A Prague Walking Tour: The Glory, Decline and Revival of Vysehrad Castle

Escape the crowded city centre for a couple of hours and discover the mysterious Vysehrad Fort which plays a crucial part in Czech history.

On this walking tour, you’ll find out how Vysehrad became the seat of the first Czech King, Vratislav I, over a thousand years ago, becoming a Baroque fortress in the 1600s. Legend has it that, long before then, Vysehrad was home to Přemysl and Libuše, a mythical couple that was once believed to rule from this fortress. I’ll tell you about the great deal of good luck that helped the castle to survive, and about the famous people connected to it, including Charles IV, the Czech King and Holy Roman Emperor and the world-famous composer, Bedřich Smetana.

Starting next to the Tabor Gate, you’ll explore ancient Vysehrad Castle and its vast surrounds. You’ll see some valuable pieces of architecture spanning almost a thousand years, including the oldest preserved rotunda in Prague, the Devil’s Column, and the Spicka Gate. While walking along the ramparts of one of the best preserved fortresses in Czechia, you’ll get to know the mythical Princess Libuše who prophesied Prague’s future glory. You’ll get acquainted with the history of the Royal Acropolis which was almost entirely destroyed in the Hussite wars in the 1400s. In the Vysehrad Cemetery, I’ll show you numerous Czech funeral art masterpieces from the 19th-century. I’ll also point out the tombs of classical composers, Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana, whose music will accompany you on this walk. I’ll share stories and legends which bring the glorious history of Vyšehrad back to life.

Some of the sites you’ll see on this Vysehrad walking tour include:

• The impressive Baroque-era Leopold Gate
• Ramparts, bastions and the picturesque Chapel of the Virgin
• Viewpoints with spectacular vistas of Prague’s historical centre
• The 11-century Romanesque Rotunda of St. Martin
• Saints Peter and Paul Basilica
• Sculptures by the most famous 19-century Czech sculptor, J. V. Myslbek
• Vysehrad Cemetery, the Antonín Dvořák tomb, and the grave of Bedřich Smetana
• The Pantheon tomb
• St. Wenceslas statue which once decorated the Wenceslas Square
• The monumental Brick Gate

Join me on this 90-minute stroll around the fortress and hear the tales of kings, mythical figures, and of the forgotten people who, through their hard work and wisdom, contributed to its preservation. By the end of this tour, you too will love and consider Vysehrad one of your favourite places in Prague.