Vladislav Hall is a large room within the Prague Castle

Prague Castle

Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...

 complex in the Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

, used for large public events of the Bohemian monarchy and the modern Czech state. Built between 1493-1502 by Benedikt Rejt

Benedikt Rejt

Benedikt Rejt was a leading medieval architect in Bohemia, today's Czech Republic. He built Vladislav Hall in Prague Castle, St...

 during the reign of Vladislav II, the hall was the largest secular space (62m x 16m x 13m) in medieval Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 and belongs to the most complex structural and architectural spaces of the late Middle Ages. In particular, the construction of the complex stone vaulting system, spanning 16m, was a refined engineering feat. The third and highest floor of the palace, the hall replaced a group of rooms dating from the 14th century. Immediately underneath, the second floor is a Gothic addition built during the reign of Charles IV

Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....

 in the 14th century, while the lowest, first floor is a Romanesque

Romanesque architecture

Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...

palace.

The hall was used for banquets, receptions, coronations, and other events of the Bohemian court. It was even large enough accommodate tournaments between knights; the "Knight's Stairway" was built wide enough to accommodate horses to facilitate such activities.