One of the most fascinating areas of Prague Castle is undoubtedly Golden Lane, where you will find a collection of tiny houses, all brightly painted.

There were once 24, built up against the castle’s northern fortification in the 16th century. At first they housed Rudolf II’s marksmen and legend has it that he ordered them not to build houses that exceeded the wall’s arches, which would explain why they are so small. In all likelihood the real reason was due to a lack of space. The houses were rather poorly made out of stone, mud and wood and had to be restored regularly.

When the marksmen were moved to new lodgings, the tiny houses were given to various palace workers, including goldsmiths, which is where the name Golden Lane came from. Another story tells that alchemists lived there, but in reality, they lived in another part of the castle complex. Later the tiny houses were occupied by the poor and Kafka’s sister lived at N°22. He stayed there with her for a short time and a memorial plaque has been fixed to the wall.

Today there are only eleven houses left; they have been restored, repainted and are now used to exhibit medieval armour, weapons and textiles, or have become souvenir shops and snack bars.

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 Lennon Wall is a wall in Prague. Once a normal wall, since the 1980s it has been filled with John Lennon-inspired graffiti and pieces of lyrics from Beatles songs. In 1988, the wall was a source of irritation for the then communist regime of Gustav Husak. Young Czechs would write grievances on the wall and in a report of the time this led to a clash between hundreds of students and security police on the nearby Charles Bridge. The movement these students followed was described ironically as "Lennonism" and Czech authorities described these people variously as alcoholics, mentally deranged, sociopathic, and agents of Western capitalism. The wall continuously undergoes change and the original portrait of Lennon is long lost under layers of new paint. Even when the wall was repainted by some authorities, on the second day it was again full of poems and flowers. Today, the wall represents a symbol of youth ideals such as love andpeace.

The Charles Bridge (Karlův most) is a famous historical bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava (Moldau), the Charles Bridge was the most important connection between the Old Town, Prague Castle and adjacent areas until 1841. This "solid-land" connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or the Prague Bridge (Pražský most) but has been the "Charles Bridge" since 1870. The bridge is 516 meters long and nearly 10 meters wide, resting on 16 arches shielded by ice guards. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, erected around 1700.

The beauty of Prague’s architecture is amply represented by the Old Town Tower Bridge which stands at one end of the Charles Bridge. Erected in the 14th century it was part of the old fortifications, built to protect the city from invaders coming from the North.

Above the arch you will see the coat of arms of the Bohemian Kingdom and the symbol of Wenceslas IV, a kingfisher. Above this are three statues, Charles IV on the right, Wenceslas IV on the left and St Vitus in the middle. Statues of St Vojtech and St Sigismund are near the top of the tower.

The east and west façades were also decorated, but those on the west side were destroyed by the invading Swedish troops in 1648. A stone plaque representing the citizens of Prague repelling the Swedes was put up shortly after. The first floor of the tower was once a debtor’s prison and now shows a short film of how the bridge and tower came to be constructed. The top floor gives a marvellous view of Prague.

You will also see two rather enigmatic inscriptions under the roof of the tower’s archway. These palindromes read: “Signate Signate mere me tangis et angis” and “Roma tibi subito motibus ibit amor”. The reason for these inscriptions has been lost in the mists of time, but they are thought to be a magic formula against evil.

The Bethlehem Chapel (Betlémská kaple) is a medieval religious building in Prague  notable for its connection with the Czech reformer Jan Hus. It was opened for sermons in 1394, and taught solely in the Czech vernacular, thus breaking with German domination of the Medieval Bohemian church. The building was never officially called as a church, only a chapel. In the 17th century, the building was acquired by the Jesuits. During reign of the Emperor Joseph II(1780s) converted into an apartment building. Under the Czechoslovakian communist regime the building was restored by the government to its state at the time of Hus. Most of the chapel's exterior walls and a small portion of the pulpit date back to the medieval chapel.

The Prague Astronomical Clock or Prague Orloj (Pražský orloj) is a medieval astronomical clock located in Prague. The Orloj is mounted on the southern wall of Old Town City Hall in the Old Town Squareand is a popular tourist attraction. The Orloj is composed of three main components: the astronomical dial, representing the position of theSun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; "The Walk of the Apostles", a clockwork hourly show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months.

The Clementinum (Klementinum) is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic. The history of the Klementinum dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. The National Library was founded in 1781 and from 1782 the Klementinum was a legal deposit library. In 1918 the newly-established Czecho-Slovak state took over the library. Since 1990, it has been the National Library. The architecture is a notable example of Baroque architecture and Clementinum, covering 20,000 square metres, is the second largest complex of buildings in Prague after the Prague Castle. The library contains a collection of Mozartiana, material pertaining to Tycho Brahe and Comenius, as well as historic examples of Czech literature. Today the complex hosts the National, University and Technical libraries. The City Library is also located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí.

The Rudolfinum is a music auditorium in Prague. It is one of the most important neo-renaissancebuildings in the city. It is situated at Jan Palach Square on the bank of the river Vltava. For many decades it has been the home-stage of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and one of the main venues for the Prague Spring International Music Festival held each year in May and June. The building was designed by architect Josef Zítek and his student Josef Schulz, and was opened February 8, 1885. It is named in honour of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, who presided over the opening. The building also contains the Galerie Rudolfinum, an important Art Gallery that focuses mainly on contemporary art.

Jews started to settle in Prague as early as the 10th century, but it wasn’t until the 13th century that they were ordered to give up their homes and move into a rather small area located between the Old Town and the River Vltava. Prague’s Jewish Quarter is well worth a long visit.

After the 13th century the “ghetto” as it was called grew as more and more Jews were sent to live there. At one time over 18 000 people lived in the area and restrictions on their movements and trade outside the Quarter became harsher and harsher. It’s little wonder that in the 17th century, according to legend, Rabbi Lowe created the Golem of Prague out of clay from the Vltava River and gave it life using a formula said to be the same that God used to give life to Adam. The Golem was meant to protect the Jews from persecution, but it ran amok and Rabbi Lowe had to destroy it.

Renovations were made between 1893 and 1913, but luckily the Quarter still retains the best Jewish monuments in Europe including six synagogues, the Jewish Town Hall and the Old Cemetery. During the Nazi occupation the Quarter was left intact because the Nazis wanted to use it after the war as a “Museum of an Extinct Race”.

Today the Jewish Quarter is administered by the Jewish Museum which houses over 40 000 artifacts of Prague’s Jewish community. The museum ticket covers a guided visit to the Old Jewish cemetery and four synagogues.

Powder Gate (Prašná brána) is a gothic gate in Prague, Czech Republic. It is one of the symbols of Prague, leading into the Old Town. Dating from 1475, the Powder Gate was built as one of 13 gates to the city of Prague. At the time construction began, it was connected (via the small bridge at the right of the photo) to the royal palace. Before construction was completed, however, King Vladislav Jagellonský moved his residence to Prague Castle in 1485. However, the Powder Gate remained important to the Bohemian kings - from that time until 1836, the Bohemian monarchs would pass through the Powder Gate on their way to St. Vitus Cathedral to be crowned. The Powder Gate was designed by master builder Matěj Rejsek to follow the design used by Peter Parler for the Old Town Bridge Tower at the base of Charles Bridge. It is now one of the few remnants of the fortifications that once surrounded the city.

The Municipal House (Obecní dům) is a major civic landmark and concert hall in Prague, and an important building in architectural and political history in the Czech Republic. It stands on the Náměstí Republiky. The Art Nouveau structure is an artifact of the Czech nationalism of the time and carries a wealth of ornament by some of the leading Czech artists of its day. The main facade features a large ceramic half-dome mosaic above the entry, Homage to Prague, by Karel Špillar. On either side are allegorical sculpture groups representing The Degradation of the People and The Resurrection of the People byLadislav Šaloun. The main space within the Municipal House is the concert space, Smetana Hall, named in honor of Bedřich Smetana. On October 28, 1918, Smetana Hall was the scene of the proclamation of the independent state of Czechoslovakia.