Trauttmannsdorfský palác

Trauttmannsdorfský palác (also called Trčkův palác) stands in Hradčany on Loretánská street, right next to Prague Castle. Few Prague palaces have had such a winding history — from a row of burgher houses, to an aristocratic residence, to a workhouse and prison, and finally to a seat of the Czech foreign ministry.

Where does the palace's name come from?

The building takes its name from the Austrian Trauttmansdorff family, who acquired the site in the 1630s after the confiscation of Albrecht von Wallenstein's estates. Before that, the plot belonged to the Trčka of Lípa family — the last of that line moved to Hradčany after selling their earlier residence in Malá Strana to none other than Wallenstein himself. That earlier ownership is why the building is still sometimes called Trčkův palác.

What stood here before the palace was built?

In the 14th century, several burgher houses occupied the site. One of them belonged to Petr Parléř, the master builder associated with St Vitus Cathedral, and another to his sons. After fires and periods of neglect, a single large house with a garden was built here in the 16th century. It passed through the hands of the Šlik, Kinský and Lobkowicz families before ending up with the Trčkas, and from them with the Trauttmansdorffs.

How has the palace's architecture changed over time?

The Trauttmansdorffs rebuilt the originally Renaissance house in an early Baroque style in the mid-17th century, and the complex underwent further High Baroque changes around the turn of the 18th century. Later, the building was converted into a Classicist rental house. Today it forms an extensive complex of several irregularly arranged wings around two courtyards, plus a service yard and garden. The west-facing wing houses a chapel topped with a distinctive tower of prismatic cross-section.

What was the palace used for in the 19th and 20th centuries?

From 1830, the building operated as a workhouse, and from 1872 a prison section was added — a function that lasted into the 1930s. Over the years it also served as a university student dormitory and a state archive, and during the communist era it housed the headquarters of the secret police. These repeated changes of use meant the interiors were reworked many times, erasing much of the original decoration.

Who owns the palace today?

Since 2006, the palace has belonged to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, which carried out a demanding five-year restoration completed in 2019. Since October of that year, several ministry departments have been based in the building, which became the third Prague palace under the ministry's management.

Can visitors go inside?

Yes, Trauttmannsdorfský palác is partly open to the public, generally between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Admission costs 100 CZK for adults and 50 CZK for children up to 15. A visit typically includes the palace chapel and access to the roof, which offers views over the surrounding Hradčany district.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the palace located? At Loretánská 6/180 in Hradčany, in Prague 1, close to Prague Castle and the Loreto shrine.

Is this the same palace as the one in the Old Town? No. Prague has a second building with a very similar name — a palace in the Old Town on Husova street and Mariánské náměstí, also known as the Rottenham Palace — but it is an entirely different building with its own separate history.

Why is the palace also called Trčkův palác? Because before the Trauttmansdorffs took it over, the site belonged to the Trčka of Lípa family, who moved here after selling their earlier residence in Malá Strana.

Was the palace ever used as a prison? Yes, from 1872 until the 1930s part of the building functioned as a prison, continuing on from the workhouse that had operated there since 1830.

Who uses the building today? Since 2019, several departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, which has owned the palace since 2006.