Prague Castle is the most popular sight visited in Prague. It is the largest ancient castle in the world (570 m long, on average 128 m wide, area 7.28 hectares).
Constructed in the 9th century by Prince Boøivoj, the castle transformed itself from a wooden fortress surrounded by earthen bulwarks to the imposing form it has today. Rulers made their own additions so there is a mixture of styles. Prague castle has had four major reconstructions, but it keeps its classical facelift it took on in the 18 century during the reign of Maria Theresa. The castle has three courtyards and it has always been the seat of Czech rulers as well as the official residence. Allow at least half a day (it does not include time for museum visits) if you want to examine it in depth.

Chapel of the Holy Cross (Kaple sv. Kríže)
The Chapel of the Holy Cross was designed in the second half of the 18 century and remodeled in the mid-19 century. It was once a treasury of St Vitus Cathedral. There are cult objects, such as relics, busts, crucifixes, shrines, vestments, monstrances, bibles, plaques, paintings, jewels, gold- and silver-plated weapons.

Picture Gallery of Prague Castle (Obrazárna Pražského hradu)
Created in 1965 the gallery houses paintings from the 16th – 18th centuries. The highlights include Titian's The Toilet of a Young Lady, Rubens' The Assembly of the Olympic Gods and Guido Reni's The Centaur Nessus Abducting Deianeira. There are also sculptures, paintings by Czech Baroque artists and many of Rudolph's II (Emperor, 1575 – 1611) best paintings.

Imperial Stables (Císarská konírna)
There are temporary art exhibits.

The Spanish Hall (Španelský sál) and Rudolf Gallery (Rudolfova galerie)
are amongst buildings that have been converted for state purposes. They are open to the public only once a year in early May).

St Vitus Cathedral (Katedrála Sv. Víta)
The cathedral's foundation stone was laid in 1344 by Emperor Charles IV. The first architect was Matthias of Arras, after his death Petr Parler took over and completed much of the structure in late-Gothic style. Over the following centuries renaissance and baroque details were added and the job was completed in 1929. The most beautiful of numerous side chapels, Parler's Chapel of St Wenceslas, houses the crown jewels and the tomb of “Good King” Wenceslas.
There are many superb exaples of 20th century Czech stained glass and marvellous pieces of art, for example a wooden relief by Caspar Bechterle that shows the escape of Frederik of the Palatinate from Prague in 1621, and wooden Crucifixion by František Bílek
The Royal Crypt contains the remains of Charles IV, Wenceslas IV, George of Podìbrady and Rudolf II.
There are excellent views from the Great Tower on a clear day.

Old Royal Palace (Starý Královský Palác)
Dating from 1135 it is one of the oldest parts of the castle. It was the seat of Bohemian princes but from the 13th to the 16th century it was the king's palace. Vladislav Hall (Vladislavský sál), in the centre of the palace, was used for banquets, councils, coronations and in bad weather, jousting. The other parts are the Rider's staircase (Jezdecké schody), a place where all the Czech presidents have been sworn, Ludvík Wing famous for the defenestration of 1618, New Land Rolls Room, the old map repository for land titles and All Saints' Chapel.

Mihulka Powder Tower (Prašná vìž)
This tower was built at the end of the 15th century originally as a part of the castle's defences, later it was a workshop of a cannon and bell-maker. During Rudolf II's reign (1576 – 1612) the tower became a laboratory for alchemists and then it was used as a gunpowder store until 1754. Today it is a museum of alchemy, bell- and cannon-forging and Renaissance life in Prague Castle.

Convent of St George (Klášter Sv. Jirí)
Established in 973 by Boleslav II it was Bohemia's first convent. In 1782 it was converted into barracks, in 1962 – 74 reconstructed and today as a branch of the National Gallery it houses an excellent collection of Czech Renaissance and baroque art.

Basilika of St George (Bazilika Sv. Jirí)
Founded by Prince Vratislav I in the 10th century it is the best preserved Romanesque church in Prague, the fasade is baroque from the 17th century though. There are tombs of Pøemysl royalty. The acoustics make it a good venue for classical concerts.

Royal Garden (Královská zahrada)
This garden was created in 1535 for Ferdinand I. It is a highly recommended place for a stroll especially in spring. The Lions Court is where the Emperor Rudolf II had his zoo. There is also the bronze Singing Fountain and the azalea and tulip garden where tulips were first aclimatised to Europe before being taken to Holland.

Ball-Game House (Míèovna)
It is the most beautiful building of the Royal Garden where the Habsburgs played an early version of badminton. When the game went out of fashion it was converted into stables and today it is open only for exhibitions.

Summer Palace - Belvedere (Letohrádek Kralony Anny)
It is the most authentic Italian Renaissance building outside Italy. It was built from 1538 to 1564 for Ferdinad's beloved wife Anna. It houses temporary modern art exhibitions.

Riding School (Jízdárna)
It was built at the end of the 17th century and since the end of the 1940s it has served as a gallery for temporary modern art exhibitions.

Golden Lane (Zlatá ulièka)
Named after the goldsmiths who lived here in the 17th century, Golden Lane is popular with its tiny colourful houses built right into the arches of the Castle walls. In the 18th and 19th centuries they were occupied by squatters, later it was the home of the writer France Kafka (house 22) and the Nobel-laureate poet Jaroslaf Seifert. Most of them are souvenir shops today.

White Tower (Bílá vìž)
It is the place where Irish alchemist Edward Kelley was imprisoned by Rudolf II.

Daliborka Tower (Daliborka)
This tower was built in the 15th century. It is named after Dalibor of Kozojedy who was imprisoned here in 1498 for supporting a peasant rebellion, and later executed. According to a legend he learnt to play the violin and his playing could be heard throughout the castle. The story was used by Bedøich Smetana in his opera Dalibor.

Lobkowicz Palace (Lobkovický palác)
Situated in one of the most magnificent architectural complexes in Europe, the Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle was built in the middle of the 16th century by a Czech nobleman, Jaroslav of Pernštejn (1528-1569). It has belonged to the Roudnice branch of the Lobkowicz family since the beginning of the 17th century. One of the most significant family collections in Europe, the Lobkowicz Collections are comprised of paintings, decorative arts, original musical scores and instruments, an extensive library of rare books and archives, and important arms and armor, spanning seven centuries of art and music patronage. We are pleased to announce the creation of a new, permanent exhibition entitled The Princely Collections. Housed in the Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle, it opened to the public on April 2, 2007. This unique and dynamic installation will dramatically expand the family’s efforts to restore additional rare objects and make this extraordinary heritage of the Czech nation even more accessible to local and international audiences. Highlights of the works to be exhibited at this outstanding location, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, will include the jewels of the old master paintings, namely two world-renowned views of London by Canaletto, The River Thames on Lord Mayor’s Day and The River Thames with Westminster Bridge, both painted in the late 1740´s, and Haymaking by Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1565). The largest collection of 16th century Spanish paintings outside of Spain and Austria will now be on view at Prague Castle in a display of family and dynastic portraits reflecting innumerable connections between the courts of Prague, Madrid and Vienna. The Lobkowicz Princes’ exceptional patronage of composers, most notably Beethoven, will be illuminated by an interactive installation of the family’s most important musical manuscripts and instruments. The best examples of the extraordinarily diverse and vast ceramics collection, dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries, will also be on display. An armory, containing one of the finest and rarest collections of firearms in Central Europe, will be featured in two rooms. These pieces, resplendent works of art in their own right, will be displayed together for the first time in a single magnificent setting. This is by far the most ambitious endeavor that the Lobkowicz family has undertaken in the sixteen years they have spent preserving, protecting and making accessible their unique cultural heritage in the Czech Republic. In concert with the considerable educational programs already available at Nelahozeves Castle – opened to the public by President Václav Havel in 1997 – and the ongoing display of the Collections there, this major project will revitalize an important cultural site in the heart of Europe by increasing public access to some of the world’s greatest works of art. HISTORY OF THE LOBKOWICZ PALACE The Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle is one of the most beautiful and significant cultural sites in Europe. Originally the Pernštejn Palace, it was built in the mid-16th century by Czech nobleman Jaroslav of Pernštejn (1528-1569). It was to this Palace that the Spanish-born wife of his brother Vratislav, Chancellor of the Czech Kingdom, brought the celebrated Infant Jesus of Prague, renowned even today for its miraculous healing powers. The building has borne its present name and belonged to the Lobkowicz family since the marriage of Jaroslav’s niece Polyxena (1566-1642) to the 1st Prince Lobkowicz (1568-1628). In the centuries following that marriage, the Palace witnessed some of Bohemia’s most significant historical events. In 1618, the famous “defenestration” of Prague took place when Protestant rebels threw the Catholic Imperial ministers from the windows of Prague Castle. Surviving the fall, they took refuge in the adjoining Lobkowicz Palace. Following the Protestants’ defeat at the Battle of the White Mountain, the Lobkowicz family consolidated its influence and power base for the next three centuries. As a result, the Palace underwent a number of changes. Yet despite this, all periods of its architectural history can still be seen today. Among these changes to the building, of particular note are the Palace’s Chapel and magnificent reception rooms, today known as the Concert Hall, the Balcony Room and the Marble Hall. These were improved and embellished in the mid-17th century by the politically powerful 2nd Prince Lobkowicz, Václav Eusebius (1609-1677). His four times great-grandson, Joseph František Maximilian, the 7th Prince Lobkowicz (1772-1816), best known as Beethoven’s most generous benefactor (dedicatee of 3 symphonies and more), was however responsible for the Palace’s present day exterior, a reconstruction he commissioned for Emperor Leopold II’s 1791 coronation as King of Bohemia. For three hundred years, the Palace was passed down to each ruling Prince. After the First World War and following the abolishment of hereditary titles in 1918, Maximilian, son of the 10th Prince Lobkowicz, demonstrated his support for the new Republic by making several rooms available to the Prime Minister’s office. At the very beginning of World War II, the invading Nazis confiscated the Palace along with all other Lobkowicz family properties. Returned in 1945, the Palace and all their other properties were seized again just three years later by the Communist regime (1948-1989). After more than forty years of Communist rule and a further 12 years seeking its restitution, the Lobkowicz family once again became the owners of their Palace in late 2002. In the Spring of 2007, following more than three years of planning, careful restoration and refurbishment, it will open to the public for the first time as a private family museum. The new permanent exhibition there, entitled The Princely Collections, is drawn from the extensive Lobkowicz Collections. This completely new installation will not only help revitalize an important cultural site in the heart of Europe, but it will also dramatically expand the Lobkowicz family’s efforts to make these treasures accessible to the Czech people and a vast international audience

Toy Museum (Muzeum hracek)
This private museum is said to be the second largest museum of its kind in the world.

Schwarzenberg Palace (Švancenberský palác)
Built originally for the Lobkowicz family it passed through several hands before the Schwarzenbergs acquired it in 1719. There has been a Museum of Military history since 1945.

Archbishop's Palace (Arcibiskupský palác)
Bought by Ferdinand I in 1562 for the first Catholic Archbishop it is the seat of archbishops ever since. In the period of after the 1621 it was a powerful symbol of Catholic domination of the city as well as the Czech lands. It is only open to the public one day before Good Friday.

Sternberg Palace (Šternberský palác)
Named after Franc Josef Sternberg, who founded the Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts in Bohemia in 1796, it houses the National Gallery's valuable collection of 14th– to 18th- century European art, such as works by Goya and Rembrandt.

Cernín palace (Cernínský palác)
This palace was built in 1668 for the Imperial Ambassador to Venice. It was badly damaged in 1757 when Prussian bombarded Prague and almost 100 years later sold to the state. Since 1918, it has been home to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1948 the foreign minister, democrat and anti-communist, Jan Masaryk fell to his death from one of the bathroom windows. It is still unclear whether it was a suicide or a murder planned by the communist secret service.

The Loreta (Loreta)
This extraordinary baroque pilgrimage church was built in 1626 with funds donated by Countess Lobkowitz. Its grandiose design and miraculous stories about this place were part of Ferdinand II's campaign to recatholicize the Czechs. Worth seeing is especially the treasury on the 1st floor.

Capuchin Monastery (Kapucínský klášter)
Founded in 1600 it was the first monastery of its kind in Bohemia. It is connected to the neighbouring Loreta and it is famous for its miraculous statue of the Madonna and Child. Each year at Christmas there is a delightful Baroque nativity scene of life-sized figures.

Strahov Monastery (Strahovský klášter)
Founded in 1140 by Vladislav II the Strahov Monastery was completed in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was functioned until the communist government closed it. Now it is a working monastery and a museum. Inside is the Church of St Roch, the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and the Strahov Picture Gallery. The biggest attraction is the Strahov Library – the largest monastic library in the country.