St. Vitus Cathedral

This is probably the most seen building in all of Prague. From almost any open viewpoint across the city, you can catch St. Vitus Cathedral rising above the rooftops. Charles IV started it in 1344, wanting a cathedral grand enough to match his newly elevated archbishopric. When his first architect died just 8 years in, a 23-year-old named Peter Parler stepped in and built the choir, the chapels, and that bell tower on your right climbing 96.5 meters into the sky.

Then the Hussite Wars broke out in 1419, and construction stopped cold. For nearly 500 years, the cathedral sat unfinished at roughly half its intended size. And yet it never closed. Coronations took place inside, royal funerals were held, weekly masses continued. They even built temporary wooden balconies to squeeze everyone in.

In 1873, a society formed to finish the job, with both wealthy donors and ordinary citizens contributing. The western facade in front of you was designed by Josef Mocker to match Parler's Gothic style from 5 centuries earlier, and Kamil Hilbert completed the whole cathedral in 1929. Inside, the St. Wenceslas Chapel alone has over 1,300 semi-precious stones embedded in its walls.

After 585 years of building and a legal battle over ownership that ran until 2010, the cathedral is now jointly administered by 7 key holders. Presumably they meet for very long meetings.