The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

Perched imposingly atop the mystical Vysehrad fortress and impressively dominating the area is the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, a recognized landmark with its slender neo Gothic double spires. Construction of the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul started in the 11th century for the Czech nobility, the church was originally Romanesque. The beloved Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV had the structure rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 14th century, with a Baroque renovation following in the 1720s; Josef Mocker introduced the neo Gothic style in 1895 during a renovation. At the end of the 19th century the church also acquired its characteristic spires that present one of the most dominant landmarks of the capital city of Prague and the unusual Art Nouveau decoration of its interior. In the 1980s the church underwent a general reconstruction and in 2003 Pope John Paul II promoted it to minor basilica. On the northern and southern side of the church there is the Vyšehrad Slavín Cemetery, a final resting place for many honoured Czech composers, writers, politicians and other distinguished persons.

Vysehrad National Cultural Monument, V Pevnosti 159 5b, Praha 2, www.praha-vysehrad.cz