Christians around the world sing the carol Good King Wenceslas at Christmas, but few realise that the “good king” was Saint Wenceslas of Prague, eternal protector and heir to the Czech lands. He was born around 907 as the son of Prince Vratislav I and Princess Drahomíra. He was led to faith by his grandmother, Saint Ludmila, who gave him an education that was quite unusual for his time: she taught him to read and write and introduced him to several languages. Wenceslas communicated in Old Slavonic, the language of the first Slavic church services, Latin, the language of scholars and the church throughout Europe, German, the language of his powerful neighbours, and, according to tradition, he also knew Greek, the language of ancient scholarship and Byzantine culture. This all made Wenceslas more of a scholar and economist than a warrior. He strove for peace even where others would have resorted to the sword. It was he who founded the St Wenceslas Vineyard below Prague Castle. With over a thousand years of history, it is one of the oldest urban vineyards in Europe, and its location in the very centre of the metropolis is unique in the world. After ascending to the throne, he faced pressure from the East Frankish Empire. He could have waged exhausting wars, but instead he chose peace for a fee. This pragmatic agreement saved the Czech lands from great devastation. He acquired an exceptional relic, the arm of Saint Vitus, from King Henry I the Fowler. In order to lay it to rest with dignity, he had the Rotunda of St Vitus built at Prague Castle. It was the predecessor of today’s Gothic St Vitus Cathedral, the dominant feature of Prague Castle and the spiritual heart of the country. Svatý Václav | Zdroj: www.wikipedia.com However, Wenceslas’ life had a dark ending: in 935, he was murdered in Stará Boleslav by his younger brother Boleslav (therefore called “the Cruel”). Boleslav became ruler thanks to the murder of his brother. And, perhaps as a gesture of repentance, he had Wenceslas’ remains moved to Prague, to the cathedral that Wenceslas himself had founded. From that moment on, the prince became a saint revered both at home and throughout the Holy Roman Empire. The date of his death, 28 September, is still a church and public holiday in the Czech Republic. Wenceslas’ reputation as a just ruler who helped the poor, as sung in the well-known English carol, thus became associated with the image of a protector of the country. His descendant Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia, had the Crown of Saint Wenceslas made in 1346 as a tribute to the most important Czech saint and symbolically gifted it directly to Wenceslas. Every subsequent Czech king only borrowed it temporarily during their coronation, so it never belonged to any of them. This is one of the reasons why St Wenceslas Chapel in today’s cathedral, built above the saint’s tomb, has the atmosphere of a historical sanctuary. The royal crown belongs to the saint, and so Christian faith and Czech statehood meet in the chapel. When you walk down from Prague Castle across Charles Bridge into the city, you will arrive at Wenceslas Square. It was here that Czechoslovakia’s independence was declared on 28 October 1918, here that people resisted the Nazi occupation, protested after the Soviet invasion in 1968, and stood side by side during the Velvet Revolution of 1989, which ended the communist regime in Czechia. Beneath the equestrian statue of St Wenceslas, you will easily understand why he is the heir to the Czech lands. He is not a figure from the past, but rather the living memory of a nation, accompanying his people for more than a thousand years in their everyday lives and in moments when history is made. Svatý Václav | Zdroj: Prague City Tourism Kde příběh v Praze zažít Cathedral of St Vitus, Wenceslas and Adalbert (Prague Castle) – St Wenceslas Chapel above the saint’s tomb; epicentre of Christian and state history. The Crown Chamber of the cathedral – the place where the Czech crown jewels, including the Crown of St Wenceslas, are kept (open to the public only on rare occasions). Wenceslas Square – equestrian statue of St Wenceslas and the site of major turning points in the 20th century. St Wenceslas Vineyard below Prague Castle – documented for over 1,000 years; one of the oldest urban vineyards in Europe and a rarity due to its location in the very centre of the capital. Terraces with views across the Vltava River to the Old Town. St Vitus Rotunda (site of the former rotunda in the Castle grounds) – predecessor of the Gothic cathedral, where the traditional cult of St Wenceslas began. Svatý Václav | Zdroj: www.wikipedia.com Tip for a walk Enter the Castle from Hradčanské Square, stop at the St Wenceslas Chapel in the cathedral, then stroll through the St Wenceslas Vineyard. The view of Prague from this vantage point combines a thousand-year-old tradition with the pulse of today’s city. Finally, head down to Wenceslas Square and stand by the monument: you will understand why he is called the heir to the Czech lands.