Royal Route (Prague)

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View of Prague Castle with St. Vitus Cathedral, the goal of the coronation processions

Royal Route (Czech: Královská cesta ) is the name of the historical route through the center of the Czech capital Prague , over which the Bohemian kings drove for centuries to their coronation in the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle . Although not to be found on Prague road maps, the Royal Route is still important as a tourist route today.

description

The solemn coronation procession began in the royal residence in the old town , called the Royal Court ( Králův dvůr ). It was located on today's Republic Square ( Náměstí Republiky ), where the town hall ( Obecní dům ) now stands. The Bohemian kings have been using them since Wenceslaus IV ( Václav IV ), when in the 14th century the former medieval residence at Prague Castle no longer met their growing demands for luxury and representation. Only Vladislav II. ( Vladislav Jagellonský ) moved his seat back to Prague Castle in the 16th century. From the Royal Court, the route leads under the Powder Tower over Celetná Street to the center of the old town, the Old Town Square ( Staroměstské náměstí ), then past the Old Town Hall with the world-famous Town Hall clock to the Small Square ( Malé náměstí ), a small triangular square that leads to the oldest in Prague. We continue through the narrow Karlsgasse ( Karlova ulice ) past the former Jesuit college Clementinum , across the Kreuzherrenplatz ( Křižovnické náměstí ) and under the Old Town Bridge Tower to the famous Charles Bridge .

On the other side of the Vltava , the route leads under the Lesser Town Bridge Tower and across Mostecká Street to the Lesser Town Square ( Malostranské náměstí ) and past the Church of St. Nicholas , which dominates the square with its mighty dome, up into Nerudagasse ( Nerudova ulice ). Until the 17th century it went up through the streets Úvoz and Pohořelec and near the Strahov Monastery bent the route sharply to the right and continued via the Loreto Square ( Loretánské náměstí ) and the Loreto Street ( Loretánská ulice ) to Prague Castle. It was not until the 17th century that the direct ascent to Prague Castle, Ke Hradu (To the Castle) street , was carved through the rock from Nerudagasse .

The coronation of King Ferdinand I in 1836
Wenceslas crown, with which the Bohemian kings have been crowned since Charles IV

The royal route ended in St. Vitus Cathedral, which the procession entered through the so-called golden gate and where the coronation ceremony then took place in a solemn service. The King received the Wenceslas crown and the other coronation insignia from the Archbishop of Prague and was anointed with the consecrated oil. Simultaneously with the king or a few days later, his wife was also crowned the Bohemian queen.

The solemn procession through Prague demonstrated the capital's ties to the king and emphasized the importance of Prague as the center of the kingdom. The houses, palaces and churches along the route were richly decorated and the citizens lining the streets paid homage to their new king. The procession often stopped and met representatives of the guilds , schools, ecclesiastical orders, troops and representatives of all Prague city halls and other groups. The procession was accompanied by the ringing of bells, music, singing and cannon shots.

This route of the coronation procession was established in the 15th century. Albrecht II ( Albrecht II Habsburský ) was the first to follow her in 1438, and the last was the Austrian Emperor and the last crowned Bohemian King Ferdinand I ( Ferdinand I. Dobrotivý ) in 1836. Almost all the Bohemian kings used the Royal Route on their way festive entry to the coronation in St. Vitus Cathedral. The Royal Route did not lose its importance when Vladislav II moved his residence from the old town to Prague Castle in the 16th century, and not even when the Habsburgs moved their seat from Prague to Vienna . Important foreign delegations or important guests were also given a formal reception in the capital on the Royal Route.

Today's meaning

The Royal Route is now the most famous tourist route through the center of Prague. It is about 3.9 km long (with the shortcut across Ke Hradu Street about 3.1 km). When climbing to the castle, the height difference to be overcome is about 65 m.

The royal road in pictures

  • Republic Square with the Powder Tower: The Royal Route begins here

  • Celetná street

  • Old town ring

  • Town hall clock

  • Kreuzherrenkirche on Kreuzherrenplatz

  • Old Town Bridge Tower

  • Charles Bridge

  • Tourists on Charles Bridge

  • Lesser Town Square with the Nikolauskirche

  • Nerudagasse

  • Vitus Cathedral: This is where the royal road ends

See also

literature

  • František Dvořák: Po Královské cestě: zastavení s Františkem Dvořákem . Nakladatelství Lidové noviny, Praha 2004, ISBN 80-7106-778-4 (Czech, 122 pages).
  • Helmut Zeller, Eva Gruberová: CityTrip-plus Prague . Reise Know-How, Bielefeld 2016, ISBN 978-3-8317-2633-2 , p. 112-114 (312 pp.).

Web links