The Prague Castle Administration will launch a competition for new leases of houses in Prague’s renowned Golden Lane (Zlatá ulička).

It wants to revive traditional crafts in the picturesque houses lining the historic street. There are sixteen small houses in the Golden Lane, each with a different-coloured facade, the smallest with a floor area of just fourteen square meters.

Over the centuries, the lane has undergone a number of reconstructions. The houses were inhabited until the Second World War. The one-time dwellings for the castle’s grooms and servants have become a major tourist attraction.

From March onwards, the current vendors will likely be replaced by new ones under different conditions. Almost all the houses will see their leases expire at the end of the year. “It’s not just a tourist issue. We will emphasize crafts or traditional Czech products,” says Vladimír Sonntag, director of the Prague Castle Administration.

The Castle Administration plans to rent the house with number 22 as a bookshop to preserve the legacy of the writer Franz Kafka, who stayed there between 1916 and 1917.

The new sellers’ rent will depend on their specific offers. However, the minimum price per square meter is set at CZK 2,000 per month. “It will come from who offers what price (to the interested party), that is one criterion. The second is what kind of range they will bring, what attractiveness,” Sonntag explains.

Entry will still be charged between 9 am and 6 pm, as it has been for the last 21 years. According to the Castle administration, the entrance fee regulates the number of visitors to prevent overcrowding.

It is not possible to buy a ticket separately only for the Golden Lane; its visit is possible after paying for the basic tour of Prague Castle. Admission to it costs 250 crowns. In addition to shops, the Golden Lane also houses historical exhibitions representing life in past centuries.

The Prague Castle area is also awaiting other innovations. Architect Josef Pleskot would like the first changes to be visible next season. The clearest outlines, according to him, are the plans for the conversion of the Stable Court, still closed to the public, into a visitors’ court.