Hradschiner Platz

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Hradschiner Square
Hradčanské náměstí
Prague CoA CZ.svg
Square in Prague
Hradschiner Platz
Hradschiner Platz with Marian Column, Archbishop's Palace (left) and Palais Schwarzenberg (right), in the background the towers of St. Vitus Cathedral
Basic data
place Prague
District Hradschin
Created 1320
Confluent streets Nové Zámecké schody, Ke Hradu, Loretánská, Kanovnická, Radnické schody
Buildings splendid Renaissance and Baroque palaces , plague column , national gallery
use
User groups Pedestrian traffic, motor vehicles

The Hradcany Square (Czech: Hradčany ) is the center of Prague district Hradcany (Hradčany) . In the east it borders directly on the main portal of Prague Castle and forms the main entrance to the castle. The square is surrounded by magnificent Renaissance and Baroque palaces . On the south side, Ke Hradu (Towards the Castle) street joins the castle ramp (hradní rampa) . The viewing platform there offers the visitor a wonderful view of the whole city. The former coronation path of Bohemian kings leads across Hradschiner Platz .

history

Hradschin was founded in 1320 as the third Prague city by the burgrave Hynek Berka von Dubá . While the other Prague cities ( Old Town and Lesser Quarter ) were royal cities from the start , Hradschin was a subject of the burgrave. It initially only comprised the mountain plateau west of the castle - the area of ​​today's Hradschiner Platz. The town offered the Bohemian king a wide range of services and accommodation for his staff. Later on, wealthier citizens and members of the clergy also settled here . Hradschin experienced its first heyday under Emperor Charles IV , who considerably expanded the city and built a defensive wall.

In 1541, a devastating fire broke out on the Lesser Town just below Prague Castle. The fire also struck the Hradschin, destroyed most of the buildings and caused considerable damage to the castle. After the fire, Hradschiner Platz was redesigned. The bourgeois houses were demolished and the rich nobility and canons built their residences in their place . The most influential Bohemian noble families settled near the ruler's seat. In the course of the next centuries numerous new palaces and church buildings were built, which transformed the Hradschin into the residential district of the aristocracy , the clergy and high officials.

In 1547 the leaders of the unsuccessful uprising against the Habsburg Ferdinand I were executed on Hradschiner Platz .

South side with a view over the city, Prague Castle on the left

Archduchess Maria Theresa , in her capacity as Queen of Bohemia, had the forecourt redesigned in the 18th century. She had the moat between the castle and Hradschiner Platz filled in, the houses in front of the castle removed and the Ehrenhof ( first courtyard ) built. The main courtyard is only separated from Hradschiner Platz by a massive grid with a richly decorated entrance portal and forms an architectural unit with it. Today the Hradschin, together with the castle, is the best preserved part of Prague in terms of historical monuments.

State guests drive to the seat of the President via Hradschiner Platz , which is also the main entrance for visitors to the castle area. A ceremonial changing of the guard of the castle takes place every hour in front of the entrance portal of the courtyard . In March 2009, American President Barack Obama gave a speech on Hradschiner Platz during his state visit.

Significant buildings

Archbishop's Palace

Archbishop's Palace

The magnificent Archbishop's Palace (Arcibiskupský palác) , seat of the Prague archbishops , dominates the north side of Hradschiner Square. The palace is one of the most important late Baroque buildings in Prague. It was built in the 16th century for the first post-Hussite Archbishop of Prague, Anton Brus von Müglitz . Today's rococo facade with sculptures by Ignaz Platzer comes from a renovation in the 18th century. The three-story building contains lavishly furnished state rooms and a private chapel dedicated to John the Baptist .

Sternberg Palace

The high baroque Sternberg Palace (Šternberský palác) , the former aristocratic residence of the Lords of Sternberg from the 17th century, is attached to the Archbishop's Palace . The building is set back from the square, covered by the Archbishop's Palace, and extends north to the Jelení příkop . It is accessible through a narrow corridor on the left wing of the Archbishop's Palace. Its four wings enclose a small garden. The likely architect is Giovanni Battista Alliprandi and the builder Christoph Dientzenhofer .

In the 19th century, collections from the Fatherland Museum in Bohemia , the forerunner of today's Prague National Museum, were kept here. In the 20th century it was first used by the Czechoslovak Army , later by the government troops of the Protectorate and, after the war, by the castle guard . In 1947 it was redesigned for the needs of the Prague National Gallery . Today it houses an extensive collection of Italian, Dutch and German painters from the 14th to 18th centuries, including pictures by Albrecht Dürer , Lucas Cranach the Elder. Ä. and Peter Paul Rubens .

Martinitz Palace

Martinitz Palace

The Martinitz Palace ( Martinický palác ) on the northwest corner of Hradschiner Platz is one of Prague's most beautiful palaces from the late Renaissance period. The rich sgraffito decorations with biblical and mythological motifs on the front of the building and in the courtyard are noteworthy. The 16th century building has been rebuilt several times. It was extensively restored in the 20th century. With the help of accurate old drawings it was possible to restore some of the splendid interiors with valuable wall paintings in the original Renaissance style.

In the 16th century the building belonged to the Bohemian nobleman and royal governor Jaroslav Borsita von Martinic , one of the victims of the Second Fall of the Window in Prague . The interior layout is curious - it resembles the room layout in the royal palace of the castle on a scale of 1: 2. The house is rented out for special social occasions, it is not open to the public.

Tuscany palace

Tuscany palace

The Tuscany Palace ( Toskánský palác ) owes its name to the Tuscan Duchess Anna Maria Franziska , who acquired it in 1718 from the previous owners, the Princes of Thun and Hohenstein . The mighty three-story building in the early Baroque style forms the west side of Hradschiner Platz. It was built according to plans by the French architect Jean Baptiste Mathey . The richly designed wide building front has two column portals with balconies, above the balcony doors the coats of arms of the Tuscan dukes indicate the former owners. The building attic is decorated with baroque statues of the Seven Liberal Arts by Johann Brokoff .

The house was renovated in 1998 and is now used by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

St. Benedict Church and Convent of the Carmelites

Carmelite monastery with the St. Benedict Church

The St. Benedict Church ( kostel svatého Benedikta ) stands together with the Carmelite Monastery ( klášter bosých karmelitek ) on the southwest corner of Hradschiner Square. The St. Benedict Church, first mentioned in 1353, was originally the parish church of the city of Hradschin. It received its current baroque appearance after a renovation in the 17th century. In 1626 they were taken over by the Barnabites and built a monastery next to it, which they used until the end of the 18th century. In 1792, Emperor Leopold II handed both buildings over to the Carmelite Order.

In 1950 the monastery was evacuated as part of the communist reprisals against Catholic orders and converted into a luxury hotel for high communist functionaries. After extensive renovation between 1985 and 1992, it was returned to the order. Services are held regularly in the St. Benedict Church.

Schwarzenberg Palace

Schwarzenberg Palace

The Schwarzenberg Palace ( Schwarzenberský palác ) is one of Prague's most beautiful Renaissance palaces . Together with the neighboring Palais Salm, it dominates the south side of Hradschiner Platz. The palace was built for the noble Bohemian Lobkowitz family after the great fire in 1541 . In the course of the following centuries it changed hands several times. Rich aristocratic families set up a representative seat here near the royal palace. In the 18th century the palace came into the possession of the Franconian-Bohemian noble family of Schwarzenbergs , who a few years later also acquired the neighboring Palais Salm.

The sgraffito facade from the 17th century, which simulates regular natural stone masonry made of so-called diamond blocks, is striking . After the communist seizure of power, the palace served as a military history museum. After a thorough renovation, it now belongs to the Prague National Gallery and houses the exhibition “The Old Masters” with paintings and sculptures from the 16th to 18th centuries.

Salm Palace

Salm Palace

The three-wing classical building of the Salm Palace ( Salmovský palác ) was built at the beginning of the 19th century for the Prague Archbishop Wilhelm Florentin von Salm-Salm . A few years after completion, the Schwarzenberg family bought it and united it with their neighboring palace. Based on the French model, the house has a small forecourt ( courtyard of honor ), which is separated from Hradschiner Platz by a massive grille with a gate. Today it belongs to the Prague National Gallery together with the Schwarzenberg Palace and houses an exhibition of Central European art from the 19th century. Among other things, paintings by Caspar David Friedrich and Carl Spitzweg can be seen here.

Sculptures

Entrance portal of Prague Castle with statues of the Fighting Titans
  • To the east, Hradschiner Platz borders the Ehrenhof ( First Castle Courtyard ) of Prague Castle. Monumental sandstone statues of fighting titans (giants) stand on massive columns of the ornate entrance portal. They are replicas that were installed at the beginning of the 20th century instead of the original works by Ignaz Platzer from 1761. "The statues represent gladiators of the Roman arena at the moment when the victorious standing figure is about to destroy the defeated enemy with one last blow at his feet." Platzer's model was Lorenzo Mattielli's sculpture in front of the Reich Chancellery in Vienna.
Hradschiner Platz with the Marian Column, on the left the Carmelite Convent, in the background the Tuscany Palace
  • In the center of Hradschiner Square, in the middle of a small park, there is the Marian Column or Plague Column (Mariánský morový sloup) . It is one of two surviving plague columns in Prague (the second is on the Lesser Town Square ). It was built on the site where open-air prayers were held during the great plague epidemic of 1713–1714. The plague column was completed in 1736 based on a design by Ferdinand Maximilian Brokoff . Above it bears the figure of Maria Immaculata (Immaculate Conception), on the pedestal there are statues of Bohemian saints. The column was restored in 2003.
In front St. Wenceslas statue, in the back column of Maria Einsiedeln
  • At the junction of Ke Hradu Street , on the edge of a small viewing platform, there is a statue of St. Wenceslas (Socha svatého Václava) . The work of the sculptor Čeněk Vosmík from 1906 stands on a Baroque pedestal, originally from a statue on Charles Bridge . To the right of it we see the column of Maria Einsiedeln (Sloup Panny Marie Einsiedelnské) . It is the remnant of the portal of an early Baroque monastery chapel of the same name from the 17th century that stood at this point. The column on a rectangular base carries the Pietà , a representation of Mary with the body of Jesus removed from the cross . The chapel was demolished in 1783.
Eight armed candelabra of street lighting
  • In front of the Salm Palace, opposite the main portal of the castle, there is the statue of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (Socha Tomáše Garrigue Masaryka) , the first President of Czechoslovakia . The bronze statue was erected in 2000 for the 150th birthday of the statesman.
  • The statue of Philipp Neri (Socha svatého Filipa Neri) , a work by Ferdinand Maximilian and Michael Brokoff from 1715, was originally commissioned by Prince Woracziczky as a statue of Johannes Sarkander near the archbishop on the castle ramp near the castle stairs Palace erected. In 1764 it was moved to the present square as a statue by Philipp Neri.
  • In the middle of the square is an eight-armed cast iron candelabra (Kandelábr pouličního osvětlení) from the second half of the 19th century. A large number of such gas-powered candelabras (four-armed, three-armed and simple) were used for street lighting in 19th century Prague. Two of the artistically most valuable eight-armed candelabras have survived. Four female figures stand on a granite plinth with eight lantern arms hanging above them and an allegorical statue of Prague on a column at the top. The candelabra on Hradschiner Platz was in operation until 1985. In 2005 it was restored, equipped with modern gas lighting technology and put back into operation.

Access routes

  • From the south you can get to Hradschiner Platz via the castle stairs , also called New Castle stairs (Nové zámecké schody) , or via Ke Hradu Street . The street Ke Hradu was carved in the 17th century through the rock to allow a direct ascent from the Neruda Street to the castle. It ends on the castle ramp, which offers the visitor a wonderful view over the whole city.
  • Loretánská and Kanovnická streets lead from the west . The steep Radnické schody staircase (town hall staircase ), named after the former Hradschin town hall, which is located here, leads to the southwest corner .
  • From the east, from the castle, you can get to Hradschiner Platz through the Matyášova brána and the first courtyard.

literature

  • Helmut Zeller, Eva Gruberová: CityTrip-plus Prague . Reise Know-How, Bielefeld 2016, ISBN 978-3-8317-2633-2 , p. 211-214 (312 pp.).
  • Rainer Eisenschmid (Ed.): Prague . Baedeker, Ostfildern 2018, p. 104-108 (338 pp.).
  • František Ruth: Kronika královské Prahy a obcí sousedních (= chronicle of the royal city of Prague and the neighboring towns). Chapter: Hradčanské náměstí . Pavel Körber, Prague 1904, p. 245-323 (Czech, 1246 pp., Available online ).
  • Jaroslav Schaller: Description of the royal capital and residence city of Prague together with all the interesting sights. The city of Hradschin, or the IVth main district of Prague. Geržabeck, Prague 1794 (551 pages, available online ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Archbishop's Palace on the official tourism portal of the City of Prague, accessed on November 1, 2019.
  2. ↑ National Gallery in Prague - Sternberg Palais on the official tourism portal of the city of Prague, accessed on November 1, 2019.
  3. ↑ Toskánský palác , hrady.cz of April 29, 2005 ( Czech ). Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  4. ↑ Old Masters on the website of the Nationalgalerie (English), accessed on November 1, 2019.
  5. ^ National Gallery Prague - Schwarzenberg Palais on the official tourism portal of the city of Prague, accessed on November 1, 2019.
  6. ↑ National Gallery Prague - Salmovsky Palais on the official tourism portal of the City of Prague, accessed on November 1, 2019.
  7. ↑ sochy-nad-vstupem-do-prazskeho-hradu , Národní knihovna ČR, January 23, 2008 (Czech). Retrieved November 1, 2019
  8. ↑ Volba Španielovy sochy urychlila realizaci pomníku , Pavel Šnajdr in Hospodářské noviny , July 30, 1999 (Czech). Retrieved November 1, 2019.

Web links

Commons : Hradčanské náměstí  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 50 ° 5 ′ 23 "  N , 14 ° 23 ′ 51"  E