Golden Lane

At the end of the Prague Castle complex, near the outer wall, is a small street known as the Golden Lane (Zlatá Ulicka in Czech). The small houses were originally constructed in the 16th century for King Rudolph II's castle guards. At that time the lane was known as archery lane. It was later renamed 'golden lane' for the goldsmiths who moved into the houses in the 17th century. Legend wants one to believe alchemists attempted to turn metal into gold here, but in fact the alchemists lived in another street at the castle. So it was actually the goldsmiths who gave the street its captivating name.

The lane was originally lined with 24 wooden houses but one side of the street was declared unfit for habitation and demolished in the 19th century. Poor people and criminals now lived in the remaining houses, but they were evicted after the second World War when the lane was nationalized. The houses were restored and repainted with lively pastel colors between 1952 and 1955.

The street is now largely occupied by souvenir and book shops. Speaking of books, several famous writers used to live in the small houses. The most famous of them is Franz Kafka who stayed here at his sister's house between 1916 and 1917. A small plaque at nr. 22 testifies to this fact. Another famous writer who lived here was Nobel prize winner Jaroslav Seifert who lived in the 1930s in a now demolished building.

Unfortunately the Golden Lane cannot be visited for free, you can either buy an entry ticket for the street or buy a combined ticket for the whole Prague Castle complex.