The modest dwellings that arose with the new castle fortifications represent the last remnants of Prague Castle’s smaller habitations. These houses were once home to castle marksmen, families, and goldsmiths, and they remained inhabited all the way up until the Second World War. During the First Republic, care was taken to ensure that the street’s picturesque character was preserved through careful renovations. The last residents moved out in 1953.

 House No. 13, the Renaissance residence of the castle gunner, best shows the form of a 16^th-century dwelling. In the adjacent House No. 14, a model of a pre–World War II dwelling is on display. During this period, the renowned card reader and clairvoyant Matylda Průšová lived here. Notably, House No. 22 was where Franz Kafka lived during the First World War. During the Nazi occupation, House No. 12 was home to Josef Kazda, a film historian and collector who concealed Czechoslovak films here, defiantly preserving them from destruction. The exhibition in the house thus symbolically includes a projection screen, and visitors can now watch films depicting Prague Castle in the early days of cinematography. The staircase in House No. 12 leads to a terrace overlooking Daliborka Tower, a cylindrical cannon tower dating back to the Jagiellonian fortifications, its lower floor famously serving as a prison since its inception. The first and most famous prisoner held in Daliborka Tower (in 1498) was its namesake: the knight Dalibor from Kozojed.

Today, the appearance of Golden Lane has been significantly influenced by the renowned artist Jiří Trnka. The façades of the houses were painted according to his designs from the 1950s.