the front façade. After all, they certainly
didn't have bankers when the St Vitus Cathedral’s construction began in 1344…
The inside of the cathedral is cavernous, though you need to
pay to see all of what it has to offer. What you can do is admire the stained
glass windows (apparently one of them was an advert and isn't purely stained
glass, though I can never remember which one), particularly the gigantic floral
design which you see from the outside. Inside, however, it is bursting with
colour. You can also have a conversation across the narthex by speaking into the
wall. The sound travels along the arch to the other side. Well worth a try!
To the side of the cathedral is another spacious area, which
is boxed in by grand and stately rooms. One such room has been slept in, for
one night only, by Adolf Hitler, who wanted to watch over his latest possession
once the Nazis had acquired Czechoslovakia. His main man here was Reinhard
Heydrich, dubbed the ‘Butcher of Prague’. His story is also fascinating and
intrinsically linked to the castle.
Heydrich was said to have placed the Bohemian crown on his head; the old legends say such a usurper is doomed to die within a year. Sure enough, less than a year later Heydrich was attacked by British-trained Czech paratroopers while on his way to the Castle. The solderies weren't able to assassinate Heydrich on the spot as their guns malfunctioned, but one of them managed to hurl a grenade into the open-topped car before perishing. The subsequent explosion still failed to kill Heydrich, though it rocked him back into his seat, which was kept rigid by a series of iron spokes. These wounds became infected and he died of septicaemia a week later. As punishment, an entire nearby village was razed.
From here, the grounds slowly descend to the white tower
which signals the end of the complex. Many buildings here house old Bohemian
art and titbits. They aren’t worth visiting, particularly for the fee charged
(walking around the complex is free). One final structure of interest before
exiting the lower gate is the statue of a young naked boy. It is hard to find a
time when this poor fellow isn’t having his bits rubbed by a giggling tourist.
He’s had a tumultuous life, this boy. Originally unveiled in
all his glory after World War Two, the communists who took an iron rule over
Prague in the late 1950s didn’t take too kindly to this vulgar and free
expression of art. The sculptor was told to modify the statue: you can imagine
what that entailed. Locals were mortified about the removal of certain parts of
the boy’s anatomy and duly began to protest. Incredibly, the vociferate feeling
behind the complaint led to the communist government duly reinstating the boy
in his true, proud form. Czechs took this to be a victory over the left-wing
establishment, so the boy is…ahem…’rubbed’ for luck. Not to mention for photos
to startle grandmas everywhere.
The Prague Castle is thus a grand old place, both in size
and style. It is particularly enjoyable to wander around if you beat the crowds
early in the morning and offers breath-taking views of the rest of the city. A
must-see in its own right, though you now know many of its stranger secrets to
help separate you from the selfie-stick-wielding tourist armies.
Love you all
Matt
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