The Powder Gate Tower (Prašná brána) was in the 11th century one of the 13 gates through which Prague’s citizens could enter the Old Town. The tower architecture was inspired by the work of Petr Parléř on the Charles Bridge.
The Powder Gate Tower is one of the most expressive monuments of late-Gothic Prague, and was built in place of the dilapidated original gate named Horská Gate (based on Kutná Hora town) called Ragged, which dated back to the 1st half of the 13th century. The Powder Gate Tower brought into the town one of the main roads coming from Eastern Bohemia, namely from Kutná Hora.
This was also the place where the coronation processions of Bohemian kings would enter the town. The Powder Gate Tower thus marks the start of the Coronation or Royal Path to Prague Castle.
The foundation stone was laid in 1475; the construction was conducted by builder Václav, and later from 1478 on by Matěj Rejsek, who partly also provided the rich sculptural decorations. The tower was founded on the bottom of a fortification moat, approximately 9 m below today’s terrain. Later on, the moat was filled up, and its significance was lost, and therefore the bridge leading to the passage also disappeared.
From 1488 on, the gate remained unfinished, probably due to the fact that the royal residence moved from the Old Town back to the Castle. Further construction works were only started in 1592 in an era of mayor Krocín of Drahobejl, when the new entrance was built together with the spiral staircase (still used today). Before that, entrance was only possible via a gallery of the Royal Court (Královský dvůr). Today’s name Powder Gate Tower (originally a New Tower) has been used since the beginning of the 18th century, when the tower was used as a gun-powder storage place.
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