Origins of the Renaissance during the Jagiellonian Era – Prague, Vladislav Hall

Fact of the Czech figure „Culture in the Era of Renaissance and Baroque”

Part of the „Legacy of the Jagiellonians and Habsburgs dynasties” topic

The Vladislav Hall, the largest ceremonial space in the medieval section of Prague Castle, is one of the oldest landmarks of Czech Renaissance. The origins of the Renaissance style are traceable to wealthy Italian cities during the 13th century, but it did not reach Bohemia until the late 15th century, arriving through Hungary and Moravia, where its expansion was supported by King Matthias Corvinus. Although the Renaissance period in Bohemia was brief, it was close-knit with a period of architectural and economic prosperity. The style was particularly expressed in architecture, with frequent patrons including the bourgeoisie, nobility, and the royal court.

The onset of the Renaissance in the Czech lands corresponds with the ascension of the Jagiellonian dynasty in the 1480s. This was marked by the Renaissance reconstruction of Prague Castle, during which the Vladislav Hall was built by Benedikt Rejt. The new style did not entirely succeed in replacing the earlier Gothic art but rather complemented it. This combination is noticeable in the Vladislav Hall, which merges Gothic ribbed vaulting with rectangular window frames considered the oldest Renaissance landmark in Bohemia (dating from 1493). The hall has always had diverse uses: monarchs hosted coronation banquets and tournaments, an industrial exhibition took place in 1971, and today, it is used for presidential inaugurations.