Chateau

IMG_5661, originally uploaded by bratislavadavis.

15-08-07

The uninspiring tour focused primarily on the castle. I spent the rest of the day touring Hradcany Castle on my own and really enjoyed it.

The famous Charles Bridge allows for some magnificent views of the castle. Commissioned by Charles IV as a replacement for the Judith Bridge- it was designed by Peter Parler. The majority of the statues of religious figures are perched on the railings of the bridge are replicas in order to prevent further damage to the originals. The best-known statue is of St. Luitgard by young Matthias Braun of a blind nun’s vision of Christ. Parler also designed the Gothic Old Town Bridge Tower with spires on the top.

The Ledebour Garden is a delightful garden filled with peacocks and Baroque-styled fountains and statues. It dates back to the 16th century when the aristocracy inspired by the famous terraces of Italy such as the Villa D’Este strived to do the same in Prague. My favorite garden is the Kolowrat-Cernin Garden which has a delightful statue situated in the center of a fountain-pool of Hercules swinging violently with a club.

The castle epitomizes Prague as it dates back to the 9th century when a palace, a monastery, and three churches were built. The town Hradcany was christened in 1320 on the outer outskirts of the castle. The current structure of the castle dates back to 1541 when Renaissance-styled structures were built to replace the old buildings which were damaged by a fire.

The Picture Gallery of Prague Castle is very small and rather unremarkable except for a couple of pieces, but it contains a masterpiece by Titian- The Toilet of a Young Lady. There is also a Peter Paul Reubens piece- The Assembly of the Olympic Gods. The majority of the paintings are Czech Baroque artists.

The Observation Tower is a knockoff of the Eifel Tower albeit much smaller, being 200 feet high. Still, the top allows for a wonderful view of Prague from all-around especially of the castle area.

The Lobkowicz Palace was a pleasant surprise tracing the history of the aristocratic Lobkowicz family through the 35 rooms in the villa. Some of the highlights of the collection included a manuscript by Beethoven of his famed 5th Symphony and a painting by Pieter Bruegel of The Seasons- one of the five that he did.

The Sternberg Gallery is the major art gallery in Prague and although it is a tiny collection, it has some important European art by Rembrandt, Titian, and Reubens to name a few. The highlight of my trek was seeing “Bearded Man in a Cap” by Rembrandt which was on loan from the National Gallery in London. The permanent collection has Rembrandt's “Scholar in His Study”. Other paintings worth noting include “The Head of Christ” by El Greco- a humanistic portrayal of Jesus.

My final stop at the castle was stopping at St. Vitus's cathedral minutes before it closed as I wisely avoided the long lines. The essential sights of the church are on the exterior which include the golden portal and flying buttresses done in the Gothic style, and the interior was lovely, especially the stained-glass rose windows.

I finished my evening by having dinner with Peter, Kathy, Louise, and a friend of theirs at an Afghan bistro. I had some excellent Kabob.