Losenovský palác

Losenovský palác is one of the smaller aristocratic palaces on Hradčanské náměstí (Hradčany Square) in Prague, just steps from Prague Castle. Also known as Dům U Labutí (House at the Swan), it layers Gothic foundations under Renaissance, Baroque, and Classicist additions — and today its ground floor is still very much alive, home to a working restaurant.

Where exactly is it?

The building stands at Hradčanské náměstí 11, on the north side of the square, among a row of other noble residences such as the nearby Martinic Palace and the Chapter House. It's a prime spot — only a short walk from the gates of Prague Castle, right along the route thousands of visitors take every day toward St. Vitus Cathedral or Golden Lane.

How did the palace take its current form?

The site's story starts before the palace itself: earlier Gothic houses here burned down in a major fire that swept Prague in 1541. Two separate Renaissance houses rose in their place, and by the end of the 17th century these were joined into a single structure. Around the mid-18th century the whole complex was reworked in Baroque style, and in 1842 the builder Jan Maximilián Heger carried out a thorough Classicist renovation, raising the western and northern wings by an extra floor. Despite all these changes, the palace has kept its four-wing layout around a rectangular courtyard, and the rear northern wing still preserves its original Gothic floor plan, along with stone Gothic cellars covered by barrel vaulting.

What stands out on the outside?

The most eye-catching feature of the facade is an imposing stone entrance portal, visible right from the square. The rest of the building shows the restrained, orderly Classicist look typical of 19th-century bourgeois residences in this part of Hradčany — not heavily decorated, but with a facade that still reads like a timeline, its wings differing slightly in height and proportion as a trace of the successive rebuildings.

Who has lived here?

For most of the 20th century, the palace served a purely residential role, functioning as one of the square's smaller bourgeois homes. After the Second World War, it was home to the family of diplomat Josef Korbel — the father of Madeleine Albright, who later became U.S. Secretary of State, adding an unexpected biographical thread to the building's history.

Can visitors go inside?

Losenovský palác isn't set up as a museum with regular guided tours — it remains a building used for residential and commercial purposes. Visitors can, however, walk into the ground floor, where the U Labutí restaurant operates, and get a close look at the historic portal and a slice of the courtyard along the way. Since 1964, the building has been listed as a protected cultural monument, safeguarding it from uncontrolled alterations.

Frequently asked questions

What is Losenovský palác? A historic bourgeois palace on Hradčany Square in Prague, also known as Dům U Labutí, combining Gothic foundations with Renaissance, Baroque, and Classicist rebuilding.

Where exactly is it located? At Hradčanské náměstí 11, on the north side of the square, right next to Prague Castle and the Martinic Palace.

Is the palace open to visitors? Not as a museum — but its ground floor houses the U Labutí restaurant, open to guests, and the facade and portal can be viewed from the square.

What is the oldest part of the building? The Gothic cellars with barrel vaulting and the layout of the rear northern wing, both preserved despite rebuildings from the 16th to the 19th century.

Who lived in the palace after the war? The family of diplomat Josef Korbel, father of Madeleine Albright, the former U.S. Secretary of State.