Prague Highlights for Art Aficionados

This historic district has always been the noblest and most elegant part of Prague: the ruler used to reside there, the most important noble families of the kingdom built their lavish palaces close to his residence and also artists engaged by the royal court lived and worked in this area. Prague Castle has become an important district also for the Catholic Church: the Archbishop’s palace can be found there, as well as an important Baroque pilgrimage place - the Loreto Shrine. Strahov monastery with its unique library is also part of this area. The Prague Castle itself forms a complex of monuments confined within a Classicist palace, where the President has his office.

Some outstanding monuments can be found in this quarter, some of which can be visited inside:

Option n. 1: THE PRAGUE CASTLE - the entrance ticket includes:

*The Saint Vitus Cathedral – the main shrine of the country. Inside it shelters the most sacred place in the Czech lands – the Saint Wenceslas Chapel, a jewel of gothic architecture. Inside the cathedral you can also see the Baroque tomb of Saint John of Nepomuk, made of more than three tons of silver, or Art Nouveau window created by Alfonse Mucha. (It is ALLWAYS POSSIBLE to enter into a small part of the main nave of the cathedral without having the entrance ticket, but the visitors will only have a general view of the church).

* The Royal Palace will catch your eye not only because of its graceful Late Gothic architecture and star vault, but also because of its Renaissance halls. One of them is the former Diet, another the Land Rolls Hall and finally the Bohemian Chancellery Hall famous for the act of defenestration.

* Saint George´s Basilica – this Romanesque basilica from the 10th century is the embodiment of Middle Ages and one of the oldest churches in the entire Czech Lands. Saint Ludmila, the grandmother of Saint Wenceslas and the most honoured patron of the Czech Lands, is buried there.

* The Golden Lane – Franz Kafka, the famous writer, definitely did not choose one of those colourful miniature houses as his residence randomly: the lane is one of the most picturesque places in Prague. Parts of medieval fortification have been preserved there too. (These monuments will be included in the program if you decide to visit their interiors with your guide.)

Option n. 2: THE STRAHOV LIBRARY

…one of the world´s most beautiful historic libraries: you can visit two halls, one dedicated to theology and one to philosophy. Both halls host richly adorned Baroque libraries, astonishing frescos and impressive stucco ceilings. The oldest book deposited there is from the ninth century, a time when the Czech state hadn´t even existed... (This monument will be included in the program ONLY if you decide to visit its interiors with your guide.)

Option n. 3: THE LORETO SHRINE

…a pilgrimage place dedicated to Virgin Mary, a Baroque sight at the heart of which there is a small copy of a house where the Virgin Mary was born. Every hour the graceful melody of Loreto chimes invites the ears of visitors to this place. A Baroque arcade, chapels, a small church dedicated to the Nativity of the Lord and a Treasury are also part of this sight. The treasury houses a legendary monstrance called “The Prague Sun” – a dazzling masterpiece decorated with six thousand diamonds. (This monument will be included in the program ONLY if you decide to visit its interiors with your guide.)

Malá Strana or the Lesser Town district is the second oldest one in Prague. It had been a gradually growing town on the foothill of the Prague Castle, on the left bank of the Vltava River, until a terrible fire burnt it down in 1541. After this catastrophe the entire royal town of Malá Strana had to be rebuilt from scratch again – and this is how the jewel of Baroque architecture, today´s Malá Strana, came into existence. Nowadays, we are proud of the exquisite Baroque palaces surrounded by historic gardens. This typical Baroque landscape is the key element of the extraordinary beauty of this district.

Main highlights of this quarter: SAINT NICOLAS CHURCH - option n. 4, an icon of the so called Dynamic Baroque, can be visited inside with an entrance fee; Church of Our Lady the Victorious with its miraculous statuette of the Baby Jesus of Prague; Kampa Island with its charming millwheels known as the Prague Venice; John Lennon Wall; the Wallenstein Palace Garden

Originally a royal town, it developed and changed as time and époques passed by, putting on different “costumes”. Taking a walk through the Old Town nowadays is like browsing a book of Europe´s architectural styles and watching them on display right in front of our eyes.

Main highlights of this quarter: the Old Town Square with its Astronomical Clock; historical Old Town Hall; new Art Nouveau Prague City Hall; numerous historical houses with their house signs; the Estate Theatre were Mozart conducted his operas; the Municipal House as the icon of Prague Art Nouveau style; cubist house At the Black Madonna; the Powder Tower

Main highlights of the former Jewish Quarter: the Old-New Synagogue; the former Jewish Town Hall with its original clock; the Spanish Synagogue, the Pinkas Synagogue next to the Jewish Cemetery (the entrance to the cemetery cannot be included in this tour); Franz Kafka playful sculpture