Palác pánů z Hradce

Palác pánů z Hradce (Palace of the Lords of Hradec) is a Renaissance residence standing on the Castle Stairs in Prague's Malá Strana, right below Prague Castle. Over the centuries it picked up several other names from its later owners — it is also known as the Slavata Palace, the Kolowrat Palace or the Thun Palace — but its core dates back to the mid-16th century, making it one of the oldest secular residences in this part of the city.

Where does the palace's name come from?

The building takes its name from Jáchym z Hradce (Joachim of Hradec), a member of the powerful Lords of Hradec family, who acquired the property in 1558. It was under his ownership that the site took on the form still partly recognizable today. Before that, two Gothic houses stood on the spot; they were joined and rebuilt only in the 1550s.

How was the palace transformed during the Renaissance?

Between 1563 and 1596 the property underwent a thorough reconstruction of both its facades and interiors. The work followed designs by the Italian architect Ulrico Aostalli de Sala, one of the architects active at the Prague court at the time. It is to him that the palace owes its High Renaissance character: the street facade is decorated with sgraffito rustication, and the building is divided into three sections that differ in width, number of window axes, and the shape of their gables.

Who inherited the palace after Jáchym z Hradce?

In 1602 the property was bought by Jáchym's son-in-law, Vilém Slavata z Chlumu a Košumberka — a figure well known in Czech history as one of the officials thrown out of a window of Prague Castle during the Defenestration of Prague in 1618. The palace was known for a long time under his name as the Slavata Palace. Ownership later passed to the Thun family, who after 1768 joined it with the neighboring Baroque Kolowrat Palace, also their property, forming one larger palace complex.

What connects the palace to the neighboring Kolowrat Palace?

The adjoining Baroque palace, built between 1716 and 1721 and renowned for the rich sculptural decoration by Matyáš Bernard Braun on its facade facing Nerudova Street, gradually became the newer part of the same complex. The Renaissance Palace of the Lords of Hradec remained the older section, and the two buildings were linked by lower Baroque connecting wings.

What is the palace used for today?

In 1924 the entire complex — both the Renaissance Palace of the Lords of Hradec and the Baroque Kolowrat Palace — was purchased by the Italian government to house its embassy in the newly formed Czechoslovak Republic. The building has served as the Italian Embassy in Prague ever since, making it one of the few Prague palaces that have kept the same diplomatic function for a full century. The complex is listed as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.

Where exactly is the palace located?

The complex stands on the Castle Stairs (Zámecké schody), the staircase leading up from Malostranské náměstí toward Prague Castle — one of the most distinctive walking routes in Malá Strana, connecting the lower part of the district with the gates of the castle hill.

Can visitors go inside the palace?

Because the building is an active embassy, its interiors are not open to the public. Visitors can, however, freely view the facades of both connected palaces from the street — the Renaissance sgraffito decoration facing the Castle Stairs and Braun's Baroque sculptures facing Nerudova Street.

Frequently asked questions

Is Palác pánů z Hradce the same building as the Kolowrat Palace? They are two historical parts of one complex — the older Renaissance section (Lords of Hradec) and the newer Baroque section (Kolowrat) — joined in the 18th century and now functioning together as a single embassy building.

Who was Vilém Slavata, after whom one of the palace's names is derived? He was Jáchym z Hradce's son-in-law, who bought the palace in 1602; he is best known as one of the officials thrown from a window of Prague Castle during the 1618 Defenestration of Prague.

Since when has the Italian Embassy been located in the palace? Since 1924, when the Italian government purchased the entire complex from the Thun family.

Can the palace's interior be visited? No, the building is a functioning diplomatic mission and is not open for tours; only the facades can be viewed from the street.