Prague castle was the seat of power throughout the Middle Ages. It was also the spiritual center of the country and the expression of the unity of the Czech state. It was enlarged and renewed on a grand scale in the 13th century and in the following two centuries by Charles IV and King Vladislav Jagiello. It also grew in the late 16th century under the Emperor Rudolph II, and underwent its last wide-scale architectural transformation in the 18th century. As such it was the prefect symbol for Sudek's photography