{"id":2019,"date":"2013-03-11T18:12:35","date_gmt":"2013-03-11T16:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.foreigners.cz\/?p=2019"},"modified":"2022-09-12T15:03:40","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T13:03:40","slug":"prague-castle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.foreigners.cz\/prague-castle\/","title":{"rendered":"Prague castle"},"content":{"rendered":"
Everyone knows the Prague Castle, the seat of Czech power since the 9th century. Hrad means Castle in Czech and Hradcany means the Castle District, it is a place steeped in history and has undergone many changes.<\/p>\n
The entrance to the castle is the courtyard, the courtyard was once protected by a natural ravine, moats, and bridges which give way to a welcoming ceremonial entrance. The harmony of this spacious courtyard, which dates originally from the 16th century is entirely due to the redesign of Pacassi during the 18th century. In the center, an impressive Baroque fountain created in 1686, by Hieronymus Kohl, Hercules, and other gods. You will also find\u00a0 a Baroque puit and a modern lion fountain.<\/p>\n The central building between the second courtyard and third contains offices. It stands on the site of the eastern rampart of the wall that separated the main part of the old fortress slave, and a beautiful carved leopard which marks the ceremonial entrance. The Pacassi facade demonstrates the complex history of this building, which began with the construction of the royal stables, and continued at the time of Rudolf II with the addition of great galleries to its vast collections. The Rudolph gallery and the Spanish Hall measure 48 meters in length and are used today for ceremonies, but unfortunately are not open to the public. On the lower floor, the gallery of the Castle has been beautifully converted into exhibition halls.<\/p>\n Pacassi also renovated the chapel of the Holy Cross (it houses the reception desk and ticket sales), transformed in 1852 by the former private chapel of Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria, a king unable to govern by himself. Forced to abdicate in 1848 in favor of his nephew Francis Joseph, he chose to retire at Prague Castle.<\/p>\n The Castle Gallery offers a selection of works from its collection of 4000 pieces. These are outlined in former stables appointed at the end of the 16th century by Emperor Rudolf II, a patron of the arts who was the first to constitute a collection. The Emperor Rudolph II (1552-1612) was an artist who worked hard but was always looking for beautiful pieces across Europe to enrich his collection. At the end of his life he had nearly 3000 paintings. But this great inheritance was quickly dispersed by his successors. Many objects were left to dishonest traders in Vienna or were looted in 1648 by Swedish soldiers and left only empty frames and a rhinoceros skeleton.<\/p>\n In 1920 the collections were reconstructed thanks to a foundation created by the first President of Czechoslovakia, Masaryk. Built on the remains of his ancestors the Romanesque cathedral has glorious towers and pinnacles that rise well above the walls of the castle, and is the largest church in the country. Furthermore it is the location of coronation church mausoleum of kings and queens and green jewels in the crown of Bohemia.
\nThe portal is surmounted by a rococo gate bearing the initials of Maria Theresa<\/em><\/strong> and Joseph II<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\nSecond courtyard<\/h2>\n
\nThe north wing is pierced by a passage leading to the road that crosses the ravine named ‘deer gap’, which defended this flank of the Castle, and leads to the Royal Gardens.<\/p>\nChapel of the Holy Cross<\/h3>\n
Castle Gallery<\/h3>\n
\nOne of my favorite painters who represented the emperor Rodolphe II\u00a0 is Giuseppe Arcimboldo with a fruit portrait, but unfortunately this painting is now located in Paris.<\/p>\nThe St. Vitus Cathedral<\/h2>\n
\nThe first stone of the cathedral was laid in 1344, but more than five centuries passed before the formal completion of the work in 1929. Sometimes austere, sometimes very inventive architecture is enriched in a multitude of decorative elements, from sumptuous tombs Renaissance and Baroque to the extraordinary stained glass of the early twentieth century.
\nThe ornamentation of the building continues even though the communist regime was hostile to the Church.<\/p>\n