CASTLE, Golden Lane And Gardens

Golden Lane is a narrow street built next to the defense towers, running parallel to the walls between two arches. The delightful little seventeenth and eighteenth-century houses were once lived in by goldsmiths and specialized craftsmen who supplied their creations to the court: it is just a legend that the name derives from magicians and alchemists who wanted to transform metals into gold and whom Rudolf II liked to surround himself with.

His alchemy laboratory was located in the imposing fifteenth-century Powder Tower, to the left of the Cathedral, also known as the “Mihulka Tower” because the shape resembles a lamprey (mihule in Czech).

Today, Golden Lane is one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. Following the painstaking restoration work completed in 2011, the interiors of some of the houses have been furnished to illustrate the activity of the craftsmen. Franz Kafka lived at number 22 from 1916 to 1917.

On the outside, you can admire magnificent gardens that end with the large Royal Garden that runs right along the northern side of the Castle. It is here in the Stag Moat that Rudolf II liked to go hunting, and he also raised a few lions in the park....