The History of Prague Castle

On the basis of archeological research and the oldest written sources it isthought that Prague Castle was founded around the year 880 by PrinceBorivoj of the house of Premyslides.The early medieval castle site was fortified with a moat and a rampart ofclay and stones. The first walled building was the church of Our Lady.Other churches, dedicated to St. George and St. Vitus, were founded inthe first half of the 10th century.From the 10th century Prague Castle was not only the seat of the head ofstate, the princes and later kings, but also of the highest representative ofchurch, the Prague bishop. The first convent in Bohemia was alsofounded in the grounds of Prague Castle, a convent next to the church ofSt. George for the order of Benedictine nuns.The basilica of St. Vitus, built on the site of the original rotunda, was themain castle church since the 11th century, where the relics of the patronsaints of the land were kept: SS. Vitus, Wenceslas and Adalbert. Andfrom the 10th century the convent of the Prague church was an importanteducational and cultural institution.

The period of the rule of King and later Emperor Charles IV. (the middle of the 14th century) was a time of prosperity for Prague Castle, for then it first became an imperial residence, the seat of the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. The royal palace was magnificently rebuilt and the fortifications strengthened. Building began on the Gothic church of St. Vitus on the model of French cathedrals. Building continued on the Castle during the reign of Charles's son, Wenceslas IV. The Hussite wars and the followingdecades, when the Castle was not inhabited, caused the dilapidation of itsbuildings and fortifications.The next favourable time came after 1483, when a king of the newdynasty of Jagellons again made the Castle his seat. New fortificationswere built and, together with them, defence towers on the northern side(the Powder Tower, the New White Tower and Daliborka). Thearchitect of the fortifications, Benedikt Ried, also rebuilt and enlarged theroyal palace: the splendid Vladislav Hall was the biggest secular vaultedhall in the Europe of that day. Its big windows are considered to be oneof the first examples of the renaissance style in Bohemia.The kings of a further dynasty, the Habsburgs, started rebuilding theCastle into a renaissance seat. In accordance with the taste of the time the

Royal Garden was founded first, and in the course of the 16th centurybuildings serving for entertainment were put up in it: a summer palace, aball games hall, a shooting range and a lion's court. Afterwards thecathedral and the royal palace were adapted. New dwelling housesbegan to be built to the west of the Old Royal Palace, along the southernramparts.

The adaptation of the Castle came to itsheight in the second half of the 16th century,during the rule of Rudolph II. The emperorsettled permanently in Prague Castle andbegan to turn it into a grand and dignifiedcentre of the empire. And he founded thenorthern wing of the palace, with today'sSpanish Hall, to house his precious artisticand scientific collections.

Baroque Music at Prague Castle (Programmequarterly Prague Castle)

The Prague defenestration in 1618 started a long period of wars, duringwhich Prague Castle was damaged and robbed. It was used by thecountry's ruler only exceptionally and temporily.

Musical Classicism and Romanticism (Programme quarterly Prague Castle)

In the second half of the 18th century the last great rebuilding of theCastle was carried out, making it a prestigious castle-type seat. But atthat time the capital or the empire was Vienna, and Prague was just aprovincial town. The Castle gradually became dilapidated and its arttreasures were impoverished by the sale of the remains of the EmperorRudolph's collections.Emperor Ferdinand V., after abdicating in 1848, chose Prague Castle ashis home. On this occasion the chapel of the Holy Rood in the IIndcourtyard was rebuilt. The Spanish Hall and the Rudolph Gallery weredone up in preparation for the coronation of Francis Joseph I. which,however, did not take place.. There was a big movement to complete the building of the cathedral, but this was not inspired by the ruler but by the patriotic Union for Completing the Cathedral of St.

Vitus. It was in factcompleted in 1929.After the foundation of the independent Czechoslovak Republic in 1918Prague Castle again became the seat of the head of state. The Slovenearchitect Josip Plecnik was entrusted with the necessary alterations in1920.Today too reconstruction and alterations to the grounds of Prague Castleare going on, and this is not only a matter of essential buildingmaintenance. The basic aim is to open the grounds of the Castle to allcomers. Since 1989 many previously closed areas have been thrownopen to the public, for instance the Royal Garden with its Ball Game Hall,the southern gardens, the Imperial Stable, the Theresian Wing of the OldRoyal Palace.Today Prague Castle, besides the seat of the head of state, is also animportant cultural and historical monument. The crown jewels are kept inPrague Castle, as are the relics of Bohemian kings, precious Christianreliquiae, art treasures and historical documents. Events important for thewhole country have taken place within its walls. So Prague Castle theembodiment of the historical tradition of the Czech state, linking thepresent with the past.

Foto: Jiri Kopriva, Stanislav Bolonsky

The History of Prague Castle

On the basis of archeological research and the oldest written sources it isthought that Prague Castle was founded around the year 880 by PrinceBorivoj of the house of Premyslides.The early medieval castle site was fortified with a moat and a rampart ofclay and stones. The first walled building was the church of Our Lady.Other churches, dedicated to St. George and St. Vitus, were founded inthe first half of the 10th century.From the 10th century Prague Castle was not only the seat of the head ofstate, the princes and later kings, but also of the highest representative ofchurch, the Prague bishop. The first convent in Bohemia was alsofounded in the grounds of Prague Castle, a convent next to the church ofSt. George for the order of Benedictine nuns.The basilica of St. Vitus, built on the site of the original rotunda, was themain castle church since the 11th century, where the relics of the patronsaints of the land were kept: SS. Vitus, Wenceslas and Adalbert. Andfrom the 10th century the convent of the Prague church was an importanteducational and cultural institution.

The period of the rule of King and later

Emperor Charles IV. (the middle of the 14th century) was a time of prosperity for Prague Castle, for then it first became an imperial residence, the seat of the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. The royal palace was magnificently rebuilt and the fortifications strengthened. Building began on the Gothic church of St. Vitus on the model of French cathedrals. Building continued on the Castle during the reign of Charles's son, Wenceslas IV. The Hussite wars and the followingdecades, when the Castle was not inhabited, caused the dilapidation of itsbuildings and fortifications.The next favourable time came after 1483, when a king of the newdynasty of Jagellons again made the Castle his seat. New fortificationswere built and, together with them, defence towers on the northern side(the Powder Tower, the New White Tower and Daliborka). Thearchitect of the fortifications, Benedikt Ried, also rebuilt and enlarged theroyal palace: the splendid Vladislav Hall was the biggest secular vaultedhall in the Europe of that day. Its big windows are considered to be oneof the first examples of the renaissance style in Bohemia.The kings of a further dynasty, the Habsburgs, started rebuilding theCastle into a renaissance seat. In accordance with the taste of the time theRoyal Garden was founded first, and in the course of the 16th centurybuildings serving for entertainment were put up in it: a summer palace, aball games hall, a shooting range and a lion's court. Afterwards thecathedral and the royal palace were adapted. New dwelling housesbegan to be built to the west of the Old Royal Palace, along the southernramparts.

The adaptation of the Castle came to itsheight in the second half of the 16th century,during the rule of Rudolph II. The emperorsettled permanently in Prague Castle andbegan to turn it into a grand and dignifiedcentre of the empire. And he founded thenorthern wing of the palace, with today'sSpanish Hall, to house his precious artisticand scientific collections.

Baroque Music at Prague Castle (Programmequarterly Prague Castle)

The Prague defenestration in 1618 started a long period of wars, during

which Prague Castle was damaged and robbed. It was used by thecountry's ruler only exceptionally and temporily.

Musical Classicism and Romanticism (Programme quarterly Prague Castle)

In the second half of the 18th century the last great rebuilding of theCastle was carried out, making it a prestigious castle-type seat. But atthat time the capital or the empire was Vienna, and Prague was just aprovincial town. The Castle gradually became dilapidated and its arttreasures were impoverished by the sale of the remains of the EmperorRudolph's collections.Emperor Ferdinand V., after abdicating in 1848, chose Prague Castle ashis home. On this occasion the chapel of the Holy Rood in the IIndcourtyard was rebuilt. The Spanish Hall and the Rudolph Gallery weredone up in preparation for the coronation of Francis Joseph I. which,however, did not take place.. There was a big movement to complete the building of the cathedral, but this was not inspired by the ruler but by the patriotic Union for Completing the Cathedral of St. Vitus. It was in factcompleted in 1929.After the foundation of the independent Czechoslovak Republic in 1918Prague Castle again became the seat of the head of state. The Slovenearchitect Josip Plecnik was entrusted with the necessary alterations in1920.Today too reconstruction and alterations to the grounds of Prague Castleare going on, and this is not only a matter of essential buildingmaintenance. The basic aim is to open the grounds of the Castle to allcomers. Since 1989 many previously closed areas have been thrownopen to the public, for instance the Royal Garden with its Ball Game Hall,the southern gardens, the Imperial Stable, the Theresian Wing of the OldRoyal Palace.Today Prague Castle, besides the seat of the head of state, is also animportant cultural and historical monument. The crown jewels are kept inPrague Castle, as are the relics of Bohemian kings, precious Christianreliquiae, art treasures and historical documents. Events important for thewhole country have taken place within its walls. So Prague Castle theembodiment of the historical tradition of the Czech state, linking thepresent with the past.

Foto: Jiri Kopriva, Stanislav Bolonsky

Boleslav II. and His Times

The 7th February 1999 was an important anniversary - it was a thousandyears since the death of the Bohemian king Boleslav II. TheAdministration of Prague Castle, in cooperation with the Archeologicalinstitute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, arranged anexhibition in the Old Royal Palace of Prague Castle, from 9.2. -3l.3.l999, commemorating this anniversary and documenting that thetimes of Boleslav II. are connected with the remarkable development ofthe first Czech State.

The Rule of Prince Boleslav II.

Boleslav II., called by medieval historians "the Pious", was probablyborn, as the oldest son of Boleslav I., in about the year 932. When hisfather died in 972 he left his son a powerful central European state thatincluded not only the whole of Bohemia, but the greater part of Moravia,part of Silesia, Lesser Poland and perhaps even Slovakia. This politicallystrong country was based internally on a castle administration, Christianityand the fighting ability of its soldiers. The international position ofBohemia was built on a rather free union that grew up with the RomanEmpire and friendship with Poland, contributed to by the marriage ofBoleslav´s sister Doubravka to the Polish Prince Mesek I. Theecclesiastical policy followed by the House of the Premyslides, wasstrengthened at the beginning of the seventies of that century by thefoundation of the first convent on our territory, next to the church of St.George in Prague Castle, the abbess of which was Boleslav´s other sister,Mlada.

In 973, with the founding of the Prague bishopric, Bohemia becameecclesiastically independent. Saxon Detmar was appointed the firstbishop, the second in 982 Vojtech of the House of the Slavnikovs. UnderBoleslav II. Bohemia became an important centre of Christian culture.Boleslav II. took a share too in founding the Brevnov monastery inPrague, and just before he died he gave the initiative for the building ofthe monastery of St. John on the Island near Davle. The main theme inreligious life, literature and art was the cult of St. Wenceslas.

In his efforts to complete the unification of the Czech state Boleslav II.came up against the political ambitions of the Slavnikov family. Thetension came to a height in 995, when Boleslav´s army attacked and

plundered the centre of the Slavnikov´s power, Libice on the Cidlina.Thus eastern Bohemia was joined to central Bohemia, or rather cameback under the direct rule of the Prague Premyslides.

During his rule Boleslav II. tried to maintain the friendly contacts with theGerman empire, yet this relationship was broken off several times bywar-like attacks from both sides. Relations with Poland becameestranged after the death of Doubravka, gradually reaching open enmityand the loss of Silesia and the Cracow region.

Boleslav II. died on 7th February 999 and was buried in the St. George´sbasilica in Prague Castle. After his death Bohemia again went throughdifficult times, owing to his three sons fighting for the throne. It was onlyBoleslav´s youngest son, Oldrich, who led the Czech state out of thecrisis.

Prague Castle under Boleslav II.

In the second half of the 10th century Prague Castle was a well fortifiedsite, similar to others on our territory. Its area of roughly six hectares wasentered from the west, the visitor passed through the outer ramparts andentered the acropolis. At that time the terrain still had its original form of apromontory with ravines. The whole fortification was surrounded byramparts, reinforced in the front by limestone boulders. The building wasof wooden logs, and the princely palace was probably also of wood,though no trace has been left to us of its exact original position or form.The only stone buildings of those days were perhaps the bishop´s seatand mainly churches - the oldest church of Our Lady, built before 885,the church of St. George from 920, and the rotunda of St. Vitus from thenine-thirties. The rebuilding of the church of St. George and the firstconvent is linked with the name of Prince Boleslav II.

Not only the ruler and his court and those connected with the church livedin Prague Castle, but also craftsmen.

The Exhibition 1000 Years since the Death of Boleslav II.

The exhibition in the Old Palace, designed by Milena BravermanovaPhD. and Jan Frolik PhD., CSc., showed the problems of the timesthrough precious objects from the property of the Administration ofPrague Castle, the Archeological Institute of the Academy of Sciences ofthe Czech Republic, the Archives of Prague Castle and the MetropolitanChapter of St. Vitus. Objects of everyday life in the fortifications wereexhibited in show cases in the ancient Chamber of the Land Rolls, alsounique jewels, funeral objects from the oldest graves of the princes.Certainly amongst the most precious exhibits were objects attributed to

St. Wenceslas and St. Vojtech from the treasury of St. Vitus, and othersthat tell of the cultural and spiritual life in Prague Castle in the 10thcentury. One of the oldest illuminated manuscripts has been connectedwith the name of Boleslav´s wife, Princess Emma, who was responsiblefor the making of what is known as Gumpold´s legend on the torture ofSt. Wenceslas. As the original manuscript is not kept in Bohemia, afacsimile was exhibited.

Visitors were reminded that if it had not been for these capable andstrong rulers in the 10th century, they would not be able to stand andview the exhibition here today, at the end of the 20th century.

Milena Bravermanova,PhD., department of Art Collections of the Administration of Prague Castle

Jan Frolik,PhD., CSc., Archeological Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the CzechRepublic