The majestic imperial procession, whose aim was to show working people the imperial crown jewels on the way to the Karlštejn Castle, was a great success.
The imperial jewels were mere copies and not very good ones, however, from next year on, the crown will be an original one made of gold and gems. The copy, whose original is deposited in Vienna, was commissioned by the Central Bohemian Region at its expense and it will become an embellishment to Karlštejn Castle, where it will be kept in the Chapel of the Saint Cross, as said the castle warden Jaromír Kubů.
It is, however, possible, that later, we will place it into one of the castle tours so that visitors can have more time to admire it,
said Kubů. A copy of St Wenceslas’s crown is also deposited in Karlštejn. It can also be seen in Prague Castle as a part of the exhibition The Story of Prague Castle.
Although people have not seen the real crown yet, they exulted as well as the tourists and the city and Central Bohemian officials. The emperor was condescending, and although he had promised, at the preceding press conference, that there would be heads falling if the procession was not a success, there was no bloodshed in the end.
As a part of the event, the procession stopped in The Old Town Square where the emperor was greeted by his brother Vaclav. The emperor was pleased that his brother (Pavel Bém) had taken the office of the mayor and together with him he listened to a prophecy concerning all Praguers. Five Libušes prophesised that Prague will recycle waste, build a by-pass, welcome tourists, support crafts and that it will continue its effort to host the Olympic Games. The procession then set off to Central Bohemia which together with Prague co-organized the event in order to promote tourism in the region. If you are wondering, what the procession really looked like, have a look at our photo gallery.
Oskar Exner
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