Prague Castle is the biggest castle complex in the world and it contains many buildings. When visiting the castle, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to take in the Royal Summer Palace or Belvedere. This construction was commissioned by Ferdinand 1 for his wife Queen Anne and is a fine sample of Italian Renaissance based on the project by the Italian architect Paolo Della Stella.

Located at the far end of the Royal Gardens to the north of Prague Castle, the Belvedere is an elegant building; its copper roof resembles an upturned ship’s keel, the arches between the thirty six columns of the ornate arcade have 114 reliefs depicting scenes from royal hunts, battles and Greek and Roman mythology. One relief shows Ferdinand 1 presenting a flower to his wife.

The first floor of the palace was once an observatory, the building’s remote location made it ideal for observing the night sky. It has a splendid fresco of famous events in Czech history. The ground floor was once made up of drawing rooms and ballrooms, but nowadays these rooms are used for modern and creative art exhibitions.

The geometrical gardens in front of the palace are graced by the famous Singing Fountain. This fountain is made of bronze and metal and is decorated with scenes of royal hunts. It is the sound of the water spilling into the bronze basin that creates a “song”. You need to use a little imagination and also to crouch down beside the fountain basin to hear the song.

Lobkovic Palace is the only privately owned building in the great Prague Castle multiplex. Built in the 16th century, it belongs to the Lobkowicz family and was restored to them after the fall of the communist regime. It is one of the most beautiful palaces in Prague and is certainly worth a visit.

The palace is now a museum, reception rooms and concert hall where classical music is played every lunch time. The museum relates the Czech history through the Lobkowicz family; the exhibits come from the family collection of guns and musical instruments. You can also see several original music scores and manuscripts written by Beethoven and Mozart among other famous compositors and you can admire the Old Masters, painted by Breughel the Elder, Velazquez and Canaletto.

The reception rooms, concert Hall, Balcony and Marble hall are beautifully decorated with frescos of Greek mythology on the stuccowork ceilings. The Imperial Hall is magnificent with its trompe-l’oeil paintings of Roman statues. The palace’s 17th century chapel is dedicated to St Wenceslas and the walls are decorated with medallions depicting the legend of the patron saint of the Czech Republic.

When you have finished your visit and have bought your souvenirs at the museum shop, you can relax and have a wonderful meal in the palace café-restaurant which is geared to all palettes and where the burgers are the best in Prague. From here you have a wonderful view of the city.

The first baroque building in Prague, the Wallenstein Palace was commissioned by the 1st Count Wallenstein in the 17th century. The count was a vain man and he wanted his palace to rival Prague Castle; he had to raze over twenty houses to get enough land to install his palace and gardens.

The interior of the palace is richly decorated; the stuccowork depicts battle trophies, weapons and musical instruments. In the Audience Hall a wonderful fresco depicts Vulcan at work over his forge and the walls of the Astrological Corridor are covered in astrological motifs. The most amazing room in the palace is the enormous Knight’s Hall which is two storeys high and the ceiling fresco shows the count as Mars the Roman God of war in his chariot.

The palace is now the seat of the Czech Republic Senate and is only open to the public on weekends, but it is worth visiting on any day of the week, just to wander through the magnificent gardens that are full of formal flower beds, bronze statues of heroes from Greek mythology and ornamental ponds. One curiosity is the “Grotesquery” or Dripstone wall, which represents a limestone grotto, complete with stalactites. There is also an aviary full of owls and peacocks. Entrance to the palace and gardens is free of charge.

At the bottom of the garden, opposite the palace, is the old riding school which now houses Modern Art exhibitions. Concerts are held in the gardens in the spring and summer. The palace chapel has frescos dedicated to St Wenceslas and the palace itself is said to be haunted by the ghost of a headless bell ringer.

A part of the Prague Castle the New Royal Palace occupies part of the 3rd courtyard of the castle. The construction was started in the 17th century and completed in the 18th. It comprises four wings, the north, west south and central wings.

The Throne Hall in the southern wing is richly decorated and boasts three huge crystal chandeliers, Persian carpets and a painting of Ferdinand V on his coronation day. The 47m long Rudolf Gallery has reliefs of 19th century Czech historic events and the Spanish Hall is graced by golden chandeliers and large mirrors which add light and an impression of space to the room.

Once the residence of kings, the palace now houses the offices of the President of the Republic and his administration staff. This is where diplomats and foreign statesmen are received by the President when they are visiting Prague.

The palace is used for state and cultural events and is only open to the public twice a year; on Liberation from Fascism Day in May and on Foundation of the Czech Republic Day in October. Although the public aren’t admitted to the interior of the palace, the exterior is nevertheless included in visits to Prague Castle.

Situated at Castle Square near Prague Castle, the beautiful Archbishop Palace is the residence of the Archbishop of Prague. It was built on the site of a Renaissance building and has been rebuilt several times in the Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo styles. There are vestiges of 16th century Renaissance sgraffitoes in the courtyard.

The interior is an amazing mix of wood-carvings and Rococo stuccowork, the Throne Hall is decorated with French 18th century tapestries and on the walls of the Eating Hall are portraits of Prague’s Archbishops. The furniture is contemporary and the rooms are filled with priceless glass and porcelain vases and statuettes.

The only part of the palace that is open to the public is the Chapel of St John the Baptist which was built in 1599. You can only visit it on the day before Good Friday, and if you are lucky enough to be in Prague at that time, you really shouldn’t miss a trip to the chapel.

Here you will notice a magnificent painting of the Crucifixion behind the chapel alter. This painting was executed under rather gruesome circumstances. It was commissioned by the Archbishop of that time and the work was carried out by a young Italian artist. The artist hired a beggar as a model and tied him to a cross, but because the poor man didn’t seem to be suffering enough, the artist stabbed him through the heart and painted his agony-filled face. After delivering the painting, the artist, full of remorse, committed suicide.

Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept here. Prague Castle is one of the biggest castles in the world (according to Guinness Book of Records the biggest ancient castle) at about 570 meters in length and an average of about 130 meters wide. The castle buildings represent virtually every architectural style of the last millennium. The Prague Castle includes Gothic St Vitus Cathedral, Romanesque Basilica of St. George, a monastery and several palaces, gardens and defense towers. Most of the castle areas are open to tourists. Nowadays, the castle houses several museums, including the National Gallery collection of Bohemian baroque and mannerism art, exhibition dedicated to Czech history, Toy Museum and the picture gallery of Prague Castle, based on the collection of Rudolph II.

The most visited part of Prague Castle is the Old Royal Palace, once the home of kings and where the 30 Years War started in 1618 when two Imperial Catholic Governors were thrown out of the window of one of the Bohemian Chancellery Rooms by Protestant nobles. The rather funny thing about this piece of Czech history is that the two unfortunates had their lives saved because they fell onto the Royal Stable muck-heap below the window!

The most notable part of the palace is the 60m long Vladislav Hall which has marvelous stellar-ribbed vaulted ceilings. The Hall was used for all sorts of events, including indoor tournaments; the knights on horseback reached the hall by the Rider’s staircase which was specially adapted with long, shallow stairs for the horses to climb. Nowadays the hall is used for the investiture of President of the Czech Republic and other important state events.

In the palace’s All Saints Chapel, paintings are dedicated to the legend of St Procopius. The chapel is open to the public on Saturday at 4pm and for concerts. In the Charles Hall and the Wenceslas IV Hall you can admire the “Story of Prague Castle” exhibition, which relates the history of the castle, important characters and events from the castle’s creation to the present day. In the Theresian Wing a Creative Art exhibition is well worth a visit, while the New State Boards Chancellery holds an impressive collection of Coats of Arms.

The Old Royal Palace is imbibed with Czech History and is a wonderful way to spend a cultural afternoon.

Schwarzenberg Palace is perhaps one of the most impressive buildings in Prague. The façade of this 16th century Renaissance palace looks as though it is of pyramidal relief, but this is a clever 3D effect painted onto the stonework, which is actually flat.

Inside, many of the ceilings are covered in paintings on canvas. These frescoes, depicting scenes such as the Judgment of Paris and the Conquest of Troy, have been carefully restored during the five-year renovation of the palace which was finished in 2008, during which time the building was closed to the public.

Now a department of the National Gallery of Prague, you can visit the wonderful permanent exhibition of sculptures and paintings of Renaissance and Bohemian art on three floors of the palace. The exhibition rooms are light and airy and the beautifully painted ceilings are sometimes more impressive than the exhibits themselves.

There is a museum of curiosities in true Baroque style and in one of the basement areas is a tactile exhibition called “Touches of Baroque” for the blind. Another part of the basement is given over to an archaeological exhibition. Recently an exhibition of the Imperial Armoury has been installed in one of the attics of the palace.

Tuscany Palace is the imposing Baroque building opposite Prague Castle. Built in the 17th century as a private residence, it belonged to the Dukes of Tuscany for over two hundred years. Today it houses the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

If this lovely palace seems a little familiar, it is because it was designed by the French architect Jean-Baptiste Mathey, who also designed the Archbishop’s Palace. There are two main entrances to the palace and above the portal of the left-hand entrance you will find the Tuscan Coat of Arms.

The statues on the roof were designed by the German sculptor Jan Brokoff and made by his son Ferdinand. On the wall of one corner of the palace you will see a wonderful statue of St Michael the Archangel sculpted by Ottovio Mosto who was the father of Baroque Illusionism in Prague.

The palace has four wings that enclose a central courtyard with two fountains in wall niches. The ground floor is often used for temporary art exhibitions and is open to the public.

If you are making a photo album of Prague’s historic buildings, you must include Czernin Palace which stands on Loreta Square.

Built in 1668 the palace is 150 metres long and is the largest Baroque building in Prague. All along the eastern façade are 30 semi-columns which make the palace instantly recognizable. The building was damaged twice, once by the French army in 1742 and then by the Prussians in 1747. In 1851 the military government bought the palace, a part of it was transformed into barracks and the terrace became a training area. Between 1923 and 1939 it belonged to the Ministry of Foreign affairs, and then again at the end the second World War.
In 1948, Jan Masaryk, the son of Czechoslovakia’s first president, fell to his death from one of the upper storey windows. It has never been proved whether he was pushed or whether he committed suicide, but those who believe the former, refer to his death as the 3rd Defenestration of Prague.