Daliborka is one of the towers of the fortification wall of Prague Castle, built at the end of the 15th century. It served not only defensive purposes, but was also a prison. It was nicknamed “Daliborka” after its first prisoner, Dalibor. He was sentenced to death by starvation, and the exact reason for this remains unknown to this day. Some say that Dalibor stood up for peasants who had rebelled against their tyrannical master, others say that he not only stood up for them, but led their uprising, and still others believe that with the help of these peasants the knight managed to win back part of his neighbor's lands. Be that as it may, Dalibor became something of a local Robin Hood, the people sympathized with him, but the authorities executed him anyway.
The tower served as a prison until 1781. During that time, its walls saw many prisoners, mostly from the upper class. Frantisek Tengnagep (a court intriguer), Frantisek Antonin Shpork (a patron accused of heresy), Alzhbeta Zagradkova (a noblewoman who killed her own husband), and many others were held here.
Daliborka Tower is located at the very end of Golden Lane and is open to tourists. Some halls have been preserved there, where you can see the torture chamber that belonged to the prison, as well as drawings scratched on the walls by the prisoners. A rather eerie sight, after which you can't help but say: “How good it is that we did not live in those times!”
