Mini houses at the Golden Lane, Prague.

The cutest corner at the Prague Castle. Dec 16, 2011

The Golden Lane was a row of little houses lining up by the wall of the Prague Castle. The king decided to give this strip of land for the fusiliers, who guarded the fortification, to build houses there. Apparently, the king was a bit stingy, as there was clearly not enough space for all of them. Hence, they had to build tiny houses. Later, craftsmen, servants and alchemists have occupied the street as well. When I first read on the map I bought, it said that the Golden Lane was closed due to renovation But when I walked by the alley that led up to the Lane, I found people walking in and out. Turned out it was opened! Lesson learned: One can never trusts the leaflets too much.

Walking down the Golden Lane in Prague, can't help but to think that you may be in a different world. Dec 16, 2011.

It looked like a section of Disney Land built for real. It was quite strange to see that this was really how some people lived in the past (from 1597 up till the end of Second World War). All the houses were opened for visitors. Some were turned into gift shops, some were to illustrate the living situation of the 17th century, and some were preserved to look exactly like the time when famous residents lived here in a more recent history. There was also a long corridor that spread over on top of a few houses, I think it was where some guards do their patrol duty back then. It was so much fun to walk up and down the tiny narrow stairs inside the houses, or watching out to the door frames so to avoid bumping your head into them.

The basement in one of the house. I guess it was their kitchen? Prague. Dec 16, 2011.

Bed chamber, which has the atmosphere of a hunting lodge to me. Prague. Dec 16, 2011.

At house no.14 was the residence of  Madame de Thebes, a renowned fortune teller who was killed by the Nazi’s secret police as she foretold the death of Hitler, and the war would end with the Nazi being defeated. I was surprised that there weren’t any crystal balls in sight. It looked like a regular living room. By the way, this picture was taken at the entrance from the street. You can see how small some of this buildings are.

At the end of the Golden Lane, this small room display a costume of... I dunno guards? Prague. Dec 16, 2011.

 

By the way, for more historically accurate information, please google or wiki it.

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