Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
who led the country from exile in London during World War II, is
highly controversial these days (see sidebar on page 186).
The tiny
size of the statue expresses the nation's present uncertainty about
the legacy of the man.
Beneš faces the bronze portrait bust of Hana Benešová,
Edvard's wife, on the nearby house where she lived for a brief
period. Hana has long been regarded as the force behind many
of Edvard's crucial decisions. Czechs typically measure statesmen
by their wives, since many Czechs regard men as pathologically
ambitious and imprudent creatures, whose success and apparent
political wisdom are due to the out-of-sight, sensible judgment of
their better halves.
Castle Square (Hradčanské Náměstí)
This is the central square of the Castle Quarter. Enjoy the awe-
some city view and the two entertaining bands that play regularly
at the gate. (If the Prague
Castle Orchestra is playing,
say hello to friendly, musta-
chioed Josef, and consider
getting the group's terrific
CD.) A café with dramatic
city views called Espresso
Kajetánka hides a few steps
down, immediately to the
right as you face the castle
(see page 138).
From here, stairs lead into the Little Quarter.
Castle Square was a kind of medieval Pennsylvania Avenue—
the king, the most powerful noblemen, and the archbishop lived
here. Look uphill from the gate. The Renaissance
Schwarzenberg
Palace
(on the left, with the big rectangles scratched on the wall)
was where the Rožmberks “humbly” stayed when they were in
town from their Český Krumlov estates. The Schwarzenberg fam-
ily inherited the Krumlov estates and aristocratic prominence in
Bohemia, and stayed in the palace until the 20th century. The pal-
ace now houses the National Gallery's collection of Czech Baroque
paintings, displayed in recently restored rooms that also have great
views of the city (150 Kč, Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, cheaper after
16:00, closed Mon).
The archbishop still lives in the yellow Rococo
palace
across
the square (with the three white goose necks in the red field—the
coat of arms of Prague's archbishops).
Through the portal on the left-hand side of the palace, a lane
leads to the
Sternberg Palace
(Šternberský Palác), filled with the
National Gallery's skippable collection of European paintings—
including minor works by Albrecht Dürer, Peter Paul Rubens,
