St. Wenceslas' Crown General

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For the coronation of Charles IV as King of Bohemia, a new unique crown was made - the St Wenceslas Crown. It was made from the old Přemyslid Crown and the monarch himself dedicated it to St Wenceslas. No Czech king was allowed to wear it, he could only borrow it for a fee on the occasion of his coronation. The crown is made of pure gold adorned with gemstones and pearls, and is kept in a chamber with seven locks above the St Wenceslas chapel in Prague Cathedral. The keys are held by the leaders of the Czech State: the President, the Prime Minister, the Archbishop of Prague etc. There is a legend that if the Crown is worn on the head of anyone other than the rightful Czech King, the wearer will soon die. It is reported that during WWII, the Nazi Reichsprotector for Bohemia and Moravia, Reinhard Heidrich, put it on – and died shortly afterwards at the hands of assassins. The story is probably apocryphal, but certainly interesting.

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