In the summer of 2019, I had the pleasure of visiting the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. Prague, in all of its glory, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Every building is an architectural treasure, making full use of the gothic style with arched peaks and flying buttresses. However, the real crowning jewel of the city in my opinion is the Czech Pražský hrad, or simply the Prague Castle. The castle lies in the historic center of Prague, sitting just west of the Vltava river. The castle has its origins during the 9th century under the reign of Bořivoj, the first Christian prince of Bohemia. The castle would also later feature a beautiful cathedral on Hradčany Hill. The construction of the cathedral started in the 14th century and was designed in the late gothic style by architect Petr Parléř, yet construction on the cathedral would not be completed until 1929.

Czech Pražský hrad was the first castle I had ever visited. My mother and I had decided to spend the day exploring the entirety of the castle. After a long, long, journey up the stone stairs leading to the castle gates, we took our time to explore the grounds. There were many gardens and crypts to look through. Maybe unsurprisingly the cathedral was the best part of the experience. It was enormous and made entirely of dark stone and clay. The ceilings, in typical gothic style, were high and vaulted. What I found most amazing was the painted glass. Never in my life have I seen such tall windows, they reached upwards to well over 20 meters. Further, every part of the windows displayed an imaginative portrait of an Abrahamic figure in a glorious array of colors. Another area of the castle that we had a chance to explore was the Golden Lane, a small neighborhood outside the main grounds of the castle, where Franz Kafka briefly lived with his sister from 1916 to 1917. My time at Czech Pražský hrad was indeed one of my favorite moments of my entire trip. The scale of the castle was awe-inspiring and as a fan of the fantasy genre, it really captivated me to explore its hallowed halls. I would strongly recommend it to anyone visiting Prague.