During the 16th century, the protection of the sovereign at Prague Castle was provided by a guard composed of mounted harquebusiers and foot trabants. The security of the Castle was also maintained by members of the shooting fraternity from Prague towns, along with another shooting association known as the Fellowship between the Bridges at Prague Castle. Their primary duties included guard service at the Castle gates and supervision of prisoners held in the lower levels of Mihulka, the White Tower, and Daliborka. After the death of Emperor Rudolf II in 1612 and the relocation of the imperial court from Prague to Vienna, the importance of Prague Castle as the seat of Bohemian kings rapidly declined. Until the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic's Castle Guard, there was no military unit in Prague specifically assigned to its protection.
After the creation of the independent state of Czechs and Slovaks in 1918, the new republic lacked instruments of power, especially an army. However, the collapse of Austria-Hungary in the final days of the war found the representatives of the most important civic organization, the Czech Sokol Community, prepared. The Sokols entered the history of the nascent state, among other things, by taking on the honorable role of guarding Prague Castle.
In connection with the anticipated return of President T. G. Masaryk from exile, however, it was necessary to resolve the situation long-term. The High Command thus ordered on December 6, 1918, that the Czechoslovak Infantry Regiment No. 28 would immediately establish one infantry company. On this day, the Castle Guard was formed. It performed full guard duty at the head of state's residence and also served as an honorary military unit with special authorization for welcoming important figures. In May 1929, historicizing uniforms based on the patterns of Czechoslovak Legion uniforms in France, Italy, and Russia were introduced for the Castle Guard.
After the occupation of the republic by German troops on March 15, 1939, its duties were taken over by the first battalion of the Government Army of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. However, the direct legal continuity of the Castle Guard was maintained by the guard group of the President of the Republic in exile in Great Britain. In the years 1945–1948, the Castle Guard was again built according to the model that was applied during the First Republic. Under the communist regime, the Castle Guard lost its elite character and became merely a symbolic unit of the Ministry of Interior. The events of November 17, 1989, and subsequent socio-political changes then brought completely new tasks and status to the Castle Guard.
From his first days in office as president, Václav Havel was concerned with the future development of the army. He began organizational changes directly at the Castle, i.e., with the Castle Guard. Already on January 30, 1990, the Federal Assembly approved the law on the Castle Guard. It thus returned to the position it held in the years 1918–1938. Currently, the Castle Guard is an independent part of the armed forces of the Czech Republic and worthily continues the tradition of the Czechoslovak Legions.
The exhibition was prepared by the Prague Castle Administration, the Military History Institute Prague, and the Castle Guard.
Permanent Exhibition of the Prague Castle Guard
Permanent
