On my third tour as a Tour Manager, working for Contiki Europe, I got my second taste of Prague, and had two full days to explore a city I grew to love passionately in a short time. I returned to the castle first; Hradcany Castle overlooks the entire city. Its cathedral is St Vitus’s, a mammoth Gothic structure, imposing and eerie-looking from the outside. I was lingering just inside the doorway, taking it all in, when a girl’s choir began singing Christian hymns – in a cappella and in English. Visiting from South Carolina, the young women sounded like angels. It was the perfect accompaniment, as I searched the cathedral for its treasures. It was said that Lucifer, unable to cross the cathedral’s threshold, stamped his foot in anger and left an impression in the stone floor. I scoured the entrance, but the floor was smooth. The treasure did come, however, when sometime later I found myself lost on the other side of the castle. I entered a cavernous hall – Vladislav Hall - through a 16 foot door: large planks of wood, rough-sawn but smoothed by centuries of hands and bound by clunky wrought iron. I was alone! That in itself was a rarity – to be alone in a public place in Europe. I pushed the door shut behind me so I could truly savor the solitude. I looked up at the amazing ceiling, curved and peaking at an apex. Huge beams, seemingly the same ones used to create the door, reached upwards from the floor. The floor! Each piece, not quite perfect, but it all fit together like a giant’s jigsaw puzzle. The hall was where the Royal Court was held, but as I stood alone characters moved and spoke before me. Characters from a play I had read months before – a Greek tragedy. But there, playing out in my mind, the powers of the Gods became the Black magic of wizards and witches. The heroine dragged by her hair across the floor to an altar at the far end of the room. There, the villain king cut out her tongue to silence her, so she could not declare that he raped her. His courtiers bore witness, but no one dared aid our lady as she slumped in a pool of her own blood, wide-eyed and silent. The king stood panting, glowering over her with beads of sweat trailing down his face. He turned to the onlookers, his glare challenging them to question him. In return they stood silently, stunned. The images were vivid. The hall, gutted of its fixtures, showed me this scene, played out just for me. It is actually happening while I stand here. It may have been steeped in history, but that day the place was alive with fiction. My love affair with the city had gone beyond flirtation. This was serious. I was transfixed. There and then I made a promise to return, to spend more than a couple of days there.

50° 5′ N , 14° 25′ O
Am bekanntesten sind sicher die Prager Burg mit dem Veitsdom , die Karlsbrücke und der Altstädter Ring mit Teynkirche, Ungelt, Rathaus und astronomischer Uhr ( Orloj ). Aber auch die zweite mittelalterliche Burg, der Vyšehrad mit der St. Peter-und-Pauls-Kirche gehört zu den bekannteren Bauwerken.

To best known ones are certainly the Prague castle with the Veitsdom, the Karl's bridge and the old town-dweller ring with Teynkirche, Unright, city hall and astronomical clock (Orloj). But also the second medieval castle, the Vy š ehrad with the Saint Peter-und-Pauls-Kirche belongs to the more known buildings.

Prague Castle ( Czech : Pražský hrad ) is a castle in Prague where the Czech kings, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here. Prague Castle is one of the biggest castles in the world (according to Guinness Book of Records the biggest ancient castle) at about 570 meters in length and an average of about 130 meters wide.

perched high on a hill overlooking Prague , and has been on this site since 800 AD, and has grown to be massive complex, the largest palace complex in Europe . Inside the courtyard of the palace is a massive cathedral, St Vitus. Construction began in the 1300s, and lasted until 1929. Free entry into the main section. To see the sights, there are a few different tickets to choose from, depending on what you want to see.

Prague Castle is a MUST SEE for anyone visiting Prague for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd time, or so on! It's breathtaking! Across the street from Prague's military building which is guarded by a ridiculous amount of cameras, stands this baroque castle - a true test of time. Upon entering the castle grounds I immediately flashed back to the guards at Buckingham Palace in London. Here two soldiers stand at attention beneath Czech flags honoring the castle which they serve and protect. Inside the castle walls a new world opens up....pathways open up and you realize that once upon a time an entire community lived within these walls. Chapels, galleries, cafes, restaurants, museums all occupy space in at Prague Castle. An attempt to tell the story and history of such a beautiful place. The church within the castle walls stands tall and fierce. The architecture of this building is exquisite.