Šelmberk Palace

Šelmberk Palace is one of those Prague townhouses easy to walk past without a second glance, yet it carries more than six centuries of Malá Strana history behind its facade. It stands on Thunovská Street, right beside the walls of the Prague Castle gardens, among embassies and palaces that have shared this address with the seat of Czech rulers for generations.

Where is the palace located, and how do you spot it?

The building sits on Thunovská Street in Malá Strana, one of the district's shortest yet most prestigious lanes — it leads directly up to the Bull Staircase gate of Prague Castle. Nearly every visitor walking from Mostecká Street toward the castle steps passes this spot, though the palace itself often gets overshadowed by better-known neighbors, including several embassy buildings that line the same street.

Where does the name Šelmberk come from?

The building's story begins before 1370, when the house was built by Beneš of Kravaře, an official at the court of Emperor and King Charles IV. Before 1370 the property passed to Petr of Litomyšl. The name it is still known by today only appeared in 1499, when the house was bought by Jan of Šelmberk, who at the time held the office of Highest Chancellor of the Kingdom of Bohemia. It is from his family that the building took the name "Šelmberk Palace," even though later centuries brought it other names as well.

How did ownership change over the centuries?

During the 17th century the house belonged to the Smyslovský family and was known at the time both as the "House at the Golden Carp" and as "Smyslovský Palace." In 1668 Marie Anna Smyslovská bequeathed the property to a Carmelite convent in Prague. From the order, the building passed into the hands of the Hartig family, who held it for nearly a century, until 1818 — which is where the palace's second, now more commonly used name, Hartig Palace, comes from.

Who lived in the palace during the 20th century?

Around the turn of the 20th century, before the First World War, the building was home to Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk during his years studying at Charles University, along with the writer Teréza Nováková. After the war ended, the palace became the seat of the German embassy. Between 1921 and 1922, architect Adolf Foehr carried out renovations to adapt the building to its new diplomatic role. From 1945 onward the building housed the Czechoslovak, later Czech, Red Cross. It has been protected as a listed heritage building since 1952, and today it belongs to the investment group TTP Invest, which is carrying out a comprehensive reconstruction.

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit Šelmberk Palace? The building is currently undergoing renovation under private ownership and is not open to the public as a tourist site — it can only be admired from the outside while walking along Thunovská Street.

How do you get there from the city center? The easiest route on foot starts at Mostecká Street, continues through Malostranské náměstí, and then heads up Thunovská Street toward the Bull Staircase gate of Prague Castle — the walk from Charles Bridge takes about ten minutes.

Why does the palace have two names, Šelmberk and Hartig? Both names come from the families that owned the building over the centuries: Jan of Šelmberk, who bought it in 1499, and the Hartig family, who owned it through the 18th century and into the early 19th. Both names remain in use today, though "Hartig Palace" is the more common one now.

What else is worth seeing nearby? Thunovská Street leads straight to Prague Castle, passing Malostranské náměstí with the Church of St. Nicholas along the way, plus a row of embassy palaces that give this part of Malá Strana its distinctly grand character.