Named after the goldsmiths who lived here in the 17th Century, this short, narrow street is one of the most picturesque in Prague. One side of the lane is lined with tiny, brightly painted houses which were built right into the arches of the Castle walls. They were constructed in the late 1500's for Rudolph II's 24 Castle guards. A century later the goldsmiths moved in and modified the buildings. But by the 19th century the area had generated into a slum and was populated by Prague's poor and the criminal community. In the 1950's all the remaining tenants were moved and the area restored to something like its original state. Most of the houses were converted into shops selling books, Bohemian glass and other souvenirs for tourists who flock the narrow lane. Golden Lane has been home to some well-known writers, including Nobel prize winning pet, Jaroslav Seifert and Franz Kafka, (1883-1924), who stayed at no22 with his sister for a few months in 1916-17.