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Also known as the Coronation Path, this is the route taken by the coronation processions of Czech kings in the Middle Ages. It now serves as a charming walk through the history of the city, as if someone were to take you by the hand and lead you through the ancient secrets of life in Prague. There is no reason to hurry - a long, deliberate walk will enchant your senses and arouse your imagination as it takes you back to times past.

The Powder Tower, or Powder Gate

The entrance to Stare Mesto (Old Town), a gate was already here by the 13th century, though it wasn't until 1475 that King Vladislav II began construction of an entrance to the area of his residence in the Royal Court. Endowed with an abundant ornamentation of Gothic and Neo-Gothic sculptures, the tower owes its current appearence to faithful reconstruction carried out from 1875 to 1886. It is 65 meters high and its upper gallery is open to the public.

Constructed between 1906 and 1912, Obecni Dum (Municipal House) offers a richly adorned exterior and interior including the work of many important Czech artists. Valuable decorations and architectural details in the "art noveau" style are the work of the well-known Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. In 1918, the independence of Czechoslovakia from the Austro-Hungarian Empire was proclaimed here and it has served as a center for social activities since that time, with a hall for concerts, dances and conferences, a romantic cafe, and an excellent restaurant.

The House of the Black Madonna

Walking down Celetna Street, someone will no doubt call your attention to a building on the left, a beautiful example of Cubist architecture from 1911-12, the House of the Black Madonna. The sculpture on the corner of the building, on its upper story, is a black virgin from the 17th century.

Old-Town Square

Arriving at the end of the street, you may not know where to direct your attention first. At this merchants' crossroads a market emerged that eventually became the natural center of the area, and which over the passage of the years, was transformed into Staromestke Namesti, one of the most visited places in the city. Here is where you'll first encounter the magic and enchantment that has bewitched so many visitors to the city. The majority of its area is reserved for pedestrians, and in summer it's filled with open-air restaurants and cafes. The Old-Town Hall, on one side of the square, was constructed in 1338 after King John of Luxembourg granted this privilege to the citizens. The Church of Our Lady of Tyn, with its two 70 meter towers, is the dominant site of the square. Here, every house, every stone, every shade of color will take your breath away.

The House of the Golden Well

After leaving behind this beautiful square, we enter narrow Karlova Street, lined with tiny shops selling everything a tourist might want, from souvenirs and reproductions of famous paintings, to small wooden toys. At the intersection of Karlova and Seminarska Street you'll find Dum U zlate studne (the House of the Golden Well), one of the most handsome buildings of Old Prague, with a beautiful facade with reliefs of Saint Wenceslas and Saint John of Nepomuk, the saint-protectors against the plague and the patron saints of the Jesuit Order.

The Charles Bridge

Continuing slowly down Karlova Street, you'll arrive at Karluv Most (Charles Bridge), an extraordinary monument and a favorite location for strolls and meetings, and it always offers new ways to view both banks of the Vltava (Moldava) river. During the tourist season - or more precisely, whenever the weather permits - the bridge becomes a haven for young painters, artists and musicians entertaining the crowds of visitors. 520 meters long and 10 meters wide, the bridge rests on 16 pillars and is also an outdoor gallery, with 31 statues on display. Its oldest decoration is a cross from the 14th century, followed by a statue of St. John of Nepomuk from the 17th century, while the most recent is a statue dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius from 1928. The overall beauty of the bridge is enhanced by the river and the Castle behind it...

The Child Jesus of Prague

Although the Church of Our Lady Victorious isn't found on the Royal Way, it's worth a small diversion to see the Child Jesus of Prague, also known as Bambino di Praga. The famous statuette, originally from Spain, was donated by Polyxena of Lobkowitz in 1628.

The Church of St. Nicholas

Returning to the Coronation Path, you'll find yourself in Little Quarter Square (Malostranske namesti), where you'll find Kostel sv. Mikulase (the Church of St. Nicholas), the work of the most outstanding architects of the Prague Baroque period from the middle of the 18th century. The monumental fresco on the ceiling of the principal nave, which represents the life of St. Nicholas, is one of the largest in Europe (1500 sq. meters), and the excellent conservation of the interior of the church makes it one of the jewels of Baroque architecture.

Prague Castle

Climbing slowly up the steep slope, you'll come at last to Prague Castle, with its characteristic silhouette highlighted by the St. Vitus Cathedral contained within. This symbol of more than a thousand years of history of the Czech state and the principal monument of the Czech capital was founded at the end of the 9th century. It was founded as a small Romanesque city by the first christian prince of the Przemysl family, Borivoj, and became the principal residence of that dynasty. The Castle became the central seat of power in 1158,when Vladislav II took the Czech throne by succession. It's highest point, however, came under the reign of Charles IV, when the Castle became the Imperial Seat for the Holy Roman Empire in 1344. After a turbulent history in which power was held by Vladislav Jagelon, the Hapsburgs, and Rudolph II, as well as the violent upheavals of the so-called Defenestration of Prague in 1618, the rout of the Czech Lands at the Battle of White Mountain, and the Thirty Years War, the Castle was reduced to an occaisional residence of the Imperial Court. Not until 1918, when Tomas G. Masaryk, the first President of Czechoslovakia, took office, did Prague Castle once again become the seat of power. There are now more than thirty sites you can visit in the Castle open to the public.

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