The story of this place
Founded around 880 by Prince Bořivoj of the Přemyslid dynasty, Prague Castle sprawls over 70,000 square metres and holds the Guinness record as the largest ancient castle in the world. From this hill above the Vltava, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV ruled a European empire in the 14th century, and Rudolf II filled its halls with alchemists and astronomers including Kepler and Tycho Brahe. When Czechoslovakia was born in 1918, Tomáš Masaryk made it the presidential seat and hired architect Josip Plečnik to modernise its courtyards. In 1989 crowds below the castle watched Václav Havel step from playwright to president. A guard changes hourly at its gates beneath fighting-giant statues.