Palaces, manors and town halls in Czech Republic
Municipal House
Municipal House (Obecní dům) is a civic building that houses Smetana Hall, a celebrated concert venue, in Prague. The Royal Court palace used to be located on the site of the Municipal House. From 1383 until 1485 the King of Bohemia lived in the property. After 1485, it was abandoned. It was demolished in the early 20th century. Construction of the current building started in 1905 and it opened in 1912. The bu ...
Founded: 1905-1912 |
Location:
Prague, Czech Republic
Wallenstein Palace
Wallenstein palace is the first large secular palace of the Baroque era. The original Palace was built in years 1623-1630 by Albrecht von Wallenstein, Duke of Mecklenburg (1583-1634), who made his name and fortune as the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial forces in the Thirty Years War. Emperor Ferdinand II feared Albrecht of Wallenstein’s calculating mind and had him assassinated in 1634 in the town of Eger (now Ch ...
Founded: 1623-1630 |
Location:
Prague, Czech Republic
Liberec Town Hall
Liberec Town Hall is a Neo-Renaissance building, which was built from 1888 till 1893 by design of the Viennese architect, Franz Neumann, replacing earlier structures dating to 1602. The building has a richly decorated façade, integrated artwork, and very rare stained glass windows. Above the entrance portal is a sculptural relief by Viennese sculptor Theodor Friedl, showing the establishment of the old and new to ...
Founded: 1888-1893 |
Location:
Liberec, Czech Republic
Konopiste Palace
Konopiště is a palace, which become famous as the last residence of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir of the Austro-Hungarian throne, whose assassination in Sarajevo triggered World War I. The bullet that killed him, fired by Gavrilo Princip, is now an exhibit at the castle"s museum. The castle was apparently established in the 1280s by Prague Bishop Tobiaš as a Gothic fortification with a ...
Founded: 1280s |
Location:
Benešov, Czech Republic
Hrádek u Nechanic
Hrádek u Nechanic is a 19th-century Gothic style Romantic château near the town of Hrádek. It was built between 1839 and 1857 as a representative and summer seat by Count František Arnošt of Harach, one of the most important representatives of the Jilemnice dynasty. The young Austrian architect Karl Fischer led building operations and suggested decoration of the chateau's interior. The chateau was designed by the Eng ...
Founded: 1839-1857 |
Location:
Hrádek, Czech Republic
Veltrusy Mansion
Veltrusy Mansion is a baroque château situated near the banks of the Vltava River, about 25 km north of Prague. The mansion is open to the public for visits. The mansion was initially built in 1716 by architect František Maxmilián Kaňka for Count Václav Antonín Chotek of Chotkov and Vojnín. The original mansion was extended in 1764 by architect Giovanni Battista Alliprandi on the orders of Count Rudolf ...
Founded: 1716 |
Location:
Veltrusy, Czech Republic
Kacina Palace
Kačina is a significant empire style palace built in place of the defunct medieval village Kačín. It was built as a prestige mansion of the supreme burgrave of the Kingdom of Bohemia and president of governorate Jan Rudolf Chotek (1748–1824) from 1806 to 1824. The architectural scheme was drawn up by Saxon royal architect Christian Franz Schuricht (1753–1832) from Dresden. Johann Philipp J&oum ...
Founded: 1806-1824 |
Location:
Kutná Hora, Czech Republic
Valeč Castle
In 1570 Christopher Štampach of Štampach bought Valeč. He built a Renaissance castle in Valeč, whose appearance today is not known. After Václav Štampach joined the Estates Uprising and in 1622 left the country, the castle was confiscated. However in 1623, Valeč was bought by Barbora Štampachová of Poutnov. The castle underwent significant change in the time of Prince Johann Christoph Kager at the turn of the 17 ...
Founded: 1570 |
Location:
Valeč, Czech Republic
Zbiroh Palace
Zbiroh Castle (today a residential palace) is the main local tourist attraction. The original castle was established in the early 13th century by Břetislav of Zbiroh. In 1868 the old castle was bought by Baron Bethel Heinrich Strousberg, who altered it radically as a Neo-Renaissance style palace. During the World War II it was headquarters of local SS army. Today it is a hotel. The well located in Zbiroh Castle, 163 m de ...
Founded: 19th century |
Location:
Zbiroh, Czech Republic
Sokolov Palace
The first written mention of Sokolov is from 1279 under a name Falkenau / Falknov. The town was a property of noble families of Nothaft and later Schlick. The Schlick family built here a small castle. The current palace was built after 1663 in the late renaissance style on the groundwork of the former castle of the Schlick era surrounded by water canal, that was heavily damaged during the Thirty Year"s War. To the t ...
Founded: 1663 |
Location:
Sokolov, Czech Republic
Horažďovice Palace
The Horažďovice château is situated on the location of a Gothic fortress built in the 13th century by the Bavarians of Strakonice. In 1292, King Wenceslas II elevated Horažďovice to town status. In 1483, the local demesne became the property of the House of Švihovský of Rýzmberk, which rebuilt the Gothic castle into a Renaissance château. The only remnants of this reconstruction are a small inner courtyard with a ...
Founded: 1681 |
Location:
Horažďovice, Czech Republic
Krásný Dvur Palace
Krásný Dvůr is a Baroque palace with English-style landscape park and a garden inspired by that of Versailles. The first records of Krasný Dvůr date back to the 14th century, since then numerous aristocratic families held possession of it until Count Hermann Czernin von und zu Chudenitz bought it in the middle of the 17th century. Count Franz Josef Czernin von und zu Chudenitz decided to start an extensive reconstruc ...
Founded: 1720-1724 |
Location:
Krásný Dvůr, Czech Republic
Duchcov Palace
Duchcov palace houses a museum with a collection of historic furniture. Also on display is the painting and portrait gallery of the Waldsteins, including portraits of the most famous member of this family, Albrecht von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland, by Anthony van Dyck. One room is dedicated to Giacomo Casanova, who was employed here as a librarian from 1785 to 1798, and his memoirs were written here in the years before ...
Founded: 1675-1685 |
Location:
Duchcov, Czech Republic
Nečtiny Palace
A Baroque style chateau in Nečtiny was built in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Gryspek family, it was rebuilt in the Windsor style between 1855-58, and today is a training facility of the University of West Bohemia. Nearby are the ruins of Preitenštejn castle.
Founded: 1855-1858 |
Location:
Nečtiny, Czech Republic
Nebílovy Castle
Nebílovy Chateau is situated about 16 km south of Plzeň. Older Renaissance manor was rebuilt into a baroque by architect and builder Jakub Auguston, probably according to the project of imperial architect J. L. Hildebrandt. Nebílovy Chateau consists of two buildings facing each other which used to be connected by arcade corridors and terraces along their sides. The chateau was repaired by V. Haberditz and J. L. Palliar ...
Founded: 1706 |
Location:
Přeštice, Czech Republic
Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings
Photo from Flickr, copyright Mr Phil Price
Historic Site of the week
Caerleon Roman Amphitheatre
Built around AD 90 to entertain the legionaries stationed at the fort of Caerleon (Isca), the impressive amphitheatre was the Roman equivalent of today’s multiplex cinema. Wooden benches provided seating for up to 6,000 spectators, who would gather to watch bloodthirsty displays featuring gladiatorial combat and exotic wild animals.
Long after the Romans left, the amphitheatre took on a new life in Arthurian legend. Geoffrey of Monmouth, the somewhat imaginative 12th-century scholar, wrote in his History of the Kings of Britain that Arthur was crowned in Caerleon and that the ruined amphitheatre was actually the remains of King Arthur’s Round Table.
Today it is the most complete Roman amphitheatre in Britain.