Golden Lane
(Zlata ulicka)
Golden Lane
The contrast between the picturesque little homes lining Golden Lane and the monumental Prague Castle highlights one of the fundamental characteristics of the castle as well as the entire city.
After 1484, when the Castle's new
Gothic internal fortifications were being built, wooden dwellings for the
castle's lower servants and guards were soon constructed in twelve lit arcades
between the Daliborka and White Towers.
As part of the reconstruction work done to the castle under Rudolf II 24 arches
were placed over them, and the archers' walkway became situated here. In 1597
the emperor gave his sharpshooters permission to build their homes here. They
stayed on this lane even after 1784, when Josef II discontinued the institution
of archers.
In 1864 catastrophic hygienic standards forced the demolition of one side of the
street; the side on the outer fortification remained untouched. After World War
II the homes were nationalized, repaired by Pavel Janak and Jiri Trnka and used
for museum exhibitions. The colors selected by Czech painter, illustrator and
animated film director Jiri Trnka have lost none of their vibrancy.
on the hill overlooking Prague
entry to the Prague Castle
Lobkowicz Palace
Lobkowicz family
Today Lobkowicz Palace serves as the National Museum. Its permanent exhibition, Monuments of a Nation's Past, presents the complete pictorial histories of Bohemia and Moravia from the 4th century BC to the mid-19th century.
