Vysehrad

On Saturday we visited Vysehrad, which was the first home of Czech royalty. It was built by the Premyslids (Bohemia's founding dynasties). The Premyslids built both the Prague Castle and Vysehrad around 800 AD and the two locations served as the seats of the Czech princes (who often feuded -- including the famed "Good King Wenceslas," who shortly after becoming king was stabbed by his brother's henchmen).
The main attraction at Vysehrad today is the Church of Saints Peter and St. Paul. It was built in the late part of the 11th century. It burned down in the mid-13th century. It was rebuilt shortly thereafter, but it has been remodeled many times since then. The current form was constructed in 1885 and the twin spires were built in 1902. The church looked beautiful, but we missed closing time by about 10 minutes so we were only able to look into the sanctuary from the glass door --- we'll have to put that on the list for next time.
There is also a cemetery where many of the Czech Republic's most-notable people are buried -- Dvorak, Smetana, Myselbek, Neruda.
The grounds at Vysehrad were beautiful. We especially liked the park in the middle and plan to return someday with a picnic. The edge of the complex also had wonderful views of the Vltava River and the sights of Prague.
I have posted a lot of pictures from our trip and I included more information about Vysehrad in the captions. They're at http://picasaweb.google.com/chelsey.thomas