Internal and External Image of Hradčany and Prague Castle

This contribution deals with the urban development of the Hradčany area, within its position in the capital city, but especially within the area itself. Great emphasis is placed on historical development, as it significantly affects the current situation. Prague Castle, perceived as a historical and architectural complex, is unique in its complexity and size, we will not find a similar example in any of the surrounding countries.

Prague Castle, as an important part of Hradčany, was and still is the seat of the monarch, or today the president of the Czech Republic. The development of Czech history influenced the appearance of the Castle (alternation of royal families, growth and decline in the importance of Prague, ie the Czech kingdom in Central Europe). The combination of secular and ecclesiastical power in one place is also remarkable. At the same time, it is possible to find evidence of development in the field of culture, technical conveniences, architectural and engineering arts, over the course of ten centuries.

Based on archival research and the study of references, the reader is acquainted with the gradual change in the formation of the current plan of the city and the Castle. The connection between morphological assumptions and the location of first a Slavic fort, later a stone castle, is pointed out. The castle area was followed by a settlement in the sub-castle, which in the 14th century became a serf town of Hradčany. The alternation of artistic styles over the centuries and the related change in the structure and scale of buildings, but especially the panorama of Hradčany with the silhouette of the Castle, is discussed. In the end, the potential of the Hradčany area and the possibility of modernization interventions are also evaluated.