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Prague Castle ((チェコ語:Pražský hrad)) is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic, dating from the 9th century and the official residence of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle was a seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman emperors, and presidents of Czechoslovakia. The Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept within a hidden room inside it. It is among the largest castles in the world occupying an area of almost 70,000 m2, at about 570 meters in length and an average of about 130 meters wide. Although the Guinness Book of Records listed Prague Castle as the largest ancient castle in the world up to July 2006, Malbork Castle occupies more than twice the area at 143,591 m2. 〔(Guinness Book of Records entry on Pražský hrad )〕〔(Malbork Castle (with an area of 143,591 square meters), the largest castle in the world by KML Area Calculator. ) Touropia, the Travel List Website: "10 Largest Castles in the World." Accessed 6 April 2011.〕 ==History== The history of the castle stretches back to the year 870 with the construction of its first walled building, the Church of the Virgin Mary. The Basilica of Saint George and the Basilica of St. Vitus were founded under the reign of Vratislav and his son St. Wenceslas in the first half of the 10th century. The first convent in Bohemia was founded in the castle, next to the church of St. George. A Romanesque palace was erected here during the 12th century. In the 14th century, under the reign of Charles IV the royal palace was rebuilt in Gothic style and the castle fortifications were strengthened. In place of rotunda and basilica of St. Vitus began building of a vast Gothic church, that have been completed almost six centuries later. During the Hussite Wars and the following decades, the castle was not inhabited. In 1485, King Ladislaus II Jagello began to rebuild the castle. The massive Vladislav Hall (built by Benedikt Rejt) was added to the Royal Palace. New defence towers were also built on the north side of the castle. A large fire in 1541 destroyed large parts of the castle. Under the Habsburgs, some new buildings in Renaissance style were added. Ferdinand I built the Belvedere as a summer palace for his wife Anne. Rudolph II used Prague Castle as his main residence. He founded the northern wing of the palace, with the Spanish Hall, where his precious art collections were exhibited. The Second Prague defenestration in 1618 began the Bohemian Revolt. During the subsequent wars, the Castle was damaged and dilapidated. Many works from the collection of Rudolph II were looted by Swedes in 1648, in the Battle of Prague (1648) which was the final act of the Thirty Years' War. The last major rebuilding of the castle was carried out by Empress Maria Theresa in the second half of the 18th century. Following his abdication in 1848, and the succession of his nephew, Franz Joseph, to the throne, the former emperor, Ferdinand I, made Prague Castle his home. In 1918, the castle became the seat of the president of the new Czechoslovak Republic T.G. Masaryk. The New Royal Palace and the gardens were renovated by Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik. In this period the St Vitus Cathedral was finished (on September 28, in 1929). Renovations continued in 1936 under Plečnik's successor Pavel Janák. On March 15, 1939, shortly after the Nazi regime strong-armed former Czech President Emil Hacha (who suffered a heart attack during the negotiations) to hand his nation over to the Germans, Adolf Hitler spent a night in the Prague Castle, "proudly surveying his new possession."〔Klaus Fischer, ''Nazi Germany: A New History'' (New York: Continuum, 1995), p. 433.〕 During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in World War II, Prague Castle became the headquarters of Reinhard Heydrich, the "Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia". He was said to have placed the Bohemian crown on his head; old legends say an usurper who places the crown on his head is doomed to die within a year.〔Mirna Solic, ''The gate open to the Bohemian crown jewels'' at (Radio Prague ).〕 Less than a year after assuming power, on May 27, 1942, Heydrich was attacked by British-trained Slovak and Czech soldiers while on his way to the Castle, and died of his wounds (which became infected) a week later.〔Gerald Reitlinger, ''The SS: Alibi of a Nation, 1922-1945'' (New York: Da Capo Press, 1989), p. 215.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Prague Castle」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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