From a ninth-century Přemyslid stronghold to today’s presidential seat, Prague Castle surrounds classical concerts with more than a millennium of Czech history.
Prague Castle is a vast complex of palaces, churches, courtyards and gardens above the Vltava. Founded around 880 by Prince Bořivoj, it became the seat of Bohemian princes and kings, an imperial residence under Charles IV and, from 1918, the seat of the Czechoslovak and later Czech president.
From early stronghold to imperial residence
The first fortified settlement grew around early churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary, St George and St Vitus. In the mid-fourteenth century, Charles IV rebuilt the royal palace, strengthened the fortifications and began the Gothic Cathedral of St Vitus, transforming the castle into the residence of the Holy Roman Emperor.
After the royal court returned in 1483, Benedikt Ried enlarged the Old Royal Palace and created Vladislav Hall, one of the great secular vaulted spaces of late-medieval Europe. The Habsburgs later reshaped the complex as a Renaissance residence; under Rudolf II, it became a centre of imperial art and science.
Baroque unity and a modern seat of state
The last major historic reconstruction came in the second half of the eighteenth century, when Maria Theresa ordered a representative redesign associated with the Viennese architect Nicolò Pacassi. After independent Czechoslovakia was founded in 1918, architect Josip Plečnik adapted courtyards, gardens and interiors for the new presidential seat.
Today the complex brings together St Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, St George’s Basilica, Golden Lane and the Czech Crown Jewels. Classical performances at venues within the castle — including St George’s Basilica and Lobkowicz Palace — place music within this long architectural and political history.