Kounic Palace in Prague's Lesser Town

Kounic Palace (Czech: Kounický palác) is a late Baroque and Rococo residence on Mostecká street in Prague's Lesser Town (Malá Strana), formed from two older houses with Gothic origins. It takes its name from the Kounic family, one of the most influential aristocratic houses of the Habsburg monarchy, who owned the building in the second half of the 18th century and gave it the appearance it still carries today. The palace now houses the Embassy of Serbia, and its facade remains one of the landmarks along the street connecting Charles Bridge to the heart of the Lesser Town.

Where does the building come from?

The palace's core consists of two older houses of Gothic origin, which went through Renaissance and later Baroque remodeling over the centuries before finally being merged into a single residence. Traces of this long history survive today in the cellars, where partly preserved Gothic and Renaissance vaulting hints at a much older pedigree than the street-facing facade alone would suggest.

Who owned the palace before the Kounic family?

As early as 1629, the property belonged to Johann de Witte, Grand Master of the Order of Malta, showing that the building had long been in the hands of prominent figures of Prague society. It changed owners several times over the following decades before Count Jan Adolf of Kounic (1696–1771) purchased it in 1762 — a member of a powerful family that played a leading role in the politics and diplomacy of the Habsburg monarchy at the time.

When did the palace take on its current appearance?

The palace's distinctive late Baroque and Rococo facade dates to a remodeling carried out around 1775, commissioned by Jan Adolf's son, Michael Karl of Kounic (1745–1820), to designs by architect Antonín Schmidt. It was this reconstruction that gave the Mostecká street facade its current form, marking the transition from Rococo toward Classicism that was typical of Prague palace architecture in the last quarter of the 18th century.

What does the palace look like today?

The two-storey building consists of a main block, two side wings and a rear wing. Its most eye-catching feature is a Rococo entrance portal with decorative doors, topped by a balcony bearing the Kounic family coat of arms — a clear reminder of the building's former owners that is still visible on the facade. The attic storey carries a relief allegory of Athens, attributed to the workshop of the noted Prague sculptor Ignác František Platzer, whose work adorns many Baroque facades across the Lesser Town.

What is the palace used for now?

The building is a protected cultural monument, and its interiors are closed to visitors — today it serves as the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia. The facade, however, can be freely admired from the street, along the same route that residents and visitors to the Lesser Town have walked for centuries between Charles Bridge and Prague Castle.

Where exactly is the palace located?

The palace stands on Mostecká street in the Lesser Town, Prague 1, right next to Charles Bridge — one of the busiest streets in this part of the city, leading visitors on toward Malostranské náměstí.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors go inside Kounic Palace? No — the building now serves as the Embassy of Serbia, so its interiors are not open to tourists. The facade and entrance portal, however, can be viewed from Mostecká street.

Where does the palace's name come from? From the Kounic family, who bought the building in 1762 and gave it its current late Baroque and Rococo appearance in the 1770s.

How old is the building? Its core goes back to older houses of Gothic origin, as shown by the surviving cellars, while its present facade dates from a remodeling carried out around 1775.

Who owned the palace before the Kounic family? In 1629 it belonged to Johann de Witte, Grand Master of the Order of Malta, and from 1762 it passed to the Kounic family.

Where exactly does the palace stand? On Mostecká street in the Lesser Town, Prague 1, right along the route leading from Charles Bridge into the district.