LED Praag tourguide 1
Throw open the gates of Praque Castle!
After the Velvet Revolution, the President declared "Throw open the gates of Prague Castle!" Prior to the revolution it was difficult for ordinary people to enter inside the Castle. But this declaration also had a special historical meaning. In the more than 1,000 year history of the Castle going back to the 9th century, the two eras when the Castle prospered the most were during the era of Charles IV in the 14th century, and Rudolf II in the 17th century. During the reign of these two emperors of the Holy Roman Empire and kings of Bohemia, Prague became the center of Europe. The throwing open of the gates of the Prague Castle symbolized a new future for the country of the Czech Republic through exchanges of learning, art and culture.
Shedding light on a mystery.
Throughout history, the Prague Castle has been repeatedly damaged and reconstructed. It is now an important complex architectural structure mixing multiple architectural styles such as Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque. To provide lighting for complex beauty requires an acute sense of lighting and technology. From the 1960's through to the 1990's, Prague Castle changed the color of lighting in accordance with each architectural style. Areas containing Gothic architecture were lit with a bluish-white light to highlight the powerful stone structures, while for areas containing Baroque architecture, warm lighting was used on objects such as plaster and golden decorations.
One role of light is to shine on a certain area in order to provide it with meaning. Take for example the Baroque style fountain in the Second Courtyard. Although it is an important symbol for the courtyard, visitors rushing to get inside the Castle didn't really notice it. So we made some changes, lighting up the water in the fountain to draw people's interest. We also directed light to the sculpture and the monument of WW2 victims in the outer moat which is known as the Deer Valley. Lighting up a single spot is also a way of solving the mystery of a location. When you come as a visitor and walk through the Castle, please take the time to consider the mystery surrounding the area behind the spotlight.
St. Vitus Cathedral inside the grounds of the Prague Castle
The strength and color of light are most important
Throughout history, the Prague Castle has been repeatedly damaged and reconstructed. It is now an important complex architectural structure mixing multiple architectural styles such as Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque. To provide lighting for complex beauty requires an acute sense of lighting and technology. From the 1960's through to the 1990's, Prague Castle changed the color of lighting in accordance with each architectural style. Areas containing Gothic architecture were lit with a bluish-white light to highlight the powerful stone structures, while for areas containing Baroque architecture, warm lighting was used on objects such as plaster and golden decorations.
One role of light is to shine on a certain area in order to provide it with meaning. Take for example the Baroque style fountain in the Second Courtyard. Although it is an important symbol for the courtyard, visitors rushing to get inside the Castle didn't really notice it. So we made some changes, lighting up the water in the fountain to draw people's interest. We also directed light to the sculpture and the monument of WW2 victims in the outer moat which is known as the Deer Valley. Lighting up a single spot is also a way of solving the mystery of a location. When you come as a visitor and walk through the Castle, please take the time to consider the mystery surrounding the area behind the spotlight.
The orange colored lighting of the LED light bulbs looks very similar to that of gas lamps and I belive that it is well suited to the atmosphere of Prague Castle
Timeline of Prague Castle
880-894:
The first Christian monarch of Bohemia "Prince Borivoj" takes up residence in Prague Castle
915-921:
Vratislaw I constructs Basilica of St. George within the Castle grounds
921-935:
St. Wenceslaus constructs Basilica of St. Vitus (Romanesque style)
1055-61:
Spytihnev II constructs St. Vitus Basilica (Romanesque)
1055-61:
Charles IV, King of Bohemia rebuilds Prague to make it worthy as the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. He established Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral which replaced basilica. Prague still has many names taken from Charles IV such as Charles Bridge or Charles University (est. 1348)
1583-1610:
The Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II resided at Prague Castle instead of Vienna, the base for the House of Habsburg. Prague was a center for culture, with artists and academics such as Giuseppe Arcimboldo or Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe flocking to Prague from throughout Europe.
