Discovering Prague: Vyšehrad, the magical spirit of the Golden City

The fact that Prague has always been a city linked with magic and esotericism is well known. However, many may be surprised to discover that, despite the fame of places such as Malá Strana, with its thousand legends, the Castle of Charles IV and Rudolf II, with the alchemist’s alley, or Old Town Square with the Astronomical clock, an esoteric symbol par excellence, actually the most magical spirit of Prague can be found in the old area of Vyšehrad. A district which due to its legends, is one of the most mystical places in all of the Czech Republic.

Just outside the frenzy of the centre and the streams of tourists, Vyšehrad lies on top of a steep rocky formation, around three km south-east of Hradčany Castle. From the high ground one can enjoy a marvellous view of the city and of the Vltava, especially in the spring and summer evenings, when you can admire the spectacular lights and colours of the dusk from the parks and gardens of the hill. Currently, the centre Vyšehrad’s inhabitants does not spread over a very vast surface and about two thousand people reside there. The rocky high ground lies under the ancient, towering fortress from which the name of the area comes, and now starts in the borough of Prague 2 reaching a height of almost 50 metres and the walls fall steeply over the right side of the Vltava, at the point where the river is at its deepest when passing through the city. It is here on this rocky buttress, where according to legend, Prague was founded and the first Czech Kings chose to settle. Also here was the Slav princess Libuše, the prophet and legendary founder of the Přemyslid dynasty, who supposedly prophesied the glorious future of the City of the hundred towers.

According to tradition, the fortress was constructed by the mythical ruler Krok in the 7th Century, but actually the construction took place afterwards. In reality, it dates back to the 10th Century, as proven by the coins minted in the era of Boleslav II and therefore coeval with the site where Prague Castle now stands. In the 11th Century, Vyšehrad was the headquarters of the first Bohemian King Vratislaus II, who improved the construction by making it a real fortified structure. Over time however the royal fortress lost some importance to Hradčany, situated on the other side of the river, which after Soběslav I became the centre of the greatest power. It is no coincidence though, that Charles IV, a passionate esotericist, gave a lot of importance to Vyšehrad, which he enriched with various contructions, and it was from here, such a dear place to his ancestors, pervaded with magic and mystery, where he wanted to start the cerimonial process on the day of his crowning. At the time of the Hussite war, the whole of the zone of Vyšehrad had been sacked and destroyed. Having been newly rebuilt, after a few years it was destroyed again under the Kingdom of George of Poděbrady.

The Castle went into ruin and was restructured only in the 18th Century by the Hapsburgs, now assuming the appearance of a baroque fortification. The current appearance of the area is the consequence of the architectural modifications, which were added in the second half of the 19th Century, when the Monumental Cemetery and the Pantheon first appeared. A place with a high concentration of myths and important historical events, Vyšehrad is known to the Czechs also as the place in which, (according to legend), the good farmer Horymír managed to save himself from his death sentence by making a leap out of the fortress with his splendid, magic white horse Šemík straight into the river. The fortress still today maintains a strong aura of mystery, which is perceptible also to the less impressionable visitors. It is therefore not difficult, especially on the equinox and solstice days, to see the parks of the hill filled with groups of people who rather discreetly form circles, while holding each others hands, or sitting together on the ground, reading extracts of books by supposed masters of ancient and modern wisdom. According to some, Vyšehrad maintained its power and has been the meeting point between contrasting powerful forces.

It is told that the right section of the hill, called Vyšehradský sady, which leads to the river and the suburban district of Podolí (home of an obstetrical hospital where many Czech mothers give birth), has positive energy passing through it. The centre of its emission is supposed to be located in the Church of Saint Peter and Paul. This was constructed between 1070 and 1080 by Vratislav II in Romanesque style, although it was rebuilt several times afterwards in various periods and different styles, until it was finally constructed in its current neo-Gothic style between 1885 and 1903. In this part of the hill, which has been transformed into a park, there have been various statues erected of the 19th century sculptor Josef Myslbek, which depict Czech heroes and historical figures. Originally, the statues were placed on Palacký bridge and they were moved after 1945 following an American bombing which damaged them. Among the figures represented, the standouts include the queen Libuše, daughter of the ruler Krok, and her husband Přemysl the ploughman.

Also on the right side of the rocky buttress on which the ancient fortess lies, where the wall is at its steepest, you can find the gothic ruins of the Baths of Libuše. These are actually the ruins of a bastion of the castle from medieval times and of another construction from the 14th century, under which ancient treasures are supposedly hidden. It is believed that one day, the treasures will only be given to a genuinely worthy man who will manage to find them, whilst backed by true faith. The Church of the Saints Peter and Paul, which stands out due to its high steeples, which with its imposing dimensions towers on its high ground, preserves a mysterious sarcophagus from the 8th Century on its inside, believed to be of “Saint Longinus”, and an interesting picture depicting Our Lady of the Rain. To get to the Basilica, besides the Tábor gate, not so far away, which forms one of the main entrances to the citadel, you can also arrive there from Rašínovo Nábřeží going up a long, striking flight of stairs leading through a wooded area where a sequence of platforms at the peak offer a splendid view of the river and of the Castle. Also in the area dominated by “positive energy”, you can find the historical cemetery and its Pantheon which holds the tombs of illustrious figures of the country such as Karel Hynek Mácha, the writer Karel Čapek and the composer Bedřich Smetana. The cemetery was built in 1869, whereas the Pantheon was built in 1890. Behind the cemetery, from the street Soběslavova, is the area which the legends mark as the centre of negative energy.

On the left of K rotundě street, inside the treelined park, appearing almost as it were a warning, is the Devil’s column, an ancient monument constructed from a column weighing several tonnes, which was broken into three parts, and is made of a special type of granite, which is not present in any other area in the zone. The legend has it that column had been brought there by the devil himself, and hurled at the church after having lost a bet with the astute canon of Vyšehrad. Running along the Karlach gardens, through the streets of K rotundě and V pevnosti and continuing beyond the building of the new deanery, today an archeological museum which houses the ancient relics discovered on the site, and the rectory, you get to the Rotunda of Saint Martin, a small Romanesque church with a circular base from the end of the 11th century. This small construction does not boast a good reputation among lovers of ancient myths, who believe it to be the place with the highest concentration of negative energy in the area. The legend has it, that a strange black dog lurks at night here, with a chain around its neck, surrounded by flames, and even that human skeletons can re-emerge from the ground of the church… Truth or simply superstitions? Why not find out? Vyšehrad awaits you.

By Mauro Ruggiero. Progetto Repubblica Ceca, March-April 2013

Photos from wikipedia