The old castle stairs connect the eastern gate of Prague Castle, a place known as Na opyši,
within the Klárov district of Prague.

HISTORY

They are about 150 metres long and were built in 16th century.
The present appearance of the stairs, which includes 121 stone steps, is the result of the
reconstruction carried out between 1835 and 1837.

WHERE CAN WE FIND THEM?

Old castle steps are are walled on both sides. When we walk from Klárov the terraces of the
southern gardens below the Prague Castle stretch behind the wall on our left hand side. The
former vineyard of St. Wenceslas is hidden behind the wall on our right hand side. It was here
where he worked, pressing grapes and guarding the place at the beginning of the 10th century.
The main road leading from the East to the Castle led through here, across Opyš. This
entrance to the castle was known as Malé vrátce or Malá fortna.
In front of the castle entrance there used to be a deep ditch with draw-bridge dating back to
1278.

 NAME

The name ‚Old Castle Stairs‘ has been officially used since 1829, and was probably derived
from the Old Route which led to the castle as early as the 9 th century. This route is considered
to be one of the most picturesque places in Prague. It even inspired a Czech patriot and
musician, Karel Hašler who was tortured to death by German occupiers after writing the
popular song “Po Starých zámeckých schodech” which means “On the Old Castle Stairs”.
Nowadays it is mainly used by tourists as one of the busiest access routes to Prague Castle.

Stairs are situated aproximatelly 5 minutes from our hostel, if you are interested in staying here with us, you can book it here