Vyšehrad is certainly one of the most interesting areas of Prague, despite its remoteness from the pedestrian center of the city. Or maybe it’s because of her. After all, there are not only architectural but also natural attractions – from ancient churches and fortress walls to green parks and breathtaking views of the city. Be sure to make time to visit it – Vysehrad is worth it. If you look at all the places of interest in Vysehrad, you can spend more than a day – so we have chosen only some of them.
Top 5 Sights of Vysehrad
In Vyšehrad the most important sights in Prague are concentrated in a fairly compact area. This gives you plenty of opportunity to make a variety of routes around the area – depending on your interests, tastes, and amount of free time.
Fortress
It was this fortress that gave its name to the entire district of Prague. The first fortification on the high bank of the Vltava appeared in the tenth century. This traditional medieval fortress has experienced both ups and downs. In the eleventh century, thanks to Prince Vratislav II, it receives the status of a princely residence. It was then that the fortress received new stone walls instead of wooden ones, and then the oldest of its attractions: the Royal Palace, the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, the Basilica of Sts. The St. Lawrence Rotunda, the Rotunda of the St. Martin. A century and a half later, however, the residence returns to Prague Castle.
A new prosperity awaited the fortress in the fourteenth century, under Charles IV. Under him, new walls and fortifications were built – in accordance with the new achievements of fortification science. From Vysehrad begins the coronation route of kings – the symbolic Royal Road. The first king whose coronation begins in Vysehrad was Charles IV himself. However, after his reign the fortress had more of a military rather than symbolic value – until it was half destroyed in the Hussite wars.
It was rebuilt in its present form in the seventeenth century – already in the Baroque style. Nowadays, you can walk along the walls of the fortress and examine its preserved gates. The walls offer stunning views of Prague.
Temples
Peter and Paul Cathedral. By far the largest and most significant of the local temples. It was erected by Vratislav II as a local counterpart to the cathedral of the same name in Rome, the center of the Western Christian world. In doing so, he managed to get not only the Pope’s blessing for the building, but also instructions for the decoration! However, we do not know the exact appearance of the cathedral of those times – the decorations were largely lost during the Hussite wars. Today the style of the church is no longer Gothic, but neo-Gothic from the reconstruction of the building by Josef Moker in 1885, and the towers date back to the very beginning of the twentieth century.
In the interior of the cathedral, the icon of the Virgin Mary from 1355, an authentic Gothic era without any “neo”, is worth noting. Of the later sights, the Art Nouveau altarpiece depicting the country’s patron saints attracts attention. The exquisite paintings of the temple also belong to this time. The Romanesque sarcophagus is also of interest – according to legend, it contains the remains of St. John the Baptist. Longinus. And historical relics can be seen by visiting the treasury.
Full admission ticket costs 50 CZK, reduced price 10 CZK, children under 15 years old are free.
St. Martin’s Rotunda. This small and modest-looking tower is also a temple! It is one of the oldest not only for Vyšehrad, but also for Prague, where sights from this period are very rare. The temple was built in the 11th century and from the beginning was part of the fortifications, which is not quite the usual function for a church building. The defense-type architecture helped the church survive the Hussite wars and the many trials of the city and the church – you can still see the cannonball of the 18th century in the wall!
Moreover, during archaeological investigations, a cellar was found in the rotunda, which served its creators as a fortress shelter during hostilities. The Rotunda has retained its austere Romanesque architecture, but over time it has been decorated with murals referring to the Coronation Codex and a neo-Romanesque New Portal. Now these innovations have themselves become a monument to history.
Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist. Another temple of defensive value – during the rebuilding of the fortress it was embedded directly in the wall! A unique church-tower with its own interior, but no facades. To commemorate the old temple, in 1725 the inhabitants placed a statue of the Virgin Mary in the niche of the wall, marking the place of the temple. The Invisible Church is visited every Saturday and the fourth Sunday of the month.
Chapel of St. Mary of Shantzow (Loreto). The chapel owes its name to the Chants – the fortress walls of which it is a part. It housed a miraculous wooden statue of the Virgin Mary. In fact, the chapel owes its appearance to the statue – it was built to relocate the statue from the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist, which at the time fell victim to the reconstruction of the fortress. The chapel has been active since 1882, but the statue is no longer there – today it is in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.
Popelka Bilianova House
A literary landmark of Vyšehrad was the house of Popelka (Maria) Bilianova. We owe her ascetic work to a collection of Prague legends and mysterious stories, including those of Visegrad. Her stories are mystical and full of memorable images-just like the legend of the hen looking for her golden eggs, or another legend of White Pani, the ghost who leaves quite tangible silver coins on one of the stairs of the Old Deanery.
The famous Czech writer has become a true genius of the place and a rare excursion bypasses her house. Therefore, deciding what to see in Vysehrad and Prague in general, you can not limit yourself to the spectacular architecture and sculpture – Czech literature is no less impressive.
Popelka Bilianova’s house is very close to the Spicka Gate. It is visible from afar because of its red tile roof. On the facade you can see a plaque dedicated to the writer. The architecture of the house is quite modest – like most writers’ houses – and the interiors are closed to the public. But the atmosphere of fascinating urban legends gives this place a very special flavor and makes it a key point on the map of Vysehrad.
Visegrad Park
When the weather is good, Vysehrad is worth the trip for the park alone. Moreover, it is located next to the Cathedral of Peter and Paul, in the very center of the fortress.
The park is adorned with spectacular sculptures depicting key actors in Czech history and characters of poetic legends.
- Przemysl and Libuše were ancient Czech kings, founders of the Przemyslovich dynasty. Despite their general historical significance, they are directly related to this place – the Libuše bathhouse is nearby and is one of the important attractions of Vyšehrad.
- Zaboi and Slavoj are legendary bogatyrs, heroes of the national liberation movement of Bohemia. According to legend, it was they who repelled the attack of foreign invaders on the city. Depicted with the attributes of victory and military glory, in the tradition of the monuments of the 19th century, when even folk Czech heroes liked to be depicted in robes similar to those of antiquity.
- Cthirad and Sharqa are characters in the legend of the “Maiden’s War,” a rebellion of women against male dictatorship. The beautiful Sharqa, in order to win this war, cunningly lured and killed her adversary, King Ctyrad. The ancient Visegrad feminist movement was much more violent than it is now – indeed, so were most of the legendary conflicts of antiquity.
- Limour and the Song is a poetic allegory depicting an old man-singer and a young girl who became both his muse and his song. After all, the art of Visegrad deserves a monument no less than the wars and royal dynasties of Bohemia.
Attentive tourists will notice that the composition of the sculptures does not fit into the framework of our usual garden-park genre with its spectacular fountains and miniature marble figures among the greenery. Indeed, these sculptures originally stood on Palacky Bridge, but then it was decided to move them to Vyšehrad Park.
The author of the sculptures is Josef Václav Myslbek, an outstanding sculptor of the 19th century, known primarily for his works on national-romantic and political themes. No wonder – after all, his work fell on the period of national revival of the Czech Republic.
The gardens and parks of Vysehrad were also the site for other sculptures, especially religious ones. This is the case, for example, with the statue of St. John the Baptist. John of Nepomuk, a local saint who was a canon of Visegrad. Like everything else in the area, it is connected to the fortress wall – it is from it that the statue was moved to the park.
The Baroque gate of the park is also interesting. This gate is the remains of the ruined building of the old arsenal – it was decided to preserve its portals and use them to decorate the park.
Cemetery
One of the most beautiful and significant Czech necropolises. Vyšehrad Cemetery was the final resting place of such national celebrities as Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, Karel Čapek and Alfons Mucha – and many others. Its architectural design was elaborate and consistent, with the architects Antonín Viel and Antonín Barvitus working on it, and the sculptural monuments of the necropolis are the work of Josef Myslbek, Bohumil Kafka and other prominent Czech sculptors.
The monumental Slavin Tomb, built at the end of the 19th century, is the architectural center of the cemetery. It is decorated with sculptures of the Winged Genius of the Motherland, the Motherland of Mourning and the Triumphant Fatherland, an allegorical symbol of the glory of the Czech nation.
How to get to Vysehrad?
Vysehrad is not only a historical name, but also an administrative one. This makes the area easy to find on any tourist map. Since Vyšehrad is located at a distance from the center of Prague, it would be difficult to find a walking route to it. To get to it on your own, it is better to use public transport.
- On the subway. Looking for the station of the same name (Vysehrad) on the red line of the Prague metro. This line is also designated by the letter C. The station is close to the main attractions of Vysehrad.
- On the streetcar. Here the name of the station will have to remember, or better yet, write it down. The Ostrcilovo namesti stop is located on several streetcar routes – 6,7,18,24.
Vysehrad on the map of Prague
