Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

PRAGUE 235

Zlatá Ulička 5

Map C3. v 22. X Malostranská,
Hradčanská. &

Named after the goldsmiths
who lived here in the 17th
century, Golden Lane (Zlatá
ulička) is one of the prettiest
lanes in Prague. One side of
the lane is lined with tiny,
brightly painted houses built
right into the arches of the
castle walls. These were
constructed in the late 16th
century for Rudolph II’s 24
castle guards. A cen tury later,
the goldsmiths moved in and
modified the buildings.

Picturesque 16th-century cottages

in Zlatá ulička

Castle Square 6

Hradčanské náměstí

Map B3. v 22.X Malostranská,

Hradčanská. Schwarzenberg

Palace Tel 224 810 758.

# 10am–6pm Tue–Sun.

http://www.ngprague.cz

The vast, grand square in front

of Prague Castle was once

lined by workshops and arti-

sans’ houses, but after the

devas tating fire of 1541, they

were replaced by a series of

imposing palaces. These were

built by Czech and foreign

noblemen, eager to live close

to the court of the Habsburgs.

On the south side stands the

16th-cen tury Schwarzenberg

Palace (Schwarzenberský

palác), a beau tiful Renaissance

build ing with grace ful attics

and magnificent sgraffito that

gives the impres sion that the

façade is clad in Italian-style

diamond-point stone work.

The western end of the

square is taken up by the

Thun-Hohenstein Palace

(Thun-Hohenšteinský palác),

built between 1689 and 1691

and crowned with statues by

Ferdinand Brokof. To the

north lies the Archbishop’s

Palace (Arcibiskupský palác),

a 16th-century building with

a Rococo façade in pink and

white, added in the 1760s. The

Renaissance Martinic Palace

(Martinický palác), at the cor-

ner of Castle Square, has

sgraffito depicting scenes from

the Bible. Its high terrace pro-

vides views of the city.

Schwarzenberg Palace in Castle Square, notable for its sgraffito decoration

13th-century painting, New
Jerusalem, in the choir vault.
The double staircase to the
chancel is a remarkable late-
Baroque addition and now
provides a perfect stage for
chamber music concerts.
Outside, the south portal
of the church features a
16th-century relief depicting
St George and the dragon.
The adjacent former
Benedictine nunnery is
the oldest convent building
in Bohemia. It was founded
in 973 by Princess Mlada, sister
of Boleslav II. Throughout
the Middle Ages, the convent
and St George’s Basilica
formed the heart of the castle
complex. Rebuilt several
times, the con vent and its
reli gious functions finally
ceased in 1782.
Today, the convent holds
the National Gallery’s collec-
tion of 19th-century Czech art.
The collection features fine
examples by art ists such as
Jan Kupecký, Petr Brandl,
Bartolomeus Spranger, Matthias
Braun and Ferdinand Brokof.

However, by the 19th cen tury

the area had degen erated into

a slum and was popu lated by

Prague’s poor and the crim-

inal commu nities. In the

1950s, all the remain ing

residents were moved and the

area was restored to something

like its original state. Most of

the houses were con verted

into shops selling books,

Bohemian glass and other

souve nirs for visit ors, who

now flock to this narrow lane.

Despite the street’s name,

Rudolph II’s alchemists never

produced gold here. Their

laboratories were in Vikářská,

the lane between St Vitus’s

Cathedral and the Powder

Tower (Mihulka).

Zlatá ulička has, however,

been home to well-known

writers such as Franz Kafka

(see p31), who stayed at

No. 22 with his sister around

1916–17 and Jaroslav Seifert,

the Nobel Prize-winning

Czech poet.