Powder Tower – only a 10-minute walk from the hotel

Powder Tower is a monumental entrance gate to the Old Town and one of the symbols of Prague. Its construction began in 1475, and later it was rebuilt in a pseudo-Gothic style.

The Tower is one of the most important historical monuments of medieval Prague. It used to be the starting point of coronation processions. The Royal Way began at the Tower, and an important path from Kutná Hora, where silver for the royal treasury was mined, ended here. Originally, a so-called Mountain Tower (Horská brána) from the early 13th century, which later became known as the “Shabby Tower” (Odraná brána) because of its poor state of repair, stood on this site. At that time, it was still part of the city’s fortifications, but after the New Town was established by Charles IV, the fortification in this place lost its importance. Consequently, the erection of a new representative tower gate – today’s Powder Tower – began on the city moat (now Na Příkopě Street) in 1475. The tower only retained its importance until the royal seat returned from the King’s Court (on the site of today’s Municipal House in Prague) to the Prague Castle. The tower then remained uncompleted until 1592, when a new entrance and spiral staircase were constructed. When the Prussian army besieged Prague in 1757, cannon balls damaged the tower. As a result, sculptural decorations from the 15th century by a renowned architect and sculptor, Matěj Rejsek, were removed from the tower. The Tower acquired its current appearance during a refurbishment in the 1880’s designed by the architect Josef Mocker.

The tower’s decoration also reflects the time of its building. Its architect was obviously inspired by the monumental Old Town Bridge Tower. Above the gateway, in the direction of Celetná Street, there is a statue of George of Poděbrady together with Ladislaus Jagiellon, who were kings of Bohemia at that time. On the other side of the tower, the gate is adorned with statues of the great Czech rulers Charles IV and Ottokar II of Bohemia. Other decorations include statues of saints and Adam and Eve, as well as symbols of Bohemian lands and various allegories.