While the New Royal Palace in Prague Castle houses the Presidential Office, the Old Royal Palace was the seat of Bohemian rulers back in the Middle Ages. The oldest part of the Old Royal Palace is a stone structure built in the 12th century by Prince Soběslav and preserved until today.
Located next to the St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace saw quite a few reconstructions throughout history. Originally it was a Romanesque building, and the elements of Gothic and Renaissance architecture were added later on.
Not surprisingly, Charles IV contributed a lot to enhancing its grandeur, as well as his son Wenceslas IV. During the stormy 15th century the building stood deserted for almost 80 years, but when the king Vladislav Jagellonský returned to Prague Castle in 1483, he commenced another large-scale reconstruction of the Royal Palace. It was during his reign that the magnificent and solemn Vladislav Hall – the main highlight of the Palace - was added. Designed by the architect Benedikt Ried, it boasts an impressive rib vaulting of the ceilings and square Renaissance-style windows.
This large space performed a lot of functions, and not all of them as obvious as official banquets! One of the wall paintings suggests that Vladislav Hall was also a venue for indoor tournaments. Armoured knights on horseback would enter using the so-called Rider’s Steps staircase. After the Habsburgs succeeded to the Bohemian throne, the interiors served for coronation festivities and important meetings.
Overall, the Old Royal Palace has a simple design and will not strike you with opulent decoration. But with its well-preserved architecture, it is wonderfully steeped in history and takes you back to the Golden Age of Bohemia.
