Torchlight Processional to Re-Enact Charles IV Coronation

A faithful staging of the 14th-century coronation of the King and Queen of Bohemia will take place in Prague this weekend

Elizabeth Zahradnicek-Haas

Written by Elizabeth Zahradnicek-Haas Published on 02.09.2016 09:13:27 (updated on 02.09.2016) Reading time: 1 minute

In a year full of events marking the 700th anniversary of the birth of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, the upcoming coronation festival in Prague this weekend is perhaps among the most unique.

This faithful re-enactment of the 1347 coronation of Charles IV and Blanche of Valois is scheduled to take place over a festive weekend (Sept 2-3) of accompanying medieval pageantry in landmark locations across the Czech capital.

The first day of the festival will see a torchlight procession from Vyšehrad through Old Town Square and over the Charles Bridge to Prague Castle; the re-enactment at St. Vitus cathedral the following day will conclude with a tournament of knights on horseback and other fanfare in Old Town Square.

Both days of the festival will see Ovocný trh restored to its medieval marketplace splendor with day-long demonstrations of traditional handicrafts and medieval music and dancing taking place.

The coronation re-enactment is a passion project of historical scholars at Charles University who have analyzed ancient sources and documents in order to produce an authentic script of the event.

For more details and a full schedule see www.korunovacnislavnosti.cz.

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