Prague · Hradčany · Czech Republic

Golden Lane

historicculturewalkgoogle verified

easy

9/10

best: morning, afternoon

nostalgic, mysterious

A local would say...

Franz Kafka once lived in one of these tiny castle-wall cottages — the lane is so narrow and low that adults have to duck through doorways, and it looks like something from a fairy tale.

A charming cobbled lane of tiny, colourfully painted cottages built into the castle fortifications in the 16th century, originally housing the royal guards and later occupied by goldsmiths. In the 19th and early 20th centuries the lane was home to artists and writers — Franz Kafka frequently visited his sister's house here at No. 22 from 1916 to 1917. The diminutive houses have been restored to evoke their medieval character.