Fodor's Expert Review Druhé nádvoří
Cross the tree-lined ravine known as Jelení příkop (Stag Moat) and you'll enter the castle through the northern entrance, emerging into the Second Courtyard. It was built in the late 16th and early 17th centuries under Rudolf II, who amassed an impressive collection of fine and decorative art, scientific instruments, and other treasures. The bulk of this was either looted by the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War, removed to Vienna after Rudolf's death, or auctioned off during the 18th century, but artworks that survived are displayed here. The Obrazárna (Picture Gallery) is currently closed for renovation, so a selection of highlights can be found in the nearby Císařská konírna (Imperial Stable).
Except for the view of the spires of St. Vitus Cathedral, the courtyard offers little for the eye to feast on. Empress Maria Theresa's court architect, Nicolò Pacassi, remade the Second Courtyard in the 1760s, and his attempts... READ MORE
Cross the tree-lined ravine known as Jelení příkop (Stag Moat) and you'll enter the castle through the northern entrance, emerging into the Second Courtyard. It was built in the late 16th and early 17th centuries under Rudolf II, who amassed an impressive collection of fine and decorative art, scientific instruments, and other treasures. The bulk of this was either looted by the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War, removed to Vienna after Rudolf's death, or auctioned off during the 18th century, but artworks that survived are displayed here. The Obrazárna (Picture Gallery) is currently closed for renovation, so a selection of highlights can be found in the nearby Císařská konírna (Imperial Stable).
Except for the view of the spires of St. Vitus Cathedral, the courtyard offers little for the eye to feast on. Empress Maria Theresa's court architect, Nicolò Pacassi, remade the Second Courtyard in the 1760s, and his attempts to impart classical grandeur meant a loss of earlier Gothic and Renaissance styles. This main sight here today is the Kohlova kašna (Kohl's Fountain), which was created in 1686 and restored in 2020. Look for the Eagle of the Holy Roman Empire at the top.
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