DOMINICAN MONASTERY OF SAINT CLEMENT
A small church of Saint Clement was situated near the Old Town end of Judith Bridge. The Dominicans, also known as the Friars Preachers, who settled at Saint Clement’s Church at Na Poříčí shortly after their arrival in Prague (1225/1226),…
CHURCH OF THE VIRGIN MARY
According to historical sources, the Church of the Virgin Mary is the first sacral structure in Prague. Bořivoj, the first historically recorded Bohemian prince, probably founded it in 885. Over time, it has attracted the attention of everybody…
EARLY MEDIEVAL FORTIFICATION AND NORTHERN WING OF PRAGUE CASTLE
The first fortification elements, transverse moats, were first discovered in the northern wing of the castle and may be related to its historical beginnings in the second half of the 9th century. The moats appear to have been complemented by a…
THIRD COURTYARD
The third courtyard is situated above the western part of the former early medieval residence of Bohemian princes and kings and the location of the most important structures such as the rotunda and later basilica of St Vitus. There were also…
ST VITUS ROTUNDA AND BASILICA, MONASTERY OF THE PRAGUE CHURCH AND EPISCOPAL PALACE
Perhaps as early as the 920s, Prince Wenceslas founded a rotunda consecrated to Saint Vitus in the very centre of Prague Castle, on the site that dominated the eastern part of the Hradčany promontory. After his body was transferred from Stará…
SAINT GEORGE’S MONASTERY AND BASILICA AT PRAGUE CASTLE
Prior to 921, Prince Vratislav I founded the Church of Saint George as the second church at Prague Castle. It soon functioned as a burial ground where the remains of Princess Ludmila were transferred in 925. Later, Boleslav I dedicated St George…
PRAŠNÝ MOST (POWDER BRIDGE)
With the Habsburg accession to the Bohemian throne after the Battle of Mohács (1526), Prague Castle was extensively reconstructed into a Renaissance residence which was most reflected in the adaptation of the adjacent area behind the Brusnice Stream…
BURIAL GROUND, EXECUTION GROUND, AND ST MATTHEW CHAPEL ON LORETÁNSKÉ SQUARE
In the past, the narrative sources not only associated the area of the current Loretánské Square with supernatural phenomena, which were connected with the beginnings of Christianity in Bohemia, but also with drastic stories indicating that one of…
PALACES OF MEDIEVAL VYŠEHRAD
During the rule of Vratislav II (1061–1092, crowned 1085/1086) and his immediate successors, Vyšehrad was the chief Přemyslid residence. It is likely that its imposing architecture temporarily overshadowed the traditional Přemyslid residence…
REMAINS OF THE MEDIEVAL BASILICA OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL AND THE ROMANESQUE ‘BRIDGE’
St Peter’s Basilica (in the 12th century renamed the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul) was founded by Prince Vratislav II around 1070 as a chapter church. It has undergone a complex building development, the evidence of which is hidden under…
EARLY ROMANESQUE BASILICA OF SAINT LAWRENCE AND ITS PRECURSOR
Vyšehrad and Its Earliest Remaining Structures from the Early Middle Ages
The Vyšehrad compound with the remains of early medieval architecture is one of the few places where visitors may see an authentic space of archeologically uncovered structures ranking among the oldest architectural monuments in Bohemia. Moreover,…
THE VANISHED VLTAVA ISLAND AT KLÁROV
In the Middle Ages, there was an area adjacent to the fortified Lesser Town settlement below Prague Castle which was referred to as At the Sands because of the sandy silts accumulated during floods. The written records of the second half of the 13th…
CONVENT OF THE ORDER OF SAINT MARY MAGDALENE AND CHURCH OF SAINT MARY MAGDALENE
Discovery and Presentation of the Vanished Medieval Church
The Convent of the Order of Saint Mary Magdalene in the Lesser Town is one of the religious institutions that disappeared during the Middle Ages. The existence of the monastic community in the Lesser Town dates from 1315–1320. Archaeological…
ŠÁRKA VALLEY
Prehistoric Settlement Region and Early Medieval Šárka Hillfort
An elevated settlement on the summit of Šesták Rock, a rocky promontory protruding above the valley from Liboc on the east, was the centre of the prehistoric settlement in the valley of the Šárka Stream. The local findings gave name to the middle…
VINOŘ HILLFORT
Polycultural Locality – Early Přemyslid Hillfort and High Medieval Fortress
Archaeologists have been familiar with the locality since the 19th century. In the 1980s, a detailed plan of the hillfort was produced and surface collection was carried out. The Institute of Archaeology of the Faculty of Arts of Charles University…
ROYAL CANONRY OF PREMONSTRATENSIANS AT STRAHOV
Monastery with the Remains of Romanesque Structures
Strahov Monastery, one of the crucial religious compounds in Prague, occupies a prominent position above the Lesser Town basin. Its early days are closely bound to the ruling Přemyslid dynasty. The foundations for the Premonstratensian monastery …
KOTLÁŘOVSKÝ HOUSE WITH THE JUDITH BRIDGE REMAINS
Remains of the Romanesque Bridge and Paving
The location of the house and its closest vicinity is associated with Judith Bridge – a prominent building technology monument which has not survived. Vladislaus II, Duke and later King of Bohemia, and his wife Judith of Thuringia initiated…
MONASTERY OF THE KNIGHTS OF THE CROSS WITH THE RED STAR AND THE RUINS OF JUDITH BRIDGE
Monastic church and Romanesque bridge
The Monastery of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star adjacent to the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi is the home monastery of the original Bohemian religious order of knights established by Agnes of Bohemia. The foundation stone for the…
BETHLEHEM CHAPEL AND ITS UNDERGROUND
Remains of the medieval chapel with in situ archaeological findings
The current image of the Bethlehem Chapel is the outcome of the generous reconstruction from 1950–1954 using the partly preserved medieval structures according to the design of Jaroslav Fragner. The burghers of Prague, shopkeeper Jan Kříž and…
CHURCH OF SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES IN BETHLEHEM SQUARE
Disappeared medieval church
In the Middle Ages, the Church of Saints Philip and James was situated in the Bethlehem Square in front of the Bethlehem Chapel façade. The archaeologist Ivan Borkovský uncovered the church foundations between 1948 and 1949. Very little information…
