Vladislav Hall on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Vladislav Hall ( cs, Vladislavský sál) is a large hall within the
p. 63
Vladislav Hall ( cs, Vladislavský sál) is a large hall within the Prague Castle
Prague Castle ( cs, Pražský hrad; ) is a castle complex in Prague 1 Municipality within Prague, Czech Republic, built in the 9th century. It is the official office of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle was a seat of power for king ...
complex in the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, used for large public events of the Bohemian monarchy and the modern Czech state. Built between 1493–1502 by Benedikt Rejt during the reign of Vladislav II, the hall was the largest secular space (62m × 16m × 13m) in medieval Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
and is among the most complex structural and architectural spaces of the late Middle Ages. In particular, the construction of the complex stone vaulting
In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...
system spanning 16m was a refined engineering feat. The third and highest floor of the palace, the hall replaced a group of rooms dating from the 14th century. Immediately underneath, the second floor is a Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
addition built during the reign of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV ( cs, Karel IV.; german: Karl IV.; la, Carolus IV; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charle ...
in the 14th century, while the lowest, first floor is a Romanesque palace.
The hall was used for banquets, receptions, coronations, and other events of the Bohemian court. It was even large enough to accommodate tournaments
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
between knights
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...
; the "Knight's Stairway" was built wide enough to accommodate horses to facilitate such activities.Kaufmann, Thomas DaCosta. ''Court, Cloister, and City: The Art and Culture of Central Europe, 1450–1800''. University of Chicago Press, 1995p. 63
References
Palaces of Prague Castle {{czechRepublic-struct-stub