Wallenstein Palace

Wallenstein Palace is an early Baroque residence in Prague's Malá Strana district, raised between 1623 and roughly 1630 for Albrecht von Wallenstein, one of the most powerful military commanders of the Thirty Years' War. Today the complex – the palace itself together with its garden, the former riding school, and the neighbouring Kolowrat and Small Fürstenberg palaces – forms the seat of the Senate of the Czech Republic, the upper chamber of the country's parliament.

Why did Wallenstein build such an enormous palace?

Wallenstein wanted a residence that could stand comparison with Prague Castle itself, and he built accordingly: more than twenty houses, several gardens, a town gate, and a lime kiln with a brickworks were cleared from the site to make room. Construction began in 1623 under the Italian architect Andrea Spezza; after Spezza's death the project passed to Niccolò Sebregondi, who brought it close to completion. The finished complex stretches roughly 340 metres in length, an unusual scale for a private residence inside a fortified city.

What happened to Wallenstein himself?

He barely had time to enjoy the result. Emperor Ferdinand II grew wary of his general's independence and his contacts with the emperor's opponents, and in 1634 had him removed by assassination in the town of Cheb (Eger). Wallenstein had lived in his new palace only briefly before his death; ownership then passed through several branches of the family before the estate's role shifted from a military commander's seat to a purely administrative one.

How did the palace become the Senate?

After the Second World War the building became state property and served administrative purposes, including offices of the Ministry of Culture. A major restoration in the early 1990s prepared it for a new role: when the Czech Senate was re-established in 1996, it took the palace as its permanent seat, and the building has combined Baroque state rooms with day-to-day parliamentary work ever since.

What is worth seeing in the garden and riding school?

The Wallenstein Garden is centred on its sala terrena, a monumental open loggia that had no equal among palace gardens in this part of Europe when it was completed. The grounds also hold a historic greenhouse. Closing the eastern side of the complex is the Riding School (Jízdárna), a two-storey building used for its original purpose until the late 19th century and now serving as an exhibition hall. The garden, extensively restored around the turn of the millennium, is open to the public free of charge during the summer season.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors go inside Wallenstein Palace? The garden and selected representative interiors, including the Senate's main assembly hall, are open to the public on set days and hours, usually free of admission.

Why is a building occupied by the Senate still called Wallenstein Palace? It keeps the name of its builder, Albrecht von Wallenstein, who commissioned the residence in the 1620s, long before it took on any parliamentary role.

What is the Riding School used for today? The former Jízdárna now hosts exhibitions, including shows organised jointly with the National Gallery Prague.

How do you get there? The complex sits in Malá Strana, a short walk from Malostranská metro station, at the corner of Valdštejnská and Letenská streets.