Tourist-exposed areas of the Romanesque part of the Castle are awaiting repairs

Prague - Restoration repairs of the most visited interiors of the Old Royal Palace are planned for next year by the Administration of Prague Castle (SPH). Smaller repairs in the oldest part of the Castle are expected to cost five million crowns. This was stated to ČTK by SPH spokesperson David Šebek. The repairs will mainly concern the Vladislav Hall, the largest ceremonial space of the medieval part of Prague Castle.

Restoration work is to take place in the second half of 2018. "It will mainly involve cleaning of plaster, repairing cracks, surface treatments, restoring parts of the original plaster, restoring stone elements, refurbishing windows, doors, and lighting fixtures, repairing floor surfaces, and refurbishing locksmith elements," said Šebek.

In addition to the Vladislav Hall, SPH plans to carry out repairs in its anteroom, the Riding Stairs, and also in the souvenir shop.

The history of the Old Royal Palace dates back to the 12th century, to the Romanesque style period. It underwent a major reconstruction from 2007 to 2009. The roofs and facades of the palace were repaired, as well as the entire interior. Individual parts of the palace were gradually opened to tourists. During the work, restorers dismantled the entire wooden floor of the Vladislav Hall, which had been laid in 1791 in preparation for the coronation of Leopold II. After carpentry repairs of the damaged and warped sections, it was returned to its original place.

The restorers then repaired most of the main parts of the Old Royal Palace - Vladislav's bedroom, the Green Room, the anteroom of the Vladislav Hall, the Vladislav Hall itself, the New Land Boards, the Riding Stairs, and the Ludwig Wing.

The late Gothic Vladislav Hall was created between 1490 and 1502 under the guidance of architect Benedikt Rejt and has retained its original form structurally. It was formed by combining several older spaces in a location where the assembly halls had probably existed since the time of Wenceslas II. At the time, it was the largest secular vaulted hall in the world.

Since the coronation of Charles VI in 1723, coronation banquets have been held there. Since 1918, it has been used for the most significant state celebrations, the election of the president of the republic, or exceptional exhibitions of coronation jewels.