Vyšehrad Underground

Beneath the surface of the Vyšehrad complex lies a network of underground passages whose existence comes as a surprise to most visitors. This underground world did not originate in the distant Middle Ages, but during the 17th and 18th centuries, when Vyšehrad was rebuilt as a modern military fortress. In the aftermath of the Thirty Years' War, and in response to advances in artillery tactics, the Habsburg military administration undertook an extensive conversion of the medieval walls into a system of bastion fortifications. Part of this project involved the construction of underground infrastructure: casemates, ammunition stores, supply corridors and various defensive elements cut through the rock beneath the entire complex.

The largest section open to the public today consists of the casemates, underground spaces built from the late 17th to the early 19th century, originally serving as protected storerooms and shelters for the garrison. Some of the passages are hewn directly into the rock, while others are lined with thick stone vaulting. The total length of accessible corridors exceeds 300 metres, and at various points they open into chambers with views over the Vltava or into the interior of a bastion. The spaces have a character all their own, shaped by the combination of military austerity and dramatic concealment: in one moment you are dozens of metres below the park, beneath strolling visitors and the towers of the basilica, in complete silence.

Guided tours of the Vyšehrad underground are organised by the administration of the national cultural monument and are available in both Czech and English. Entry is possible only with a guide and advance booking is required. Combining a visit to the underground with a tour of the grounds, the cemetery and the basilica makes Vyšehrad one of the richest historical sites in Prague that can be explored within a single afternoon.