The door that holds the Bohemian crown jewels at St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague has seven locks, the keys to which are held by seven people — the president of the Czech Republic, the archbishop of Prague and five others in notable positions.
It was details like this that inspired Dan Brown to set his latest novel, “The Secret of Secrets,” out this month, in Prague. “I like to use a location as a character in my novels,” said the “Da Vinci Code” author, who has now written six novels featuring the protagonist Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbology professor. “Prague is perfect for Langdon,” Mr. Brown said. “There are twisting cobblestoned alleyways, churches, crypts, hundreds of spires.”
And that door: “What’s more Langdon than a door with seven locks?” Mr. Brown said.
Mr. Brown, who first ventured to Prague while backpacking in the early 1980s, when it was still behind the Iron Curtain, visited the city many times while researching the book. In fact, the novel could be read almost as a guide to Prague. Throughout nearly 700 pages, Langdon checks off major destinations like Prague Castle and Old Town Square but also steps off the tourist trail with references to places like Frank Gehry’s dynamic “Dancing House” and the Church of Our Lady Victorious, where a 19-inch wax-coated doll called the Infant Jesus of Prague is dressed in different outfits throughout the year “like some kind of sacred Barbie doll,” Mr. Brown writes in the novel.
Mr. Brown also dives into supernatural aspects of Czech history in the book, including the tale of the Golem, a mud-and-clay figure from Jewish folklore, and the court of the Holy Roman emperor Rudolf II, who brought alchemists and astrologers to the city more than four centuries ago. “Prague has been the mystical capital of Europe ever since then,” said Mr. Brown.
Here are five places in Prague that inspired Mr. Brown. These spots also make appearances in “The Secret of Secrets,” so if you visit them, you’ll be following in Professor Langdon’s footsteps as well.
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The post Dan Brown’s 5 Favorite Places in Prague appeared first on New York Times.
