5/5 Sin Fong C. 3 years ago on Google
Prague
Castle
is
also
known
as
the
Hradcany,
a
collective
name
for
an
aggregation
of
palaces,
churches,
offices,
fortifications,
courtyards
and
gardens
in
Prague.
Purged
high
on
the
hill
side
of
the
Vltada
River,
the
castle
was
once
the
home
of
the
Bohemian
monarchs
and
emperors,
it
is
now
the
official
residence
of
the
Czech
president.
Clusters
around
the
foothills
of
Prague
Castle
is
The
Lesser
Town
(Malá
Strana),
also
known
as
the
Lesser
or
Little
Quarter.
All
around
in
the
cobbled
side
streets
there
are
small
shops,
churches
and
traditional
Czech
pubs
and
restaurants.
In
the
Lesser
Town
Square
is
the
Monument
to
Caroli
IV.
Our
tour
group
did
not
spend
much
time
looking
at
shops.
We
walked
up
a
gentle
slope,
and
then
made
a
sharp
turn
to
climb
a
steeper
slope
to
reach
the
exterior
of
the
castle
compound.
It
started
to
drizzle,
and
there
was
no
shelter
around.
Fortunately,
it
did
not
last
that
long.
We
managed
to
sit
along
the
low
wall
and
took
some
great
snapshots.
At
such
vantage
point,
not
only
we
could
see
the
Lesser
Town
down
the
hill,
but
also
views
miles
away,
provided
the
sun
rays
broke
through
the
clouds.
Our
guide
led
us
to
the
Hradcany
Square
in
front
of
the
entrance.
There
was
a
big
crowd,
just
like
us,
waiting
for
the
gates
to
open.
The
bronze
statue
of
the
founding
father
and
first
president
of
Czechoslovakia,
Tomáš
Garrigue
Masaryk
was
installed
in
the
square
on
the
occasion
of
the
150th
anniversary
of
his
birth.
Across
and
high
above
the
gateway,
is
a
partly
gold-coated
wrought
arch
with
a
royal
crown
at
the
top.
On
each
side
of
the
bulky
square
columns,
was
a
rather
gruesome
but
impressive
statues
of
Wrestling
Titans
by
Ignaz
Platzer.
At
11
am
sharp,
we
witnessed
the
changing
of
guards.
This
ceremony
takes
place
at
every
hour,
but
the
official
one
at
noon
includes
an
exchange
of
flags
and
a
trumpet
call.
After
the
ceremony,
we
proceeded
through
the
security
check,
where
we
were
asked
to
open
our
bags
and
walked
through
security
frame.
Our
group
did
not
pay
for
additional
tickets,
so
my
review
does
not
include
any
interior
visitation
of
the
palaces,
museums,
cathedrals
and
Golden
Lane.
Prague
Castle
has
four
courtyards,
but
we
only
spent
time
on
the
three
main
ones.
The
First
Courtyard,
also
known
as
a
Courtyard
of
Honour
or
Square
of
Honour,
is
the
main
entrance
to
the
castle.
In
the
Second
Courtyard,
we
saw
a
two-wing
yellow
building
The
Imperial
Stables,
built
by
Rudolph
II
at
the
end
of
the
16th
century.
Four
centuries
later
the
stables
were
turned
into
exhibition
rooms.
In
front
of
the
building
was
a
structure
that
resembled
a
bird
cage,
erected
over
a
water
well.
Almost
at
the
centre
was
the
sandstone
Kohl's
fountain,
also
known
as
the
Lion
fountain
or
Leopard
fountain,
due
to
its
sculpted
decoration.
The
Third
Courtyard
of
the
Prague
castle
was
the
largest
courtyard
and
the
most
touristy
for
the
magnificent
St
Vitus
Cathedral
and
the
Old
Royal
Palace
museum.
St.
Vitus
Cathedral
is
the
largest
and
most
important
Gothic
church
in
the
Czech
Republic.
It
took
six
centuries
to
complete.
Apart
from
religious
services,
coronations
of
Czech
kings
and
queens
also
took
place
here.
On
the
south
side
of
the
church
is
the
Statue
of
St.
John
of
Nepomuk
The
most
distinctive
deep
pink
colour
building
is
the
St.
George
Basilicas
was
rebuilt
in
973
when
a
convent
for
Benedictine
nuns
was
built
beside
it.
In
1142,
the
church
was
devastated
by
a
fire,
and
the
building
was
reconstructed
in
a
Romanesque
style.
The
Empress
Maria
Theresa
Entrance
is
an
interesting
architecture.
The
original
building
was
destroyed
during
the
Siege
of
Prague
in
1742,
and
rebuilt
after
the
fighting
ended
by
Maria
Theresa
who
claimed
as
Queen
of
Hungary.
Maria
Theresa
Entrance
was
an
Institute
for
Noblewomen.
We
did
not
proceed
to
the
Golden
Lane,
an
ancient
street
consisted
of
small
dwellings.
Indeed,
the
castle
buildings
represent
many
of
the
architectural
styles
of
the
last
millennium.
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