Bohemian Crown Jewels
The Bohemian Crown Jewels are a set of royal insignia comprising the St Wenceslas Crown, the royal sceptre and orb, their leather cases, the crown cushion and the coronation robe.[2] They are kept in the Crown Chamber of St Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle.[3]*
The insignia
The royal crown, known as the St Wenceslas Crown, was commissioned by Charles IV before 1346. It was the foremost regal insignia and the symbol of the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Bohemia.[1] Charles IV had it made for his coronation as King of Bohemia in 1347.[2] The crown is made of 22-carat gold plate set with sapphires, spinels, rubellite, aquamarine and pearls. Links from Queen Blanche's belt are fixed to its arches. The gold cross at the top holds a sapphire cameo of the Crucifixion, and an engraved inscription states that it contains a thorn from Christ's crown. The crown measures 19 cm in both diameter and height and weighs 2,358 g.[1]
The sceptre and orb were made by the Augsburg goldsmith Hans Haller in 1533–1534 for Ferdinand I of Habsburg and were added to the crown later. The sceptre, of 18-carat gold, is 67 cm long and weighs 1,013 g. The orb is 13 cm in diameter, 22 cm high and weighs 780 g; its two hemispheres bear reliefs with Old Testament scenes.[1]
The seven keys
The jewels can be taken out of the Crown Chamber only when all seven key-holders meet. They are the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, the Archbishop of Prague, the Mayor of Prague and the Dean of the Metropolitan Chapter of St Vitus.[2]
During the Second World War
On 19 September 1938 the jewels were secretly moved to the Žilina branch of the National Bank of Czechoslovakia; after the Munich Agreement they returned to Prague. In 1940 Reich Protector Konstantin von Neurath ordered a redistribution of the keys, and in November 1941 all the keys were handed over to Reinhard Heydrich. According to the Prague Castle Administration, the story that he put the crown on his head is an unfounded legend.[1] In 1943–1944 a brick chamber designed by architect Pavel Janák was built in the Romanesque cellars beneath the Old Royal Palace, and the crown, sceptre and orb stayed there until the end of the war. They were ceremonially brought out on 24 October 1945 and shown to the public in St Vitus Cathedral during the 28 October celebrations.[1]
Exhibitions
President Petr Pavel decided in 2024 that the jewels would be exhibited every year.[2] The 2026 exhibition, titled Habsburgs 500, traced the jewels' history from the accession of Ferdinand I in 1526 to the end of the 18th century.[2] It ran in Vladislav Hall from 15 to 28 September and drew about 36,600 visitors, fewer than the 51,553 of the previous year. The jewels returned to the Crown Chamber on the morning of Tuesday 29 September.[3]
Sources
- Správa Pražského hradu —
- ČTK / České noviny — 2026-09-19
- ČTK / České noviny — 2026-09-28
* The sources are collected and the preliminary text of this entry is drafted with artificial intelligence, on the instruction of the editorial staff; the entry has not yet been verified by an editor — report a mistake.