Golden Lane

Golden Lane is one of the most popular attractions in Prague Castle. The adorable little assortment of multicoloured houses first originated in the 15th century. It still gets to me just how old a lot of the buildings are in Europe. In Australia the oldest structures are from around the 1880s. The houses are a part of the castle grounds, originally used by castle guards as living quarters. Later on they became home to the palace archers and the street was called Archery Lane. It's name changed to Golden Lane when a number of goldsmiths moved in, though local legend suggests that alchemists tried to turn metal into gold here. It is so fascinating that such a tiny little street has such a long and varied history. The houses themselves were inhabited well into the 20th century, Franz Kafka lived in his sister's house here in 1916-1917. Now though they are mere replicas of the homes they once were. Displays struggle to show what they might have looked like in the past. There are some odd little stores in some of the houses. One store was full to the brim with handcrafted wooden puppets, another with work books in Czech. It was certainly a beautiful place to visit, but it left one feeling slightly sad for all those lives lived there. Without the tourists you see, it would resemble a ghost town.