Photograph of the week: Prague Castle, Prague, Czech Republic

Prague Castle is so much more than just a pretty face. Its fairytale facade hides a past filled with mystery, mayhem, power struggles and fierce assassination plots. It’s also far, far larger than your average palace. In fact, with a total surface area covering 7.28 hectares (over 780 000 square feet), the Guinness Book of Records has proclaimed Prague Castle as the largest ancient castle in the world.

But back to the mayhem, which is what makes Prague Castle so very intriguing. Intriguing enough to warrant over 1.8 million annual visitors at last count.

Built in the 9th century, perhaps one of the darkest periods in Prague Castle’s history began on the night of March 15, 1939 when Adolf Hitler spent the night at the castle, after occupying Prague during World War II. Although Hitler left the city soon after, he would later send in SS General Reinhard Heydrich to take charge of the castle and rule the Czech people. A key player in the horror…