The Golden Lane — Myth and Reality

You're standing on one of the most enchanting streets in all of Europe. Golden Lane — Zlatá ulička in Czech — looks like something lifted straight from a fairy tale, with its miniature houses painted in vivid blues, yellows, and oranges. But don't let the charm fool you. This lane has a surprisingly gritty past. It was built in the late 16th century to house Rudolf II's castle guards — tough men tasked with protecting Prague Castle. Later, goldsmiths moved in, giving the street the name it carries today. For a long time, it was home to Prague's poorest residents, crammed into tiny spaces barely fit for living. Look for house number 22. That's where Franz Kafka — one of the most influential writers in history — rented a small workspace from 1916 to 1917, writing some of his most haunting work in these very walls. And in 1929, Nobel Prize-winning poet Jaroslav Seifert lived just steps from where you're standing now. The lane's colorful painted façades you see today were actually added in the 1950s — long after the real stories had already unfolded. History and myth walk hand in hand here on Golden Lane.