🇨🇿 Prague
Powder Tower (Prašná brána)
Begun in 1475 as a ceremonial city gate, it picked up the name 'Powder' in the 18th century when it was used to store gunpowder. Coronation processions of Bohemian kings passed through here on the way to Prague Castle.
One of the original gates into the Old Town, begun in 1475 and modeled on the Gothic Old Town Bridge Tower at Charles Bridge. It marked the start of the Royal Route, the coronation path that ran from here through the Old Town and over the river up to Prague Castle. The soot-darkened stone and dense carvings make it one of the most photogenic towers in the city, and it stands right beside the Municipal House, a minute from our hotel.
You can climb it: 186 stone steps (no lift) to a gallery about 44 m up, with views down Celetná street toward the Old Town Square and across the rooftops. The early-bird half-price hour right after opening is the cheapest time to go.
A note for calm-pace folks: the climb is all stairs, so Jim and Joyce may prefer to admire it from the square below rather than go up.