Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
You pass through the Matthias Gate into the Second Courtyard, centred on a baroque
fountain and a 17th-century well with lovely Renaissance latticework. On the right,
the
Chapel of the Holy Cross
(kaple sv Kříže; 1763) houses the treasury of St Vit-
us Cathedral.
St Vitus Treasury
nádvoří, Pražský hrad; adult/concession/family 300/150/600Kč; 10am-6pm; 22)
, a
spectacular collection of ecclesiastical bling that was founded by Charles IV in the
14th century. Gold and silver reliquaries crusted in diamonds, emeralds and rubies
contain saintly relics ranging from fragments of the True Cross to the withered hand
of a Holy Innocent. The oldest items include a reliquary arm of St Vitus dating from
the early 10th century, while the most impressive treasures range from a gold corona-
tion cross of Charles IV (1370) to a diamond-studded baroque monstrance of 1708.
Royal Garden
A gate on the northern side of Prague Castle leads to the
Powder Bridge
(Prašný
most; 1540), which spans the Stag Moat and leads to the
Royal Garden
(Královská
zahrada; 10am-dusk Apr-Oct; 22, 23)
, which started life as a Renaissance garden
built by Ferdinand I in 1534. It is graced by several gorgeous Renaissance structures.
The most beautiful of the garden's buildings is the 1569
Ball-Game House
where the Habsburgs once played a primitive version of badminton. To the east is the
(1538-60), the most authentic Italian Renaissance building outside Italy, and to the
three are used as venues for temporary exhibitions of modern art.
