As in Budapest and most other medieval cities, if there was high ground, a castle and a small community were built there. So was the case also in Prague. Today the castle is the Presidential Palace where the head of the government works in one wing, and the rest of the palace is a museum. Also built on this hill is St Vitus Cathedral with its magnificent high ceilings and beautiful dome and towers. St Vitus is the most important cathedral in the Czech Republic and the oldest parts of the cathedral date back to the 14th century. and the Golden Lane, a row of 11 very small houses built against a fortification wall. It was originally known as Goldsmith's Lane due to the many goldsmiths living there.
Today the houses contain historic displays as well as shops for the tourists.
This day was rainy from the start and we were huddling under umbrellas most of the day. We started at the Palace, tried to see the changing of the guard at the front gate, then visited the cathedral, walked down through the row of small houses, enjoyed fabulous views of the city from various places, and ended up on the Charles Bridge. Like most cathedrals in Europe, this one was beautiful inside with many wonderful stained glass windows. Thre are some great photos of the stained glass in the photo album for this post.
Prague is known for it's many towers, and the towers are apparent from the views we had from the Castle District. In every direction, wherever you look, you can see medieval towers of every type. It was a beautiful sight.
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