Prague Blog

Although there are endless posts we could do on the Czech Republic, Prague (Praha in Czech) was one of our favorite cities we visited whilst in Europe, and the Prague Castle was certainly one of the city's highlights.

Charles Bridge (Karlův most), which famously connects Old Town to Prague Castle, is a gorgeous 30 ft. wide bridge with 30 baroque-style statues of saints and patron saints. It's teeming with tourists during day and night, but you can always find a place for a lovely picture along the way! On the Old Town side of the bridge, the gothic Bridge Tower (considered one of the most beautiful gothic structures in the world) and St. Charles statue are also worth a look-see.

Old Town Bridge Tower, marking the start to Charles Bridge

One of the 30 gothic imposing statues along the bridge

One of the 30,000 pictures I took on the bridge...

Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) was built from the 9th century and then rebuilt/remodeled again and again up through the 18th century (yes, that's right; nearly 900 years in the making), depending on who was at war, who was in power, and who had the money to make the renovations. It has been the seat of the Holy Roman Emperor, housed many royal families (including King Charles IV, his son King Wencesclas IV, and Emperor Rudolf II), and today it is the Presidential Seat and administration center of the country.

The castle was a sight to behold at any time of day from anywhere in the city. It sits majestically above the Vltava River, and it is easy to believe how fortified and imposing it must have been to its citizens in the past, as it seems to its visitors now! The Castle grounds sprawl out to include courtyards, basilicas, palaces, art galleries, and there are lookout towers throughout the city of Prague across the river that were fun to visit, too!

Prague Castle from across the river

At night

A view of the city from the castle

St. George Basilica within Prague Castle

St. Vitus Cathedral (Katedrála svatého Víta) is the other -- possibly even more impressive -- structure on the castle grounds. It also took over 900 years to complete (can you imagine?!) and is a shining example of Neo-Gothic architecture. Both inside and out, its jaw-dropping stained glass windows and heaven-reaching flying buttresses are enough to provoke a religious conversion! It is still the most important church in the Czech Republic, and the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. Saints, kings, emperors of Bohemia are all buried here.

The front of St. Vitus Cathedral during the day

The front of St. Vitus Cathedral at night

Side view at night

Back of the cathedral

Inside the cathedral at dusk
The sun radiantly shined through the stained glass windows to create a colorful effect on the opposite pillars
WOW!

Above: Rose Window, inspired by cathedrals of Paris

Above: Incredibly detailed, gigantic stained-glass window - one of many
Below: one of the smaller pictures from a larger windowed wall

Note the detail and how small the pieces of glass are!