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All Czechia Prague The Deer Moat Pedestrian Tunnel
AO Edited

The Deer Moat Pedestrian Tunnel

The tunnel's elegant proportions keep you snug with no claustrophobia freak-out.

Prague, Czechia

Added By
Airton Morassi
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The pedestrian tunnel under Jelení příkop (the Deer Moat)   Airton Morassi / Atlas Obscura User
The Brusnice stream runs through the Deer Moat on the north side of the Castle   Airton Morassi / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the stream runs under grating, seen here along the right side of the floor   John+Elaine Chesterton
Jelení příkop - statuary in the Deer Moat   jockrutherford
The Deer Moat was originally part of the Castle’s north fortification   jockrutherford
Upper Deer Moat from the Powder Bridge, Brusnice flowing into the tunnel under the embankment   Matěj Orlický
The tunnel was designed to feel more spacious   rastmo
The Deer Moat Pedestrian Tunnel  
East End   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
West End   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
‘The Groundskeeper’   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Grate that runs over the stream   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Castle up above   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Inside the walls of Prague Castle there are buildings dating as far back as the 9th century. Even the newer ones are from the Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance periods, and together, along with the formal gardens, they make up one of the largest castle complexes in the world.

Along the north side there is a wild glen called Jelení příkop (the Deer Moat), originally part of the Castle’s fortification and later a private hunting ground for the king. The royal stock of stags (and even a few bears) is gone, and today the Deer Moat is a public park of inviting lawns and shaded woods, with a stream channeled down the middle. It’s all easily traversed via stone steps, paved paths, swinging timber walkways, and a 275-foot (84 m) pedestrian tunnel that runs underneath the famous Powder Bridge.

The opening up of the Deer Moat and building of the tunnel were pet projects of former President Václav Havel, who wanted to give visitors an easier way to take advantage of the extended Castle grounds. He brought in Czech architect Josef Pleskot to design the tunnel, which incorporates the moat’s stream, much of which had been relegated to underground pipes in the late 19th century.

Pleskot kept the stream, called the Brusnice, as part of the overall underground experience of the tunnel, an oval tube of elegant brick work that feels at once enveloping and expansive. The sloping curve of the walls was designed to create this sense of comforting roominess, to belie the tightness of the quarters–no doubt making some grateful claustrophobics in the process.

 

Related Tags

Tunnels Castles Underground Parks Subterranean Sites

Know Before You Go

The Deer Moat is on the north side of the Castle. The upper portion is more bucolic, with lawns for stretching out and paths for strolling. The lower portion is more rugged and wild, but with walkways and steps to get around without too much scrambling. Be sure of your footing, as both the entrance and exit are paved with uneven wooden slats,

You can enter the Deer Moat from Na opyši street, Klárov–Chotkova street, Královská zahrada (Royal Garden) from Letohrádek královny Anny (Queen Anne´s Summer Palace) downward along Fíkovna (Fig Garden). The pedestrian tunnel runs under the Powder Bridge, which is the main entrance for visitors into the Castle.Only open during the summer season, closed during winter.

Do not be alarmed if you happen to come upon armed guards. As the grounds are still protected by the soldiers who patrol the Castle perimeters.

Community Contributors

Added By

Airton Morassi

Edited By

SEANETTA, weetabixhands, buchananneil, Sebastian Wortys

  • SEANETTA
  • weetabixhands
  • buchananneil
  • Sebastian Wortys

Published

January 5, 2017

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Sources
  • http://archidose.blogspot.com/2005/07/pedestrian-tunnel.html
  • http://www.praguecityline.com/prague-monuments/prague-castle-stag-moat
  • http://www.east-centricarch.eu/projects/czech-republic/pathway-through-the-deer-moat-prague-castle.html
  • http://www.prague.net/deer-moat
The Deer Moat Pedestrian Tunnel
Jelení příkop (Deer Moat)
Prague Castle
Prague
Czechia
50.091465, 14.398663
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