Czech crown jewels will be exhibited again

Czech crown jewels, the most prescious Czech treasure – St. Wenceslas Crown, Royal Sceptre and Royal Apple are safely locked in the chamber in St. Vitus Cathedral under lock and key, and without exaggerating it is the place least accessible in Prague Castle. The door, and likewise the iron safe, has seven locks and there are seven holders of the keys: the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the Prague Archbishop, the Chairman of the House of Deputies, the Chairman of the Senate, the Dean of the Metropolitan Chapter of St. Vitus Cathedral and the Lord Mayor of Prague, who must all convene to facilitate opening the impenetrable door and coffer.

The St. Wenceslas Crown is made of pure gold of about 21-22 carat. There are four fleurs-de-lis at the diadem, decorated with precious gemstones such as sapphires, rubies, pearls and spinels. There are 96 gemstones on the crown in total. The national myth says, that anyone who puts the crown on his head without authorization will die soon. This happened to the Nazi protector Reinhard Heydrich, who was assassinated by Czech parachutists in 1942.

Now, it seems it will be possible to take a glance on the prescious piece of the Czech nation again, as it will be presented after five years. The exhibition is going to last for about a week, planned month is April 2008. When and where precisely it will be possible to see them, was not stated yet, but it will be the next week.