Golden Lane at Prague Castle

The Golden Lane is a part of the Prague Castle complex, dating from the 15th Century. It is a street where the houses are so small you would be forgiven for thinking they were inhabited by dwarves. Anyone who has read a Discworld novel would also be forgiven for thinking they had walked straight into Ankh Morpork, for this is where Terry Pratchett drew some of his inspiration from.

The Golden lane is essentially a very small street lined by 11 historic dwellings. Each house is in fact a tiny self contained exhibit, ranging from medieval armoury to textiles, as well as selling all of the usual souvenirs aimed at tourists. There are also some hands on activities to be found, such a shooting gallery located in one of the larger buildings where you can play around with a fully functional crossbow.

The lane was formed when a new outer wall was added to the existing castle complex, towards to the end of the 15th century, and Rudolf II gave the space to the castle marksmen guarding the fortification. There were 24 marksmen, and given the very limited space available this is how the houses came to be so small. Over time several of the houses were destroyed, and as marksmen became obsolete the houses were eventually sold on to the general public of the time. The lane supposedly got its name from the many alchemists who lived here, although this is in fact an urban myth. However, there was one documented story of a single Alchemist living amongst the regular folk in 1831, who ended up setting fire to part of his house following an explosion. When the fire was extinguished he was supposedly found lying dead with a large gold nugget in his hand. Had he turned lead into gold? I suppose we will never know!

If you are planning a trip to Prague it is definitely worth a visit. The kids will love it, and there is plenty for adults to see and do as well both here and in the castle itself.

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