Lobkovitsky Palace or Lobkovichi Palace (Lobkowiczký palác) is a Baroque palace in Prague, which is located on the territory of the castle complex Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) and is the only private building in the Prague Castle complex.
Today it is a palace museum, which presents the most important works and objects of the extensive collection of one of the noble noble families of Bohemia - the Lobkovits.
The palace was built in the 16th century on the site of two Gothic houses. The Czech nobleman Yaroslav from Pernstein began to build the palace and his brother Vratislav assured him.
The palace passed to the Lobkovich family as a result of Polixena's marriage with Zdenek Voytech, 1st Prince Lobkovich.
During the history of the palace was subjected to alterations and restorations.
After the defeat of the Protestant faction in the Battle of the White Mountain in 1620, the influence and power of the Catholic Lobkowicz family increased, and the Lobkowitz Palace began to fulfill a formal imperial role and functioned as a Prague residence. Subsequently, the family only occasionally used the palace for official entertainment and concerts.
Around 1811, the palace was used as a hospital for soldiers wounded in the war with Napoleon.
In 1939, the occupying Nazi troops confiscated the palace along with all other property of the Lobkovich family. The palace was returned in 1945, but was seized again after the Communists came to power in 1948. Over the next forty years, the palace was used for various purposes, including government offices and the Museum of Czech History.
In 2002, the palace was returned to the ownership of the Lobkovichi. After careful restoration and repair work, on April 2, 2007, the palace opened its doors to the public as the Lobkovitsky Palace Museum.
Today, this palace-museum is one of the monumental decorations of Prague Castle. The palace adjoins the neighboring Rožmberský palác.
The palace houses an important part of the Lobkovich collections - the oldest and largest private collections in the Czech Republic.
The museum's 21 halls feature world-famous paintings by Brueghel, Canaletto, Velasquez and others, family and royal portraits, porcelain, ceramics and rare art objects from the 13th to the 20th centuries, as well as an extensive collection of military and hunting rifles from the 16th to the 18th centuries, musical instruments and handwritten scores of Beethoven and Mozart, including the Fourth and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, as well as Mozart's instrumental treatment of Handel's Messiah.
The Italian style of the palace interiors is visible today in the Imperial Hall, the walls of which are decorated with frescoes, illusory paintings of statues of emperors, geometric figures, flowers and other decorative motifs. Other examples of Italian influence can be found in the Concert and Balcony Hall, whose stucco ceilings are decorated with frescoes by F.V. Kharovnik.
The 17th-century Baroque Lobkowitz Palace Concert Hall regularly hosts classical music concerts, and the premises are also used for weddings, celebrations and other events.
The terrace of the Lobkovitsky Palace offers panoramic views of the historical part of Prague and the Vltava River.
In addition, you can visit the restaurant in the palace, with tables in the courtyard, on the terrace and in the interior with the appropriate atmosphere.
Practical information
Entrance to the palace museum is paid.
You can take an audio guide, the rental of which is included in the price of entrance tickets.
Website of the Lobkowitz Palace Museum: lobkowiczky-palac.
The entrance to the territory of the Prague Castle itself is free. Learn more about Prague Castle, its objects and museums...
Address of the Lobkowitz Palace Museum: Jiřská 3, 119 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic.
You can get to Prague Castle by public transport, taxi, car or on foot from the historical center of Prague.
Address of Prague Castle: Hradčany, 119 08 Prague 1, Czech Republic.
Coordinates of Prague Castle: 50°05'26.0"N 14°23'59.0"E (50.090556, 14.399722).
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