The national symbols, normally kept in a vault, are on display until Saturday at the Hradzin Castle in Prague.
The last time the Czech coronation jewels were on display was in 2018, to mark the centenary of the founding of Czechoslovakia. This time, they are being displayed to mark the 30th anniversary of the independence of the Czech Republic.
The relics, which are considered to be the most prized national treasure, are permanently kept in a vault in the basement of St Vitus Cathedral under special circumstances: the vault needs seven keys to open, each of which is in the possession of a different Czech civil servant so that they can only be accessed when they are all together. Under the current rules, the President, the Prime Minister, the Chairman of the House of Deputies, the Chairman of the Senate, the Lord Mayor of Prague, the Archbishop of Prague, and the Dean of the Metropolitan Chapter of St Vitus Cathedral each have a key. On Monday, they jointly opened the vault and transferred the crown jewels to the chapel, where they will be on display from Tuesday to Saturday this week. Also on display at the same time is another rarely seen relic: the skull of St Wenceslas, the Duke of Bohemia. Around 30,000 people are expected to visit the Hradzin, and those wishing to see the relics will probably have to prepare for long queues.
Cover Image: James Barr/Unsplash
Source: turizmus.com
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