Schwarzenberg Palace in the Czech Republic, Prague spa
Rating: 9,4/10 (5443 votes)  Schwarzenberg Palace is one of the most beautiful and well-preserved Renaissance palaces in Prague. The palace is located on Hradcanska Square, not far from Prague Castle. The palace is quite easy to recognize thanks to its black and white sgraffito murals. The palace was built on the site of three rear ones that were destroyed by a violent fire in 1541. Soon this area was bought by Jan Popel of Lobkowicz, who at that time was one of the richest people in Bohemia. The main building was erected in 1567 in a T-shape, the construction of the west wing was completed only two years later. The walls of the palace enclose a small courtyard, separated by a wall and enclosing gates from Hradcanska Square. On one of the roofs of the palace there is a sundial, on one side of which there is an owl – a symbol of the night, and on another rooster – symbol of the day. Under the clock is the inscription “Hora ruit”, which means “Time is rushing by.” The ceilings in the palace are decorated with paintings made on canvases stretched over wooden structures. These paintings, created in the 1580s, contain famous antique scenes – Abduction of Helena, Escape of Aeneas, Trial of Paris and Conquest of Troy. After the Lobkowitz family, the palace was owned by such famous dynasties as the Rosenberg, Swambergs, Eggenbergs, and in 1719 the palace passed into the possession of the Schwarzenbergs. This dynasty owned the palace until 1948. In 1909, the palace was leased to the National Technical Museum. Today the Schwarzenberg Palace belongs to the Prague National Gallery.    We also recommend reading Ruins of Ashkelon, Israel Topic: Schwarzenberg Palace in the Czech Republic, Prague spa. |
