Prague Castle - programme quarterly

is published four times a year - always at the begining of April, July, October and January - and it can be purchased in the Information Centre, at the cash desks of visitor's sites and exhibition halls of the Prague castle. Price 10 Czech crowns. It can be also ordered at the following address: Prague Castle Administration - edition departament, 119 08 Praha 1, Hrad.

	Opinions by Helena Haskovcova and Ivan Exner
	The Election of a new President in the Spanish Hall
	Restoration of the Furnishings in the Old Diet at Prague Castle
	Anniversary: Premysl Otakar II
	A Spring Walk through the Prague Castle Gardens
	Photographs of Prague Castle by Karel Plicka
	Permanent Exhibition - The Story of Prague Castle
	New Books from the Prague Castle Administration Press
	Vaclav Havel's last Day at Prague Castle as President of the Republic

PREMYSL OTAKAR II.
It is now 750 years since Premysl Otakar II ascended to the Bohemian throne, and his reign is still seen as one of the most glorious in the country's history. Prof. Josef Zemlicka shares his thoughts on the great ruler.

Premysl Otakar II is one of those figures of the Bohemian Middle Ages whose importance transcended this country's borders. In a short time he built an extensive domain stretching from the Giant Mountains to the Adriatic Sea - yet it fell as quickly as it had risen, and the death of King Premysl in battle opened the way for the Habsburgs to take power.

Premysl was apparently born in 1233, to King Wenceslas I (r. 1230 - 1253) and Kunguta (Cunegundes) of the Imperial Schtauffen family.

In 1246 Duke Frederick of Babenberg, ruler of the Eastern March (Ost Reich or Austria) and Styria died, and after a complex series of events the young Premysl became lord of Austria and part of Styria in 1251. To strengthen his claims further, he married Frederick's sister Margaret.

In September 1253 Wenceslas I died, and Premysl assumed the Bohemian throne, beginning a further phase in his political plans. In 1260 he overcame the Hungarian King Bela IV, bringing the whole of the Duchy of Styria under his control; to blunt the point of Hungarian enmity he divorced Margaret and married Bela's grand-daughter, the young Kunhuta. At the same time Premysl entered into affairs in Germany, influencing events in Silesia and sending several raids into Prussia in support of the Teutonic Knights. In 1266 he took possession of Cheb (Eger) and the Egerland. Following the death of his relative Ulrich of Sponheim, Premysl laid claim to Carinthia, Krajina and adjacent territories. His titles on documents and seals were imposing - "King of Bohemia, Duke of Austria, Styria and Carinthia, Margrave of Moravia, Lord of Krajina, the Mark, Eger and Pordenone". His territories had no equal, and thanks to his wealth and a strike force of heavily armed knights (or "iron lords") Premysl himself became known as the "King of Iron and Gold".

Despite external expansion and frequent journeys beyond the borders, Premysl did not forget Prague Castle, traditionally associated with the enthronement of the Bohemian princes and his own coronation on the Feast of the Nativity, 1261. It was here that he formulated his far-reaching plans, and received special visitors in the decorated halls: he raised the representative function of the Castle to new heights and initiated much building work, while beneath the walls urbanising processes were coming to a peak.

Premysl took his duties as ruler seriously, not only making conspicuous interventions in the administration of his lands but also being concerned for their economic growth. He founded castles, towns and monasteries, took pains over the quality of the coinage and encouraged unification of weights and measures.

Premysl's domains as a whole, however, remained unstable, and over time his enemies grew in number. As soon as the Swabian Count Rudolf of Habsburg was elected Roman King in October 1273, both internal and external opponents of Premysl's government turned to him. The new King instructed Premysl to turn over his "unjustly" occupied holdings outside Bohemia. Pressure from Rudolf and his allies was unceasing, forcing Premysl into a new war. The decisive battle of the Marchfeld or Moravian Field took place on August 26th 1278; Bohemian forces were routed, and after fighting valiantly Premysl himself was wounded, unhorsed and - against all chivalric rules of the period - killed. His body was exhibited by the victorious Habsburg in Vienna, then temporarily laid to rest at Znojmo. Only in 1296 were the king's mortal remains reburied with great ceremony in St. Vitus' Cathedral at Prague Castle.

Premysl was able to create a notable realm, but one which comprised a series of separate lands and territories, each with their own laws and customs. This, however, is no reflection on the greatness of a king who, even prior to the Habsburg era, attempted to carve out a great Danubian empire.