Golden Lane

The Golden Lane is one of the well-known attractions in Prague Castle. This fairytale-like place is located in the northeast corner of the Castle District, between St. George's Church and the Prague Toy Museum. The narrow and winding paths of Golden Lane are paved with slate, and small colorful houses stand next to each other on both sides. Although there is "gold" in the name, this alley is not made of gold. Legend has it that the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II summoned alchemists to settle here, hence the name of the Golden Alley. But in fact, it was the residence of Rudolf II's craftsmen, servants and guards. At that time, there were too many people and few people, so the houses here were built very small, and tall people could only enter the door without a cat's waist. After the 19th century, Golden Lane gradually became a slum, but after the 20th century, many artists began to move here, seeking a quiet environment and creative inspiration. Today, Golden Lane has gradually become a gathering place for small museums and specialty shops. The museum restores the furnishings in the room at that time to show the life of the residents here. The specialty stores are also worth visiting, many of which are unique, and it is difficult to find similar products elsewhere, and the quality and craftsmanship of the products are very sophisticated, but the prices are relatively high. Among them, the wooden toys in room 16, the pewter Prague soldiers in room 20, the hand-painted clothes in room 21 and the lovely garden cottage in room 19 are all worth seeing. Visiting the former residence of Kafka is worth mentioning that the aqua blue house number 22 in Golden Lane was once the residence of the famous novelist Kafka in his early years, where he silently completed his unknown work "The Countryside". Doctors" and "Report to the Academy of Sciences". It is now a bookstore with Kafka's nameplate on the outer wall. Visit Daliborka Tower No. 12 in Golden Lane, which is connected to Daliborka Tower. After entering, you can go upstairs to visit the Weapons Museum, which displays various weapons such as cannons, spears, and armor. The basement used to be a prison, and now part of it is used for an exhibition of torture instruments.