New Archaeological App Unveils Hidden Underground of Prague Castle
The previously inaccessible underground of Prague Castle has been unveiled with the release of a new archaeological app. This application allows visitors to view the remains of buildings dating from the 9th and 10th centuries up to the 15th century, located beneath reinforced concrete structures spanning several thousand square meters.
Before the release of the Prague Castle archaeological app, many visitors were unaware of the underground structures beneath the Castle. Even those who knew of their existence had never had the chance to see them—until now.
With the new app, visitors can use 3D scans to examine individual buildings in detail, observe their changes over time, and explore their research history on a timeline. They can virtually walk through nearly 5,000 square meters of historical underground space.
I spoke with archaeologist Jana Maříková Kubková, who led the project, about the motivations behind the app and what her team aimed to reveal to visitors of the Castle grounds.
“The application covers five of the most important archaeological sites of Prague Castle. First, it covers the Chapel of the Virgin Mary, the Third Courtyard’s Great and Small Excavations, the crypt of St. Vitus Cathedral, and the Monastery and Basilica of St. George.”
Ms. Maříková Kubková explains what services the app provides and to what extent it provides commentary to the specific historical structures it covers:
“The application is built on 3D scans so people can see the present stage of the structures. Then they can turn on so-called ‘info points’ where they can learn about the specific structures, how old they are, and some history behind the archaeological research. Then they can switch to a timeline where they can see the structures in question in the state of their evolution during the Middle Ages.”
Ms. Maříková Kubková says the creation of the app was an extensive project that involved many experts.
“We worked on it for approximately four years. It was a pretty big team comprised of app developers, archaeologists, and historians. I can’t say for certain, but there were approximately 10 to 15 of us in the team.”
The app can serve as a guide at Prague Castle or be used anywhere outside its grounds. Currently, it is available for free download on the usual platforms in Czech, English, and German.
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