Old Royal Palace

The Old Palace is located in the third atrium of Prague Castle, adjacent to St. Vitus Cathedral. It has undergone additions and renovations on the basis of the original ancient Roman buildings, and gradually added Gothic and Renaissance buildings, which can be regarded as a witness. It is a living fossil of the interpretation of European architectural style. Historical background The old palace was built in the 12th century, and until it was ruled by the Habsburg family, it has been the residence of successive Bohemian kings. Compared with the gorgeous St. Vitus Cathedral, the old palace with white walls and red roof has no gorgeous gilt decoration, and there are not too many relief frescoes, which is relatively simple and simple. The entire palace of Wenceslas Hall is distributed asymmetrically. It has been continuously repaired by successive incumbents, and is superimposed layer by layer. Now it can be roughly divided into three floors, the most important of which is the Wenceslas Hall (The Vladislav Hall), which is the center of the entire Royal Palace and has been used as a venue for various important events and celebrations since it was built in the 16th century. The Gothic ribbed vaults of the hall are intertwined like vines, which are very beautiful. They are the essence of the old palace architecture and are worth seeing. The official residence at the southwest corner of Wenceslas Hall is the site of the infamous "The Prague Duo Window Throwing Incident", where in 1618 royalist Catholics were pushed down by Protestants, triggering the Thirty Years' War . The exit of the hall retains the knights' ramp, where knights once rode into the hall for horseback shooting competitions. In addition, from the viewing corridor on the south wall of the Wenceslas Hall, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Prague Castle Gardens, so you may stop for a while. All Saints Church Adjacent to Wenceslas Hall is All Saints' Church, which was built by Peter Partler, the architect of St. Vitus Cathedral, but like most of the rooms in the old palace, All Saints' Church was built in 1541 Destroyed in the fire of 2008, only part of the walls have been preserved, and most of what we have seen so far is the result of later reconstruction and repairs. On the north side of All Saints is the mausoleum of St. Procopius, whose life is depicted in circular colored frescoes on the wall. The Church of All Saints is only open on Saturdays at 16:00, but the interior of the church can be seen from the Wenceslas Hall. After visiting the old palace, you can walk to St. George's Church.