Its most famous landmark, the Prague Castle, overlooks the city from a hilltop on the west bank of the Vltava River. Founded in the ninth century, the castle has been rebuilt and renovated several times over the intervening years. Its thick walls conceal some amazing sights, including the vaguely sinister-looking gothic St Vitus Cathedral, which took more than 600 years to build, on and off.

St Vitus` foundation stone was laid in 1344 by Emperor Charles IV. Over the next few centuries, various baroque and renaissance details were added. It features numerous side chapels, housing spectacular works of art, crucifixes, shrines, vestments, relics, busts, paintings, stained glass, plaques and jewels. The Royal Crypt cradles the remains of much loved monarchs Charles IV, Wenceslas IV, George of Pod Brady and Rudolf II.