Prague Castle: The Largest Ancient Castle Complex in the World
Over a thousand years of Czech history within one massive fortress
A Castle the Size of a Town
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle complex in the world, covering approximately 66,000 square meters. But calling it a "castle" undersells what it really isâthis is an entire district, a self-contained city within a city that includes palaces, churches, gardens, fortifications, and countless other buildings accumulated over more than a millennium.
The castle was founded around 880 AD by Prince BoĆivoj of the Premyslid Dynasty. He chose a strategic hilltop location overlooking the Vltava River and the trade routes that passed through what would become Prague. From that simple fortified settlement, the castle grew century by century, each ruler adding new buildings or renovating old ones. The result is an architectural timelineâyou can literally walk through Czech history just by exploring the different structures.
St. Vitus Cathedral: The Crown Jewel
The cathedral of St. Vitus dominates the castle complex, its Gothic spires visible from all over Prague. Construction began in 1344 but wasn't completed until 1929âit took nearly 600 years to finish. The cathedral is more than just a church; it's the spiritual center of the Czech nation, housing the tombs of Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors, the Czech crown jewels, and the shrine of St. Wenceslas.
The Chapel of St. Wenceslas, built on the spot where the saint was supposedly murdered in 935, is covered floor to ceiling with over 1,300 semi-precious stones set into gold-plated walls. The effect is overwhelmingâa glittering jewel box that makes clear just how important this saint was (and is) to Czech identity. The crown jewels are kept behind seven locks in a chamber above the chapel, with seven different keyholder who must all be present to open it.
Golden Lane and the Alchemists
One of the castle's most charming streets is Golden Lane, a row of tiny colorful houses built into the castle fortifications. Legend says Emperor Rudolf II housed his alchemists here, tasking them with turning lead into gold. The truth is more mundaneâthese were homes and workshops for castle guards and later for craftsmen like goldsmiths (which probably explains the "golden" name).
The houses have been converted into small museums and shops, but they retain their fairy-tale charm. Franz Kafka famously lived at number 22 for a brief period in 1916-1917, writing short stories in this tiny space. Today, you can walk through these miniature homes and get a sense of what life was like for ordinary people who lived and worked within the castle walls.
The Defenestrations of Prague
Prague Castle witnessed one of history's strangest recurring eventsâthe defenestrations of Prague, where people were literally thrown out of windows. The most famous occurred in 1618 when Protestant nobles threw two Catholic governors and their secretary out of a window in the Royal Palace. They survived the 70-foot fall (landing in a pile of manure), but the incident sparked the Thirty Years' War that devastated Europe.
There was an earlier defenestration in 1419 during Hussite riots, and some historians count a third in 1948 when Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk died in suspicious circumstances that might have involved a window. It's a weird historical pattern that somehow perfectly captures Prague's tumultuous political historyâdramatic, violent, yet sometimes almost comically absurd.
A Living Seat of Power
Unlike many historical castles that are now just museums, Prague Castle remains the official residence of the Czech President. It's been the seat of power continuously for over 1,100 yearsâfrom Czech princes to Bohemian kings to Holy Roman Emperors to Communist presidents to today's democratic leaders. That's remarkable continuity, even if the nature of that power has changed dramatically over the centuries.
The Changing of the Guard happens every hour, with an extended ceremony at noon that draws crowds of tourists. The presidential flag flying above the castle indicates whether the president is in residence. Parts of the castle are closed during official state functions, a reminder that this isn't just a historical siteâit's a working government facility where decisions affecting millions of people are still made.
Exploring the Complex
You could spend days exploring Prague Castle and still not see everything. Besides St. Vitus Cathedral and Golden Lane, there's the Old Royal Palace with its magnificent Vladislav Hall, the Basilica of St. George (Prague's oldest surviving church building), the Powder Tower, multiple gardens, museums displaying everything from medieval arms to modern Czech art, and countless courtyards and passages.
The castle offers some of the best views in Prague. From the terraces and gardens, you can see the entire city spread out belowâthe red tile roofs, the spires of other churches, the Vltava River winding through it all. This view explains why rulers chose this spot over a thousand years ago and why they've held onto it ever since. From up here, you feel like you're looking down on all of Czech history at once.
More Than a Castle
Prague Castle isn't just the largest ancient castle complex in the worldâit's a living document of Central European history. Every architectural style from Romanesque to modern is represented here. Kings, emperors, saints, artists, revolutionaries, and tyrants have all left their mark. Walking through the castle grounds is like walking through a thousand years of human ambition, conflict, creativity, and resilience, all concentrated in one impossibly dense and fascinating place.