(A cute story)........
1618, "After their departure Slavata and Semcansky first...were called the breakers of general peace and good and rebles against the Kingdon of Bohemia and general by Count of Thurn...And immediately afterwards a voice was heard from among the Estates that the scoundrels should be put into the Black Tower speedily. Others then called that the traitors should go out of the window...And thus, not being permitted any mercy, one after the other...with great shouts of "Oh,Oh,Woe!" and with hands clinging to the window frame, which they had to let loose in the end, having been beaten over them, they were thrown, head first, from that same window facing the rising sun, in mantles, with rapiers and other paraphernalia, as they were caught in their office, to the ditch below the palace, deeper than other ditches, separated from it with walls...Philip the secretary...was thrown out...through that same widow in their wake. When they all lay down there and were observed to be alive, some mercenary, on the order of Ernfrid of Berbisdorf, fired one or two shots from his gun from the palace window, but missed them. And thus it was a wonder that having been thrown head first from such a height, estimated at 27 ells by some, none of them remained on the spot, but all escaped there from". (Pavel Skala of Zhor, Bohemian History)
�1723, "The Chief Master of the Hunt, Count Clary-Adringen, provided for the coronation feast of Charles VI , 564 pheasants, 708 partridges, 60 cranes, 152 snipes, 110 quails, 108 hares, 400 fieldfares, the like number of other birds, 70 wild and 60 domestic ducks, 120 turkeys, 350 capons, 70 hens, 800 chickens, 560 pigeons, 50 geese, 30 calves, 46 lambs, 40 rams, 20 fawns and 20 roebucks". (Antonin Novotny, Prague of the Dark Age)
In the later half of the 18th century Empress Maria Theresa had the Castle buildings rebuilt in Baroque style, their current appearance.
1873, "After painstaking work and great endeavor the renovation of the St. Vitus' Cathedral has succeeded so far that on August 30, 1873, when the festival celebrating the 900th jubilee of Prague Bishopric began, the Cathedral was opened again by a festive public service...Not long after this the second festival, no less important, took place. On October 1, 1873 the foundation stone for the completion of the Cathedral was laid and consecrated, which ceremony was preformed personally by his Excellency the Cardinal and Archbishop of Prague. The splendor of the festival was contributed to by all three armed corps of the City of Prague, placed partly in the vicinity if the Cathedral, partly in the courtyards of the Imperial Castle. The foundation stone was placed in the pillar of the transept on the southeast side". (Annual Report of the Association for the Completion of the St. Vitus' Cathedral in Prague Castle)
Prague Castle became the official Presidential seat in 1918. It was not suited for this function, thus modifications began in the gardens, courtyards, and representatives rooms. Currently the Office of the President of the Republic coordinates all restoration work. It's goal is conserving the Castle's artistic and historical heritage while transforming it into a busy complex always open to visitors.
Information obtained from The Castle of Prague, The Pantheon of Czech History, and various other articles.
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