The Kinsky Palace in Prague is the home of the rich and famous. Summer Palace of the Kinskys Excerpt characterizing the Kinsky Palace

The Goltz-Kinsky Palace, with its beautiful pink and white stucco facade, maintains the special image of the Old Town Square. It was built for Jan Arnost Goltz in 1755-65 on the site where two hotels previously stood. Goltz rebuilt the buildings into a Rococo palace with two entrances framed by two columns. On the ground floor, the columns are connected to a balcony with a balustrade.

After the death of Count Goltz, the palace was purchased by the Kinski family, who lived in the palace until 1945. The palace contained a valuable family library, and now houses the collections of the National Gallery.

There is one thing that makes it stand out from other buildings in Old Town Square. The palace does not stand in line with the neighboring buildings; it is located a little closer to the square. Legend says that the municipality did not want to allow the special location of the palace. So the Count bribed three money-loving council members to obtain permission. He succeeded. When the other council members noticed the position of the palace, it was almost finished and no one wanted to destroy it. However, the count was summoned to court. Since he had the permission of these three council members in his hands, he was released. But the council members were hanged in front of the palace. This legend turned out to be untrue; the architect only followed the original position of the previous buildings.

The palace is associated with the names of some important and famous people. The Austrian writer, Baroness Bertha von Suttner, who was the first person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905, was born at Goltz-Kin Palace in 1843. The palace served as a German gymnasium, which Franz Kafka attended. His father had a small kiosk on the ground floor of the palace.

25th February 1948 Klement Gottwald, leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, addresses a crowd of people from the balcony of the Goltz-Kin Palace to inform them of the beginning of the communist era. On the same day, but 42 years later, President Václav Havel declared that this era was over forever.

Kinski Palace is a prime example of the Rococo style in Prague. It is included in the List of National Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic. Today the building is used as an exhibition hall for the National Gallery.

In 1755-1765 According to the design of Kilian Dientzenhofer under the direction of the architect Anselmo Lurago, a palace with a pink and white facade was built on the site of 3 houses for Count Jan Goltz.

A distinctive feature of the palace is the fact that it does not stand in line with other buildings, but protrudes several meters ahead. It is believed that during his lifetime the count managed to bribe the officials of the time in order to obtain an unusual favor. They were subsequently hanged in the square in front of the palace. Some deny the veracity of this fact, and say that the architect only followed the order of the previous houses.

The palace is an example of Prague Rococo. The two exits are framed by columns and connected by a narrow balcony on the 2nd floor. The façade is decorated with stucco decorations by S. Bossi, and at the top there are statues of ancient gods by I. Platzer.

After the count's death in 1768, the palace was bought by Stepan Kinsky. The Kinsky family owned it until 1945. In 1836, reconstruction began, another house was added to the Golz-Kinských Palace, and the interiors were decorated in the style of late classicism.

In the 19th century, a German gymnasium was located on the 3rd floor, where he studied. The ground floor was occupied by his father's haberdashery store. In 1905, the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize was Baroness Bertha von Suttner, who was born in this palace in 1843. From 1922 to 1934 the Polish Embassy was located here. In 1948, Klement Gottwald spoke from the balcony of the Golts-Kinsky Palace, after which the communists came to power. In 1995 - 2000, the Kinsky library, Romanesque and Gothic cellars were restored.

Currently, the palace premises house a Kafka bookshop, the Information Center of the National Gallery and premises for temporary exhibitions, offices and a cafe.

How to get there?

Take metro line A to Staroměstská station.

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Kinsky Palace(Czech: Palác Kinských) is an architectural monument, the historical residence of the noble noble family of the Kinskys, which has been known since the 13th century and exists to this day. Nowadays, the palace is the object of the National Gallery, its information center is located here and one temporary exhibition is held.

The palace was built for Count Jan Armost Göltz in the Rococo style in 1755–1765 designed by the famous architect Kilian Dientzenhofer. The magnificent facade with statues of ancient gods is the result of the work of another famous master of his time, Ignaz Platzer.

The front part of the palace protrudes significantly beyond the building line of neighboring buildings, which has given rise to several legends. One of them talks about the count as a very vain man who wanted not only to build the most beautiful palace on the main square of Prague, but also to emphasize his exceptional position. And what could be more significant than symbolically “pushing forward” your residence from the general row of other buildings? The Count bribed three members of the city council and received written permission. For the townspeople, the daring location of the palace became obvious even at the construction stage. Their outrage knew no bounds. The count's case was subjected to humiliating proceedings, but since the papers were in order, he was left alone. But dishonest officials responded in full - as legend claims, they were hanged on a gallows, specially placed in front of the palace.

The count did not have time to fully enjoy the new luxurious residence - he died three years after the completion of construction. In the same 1768, his heirs sold the palace to the Kinskys.

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In 1843, the most famous representative of the family was born in the palace - Berta Kinska(married von Suttner) - writer, activist in the international pacifist movement, the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the second woman to receive the Nobel Prize (after Marie Curie). Her father, an Austrian field marshal, died early, and the palace ended up in the hands of her mismanagement mother, who squandered her fortune in gambling. Therefore, already at the end of the 19th century, all the premises of the palace were rented out. On the ground floor was my father's small dry goods store. Franz Kafka, and he himself attended the German gymnasium on the third floor of the palace for eight years (from 1893 to 1901).

In February 1948 it was from the balcony of the Kinsky Palace, the head of government, Klement Gottwald, addressing the Czech people, proclaimed the establishment of communist power in the country.

Important! Prague also has the Kinsky Summer Palace, which houses the Ethnographic Museum, which introduces the traditional folk culture of the historical regions of the Czech Republic (Bohemia, Moravia and part of Silesia).

Temporary exhibition “Czech artists in Britain 1850–1950”

• period: 11/16/2018 - 03/17/2019

- group tour (up to 10 people) for a first acquaintance with the city and main attractions - 3 hours, 20 euros

- a walk through little-known but interesting corners of Prague away from tourist routes to feel the real spirit of the city - 4 hours, 30 euros

- bus tour for those who want to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the Czech Middle Ages - 8 hours, 30 euros

The Kinsky Palace in Prague forms a significant part of the northeastern frame of the Old Town Square. A bright building with rich plasticity in the Rococo style stands on a par with the Gothic house At the Bell and the Tyn School. And above all this architectural abundance rise the towers of the temple.

The palace is also known as Goltz-Kinsky, since the building acquired its current appearance in the 18th century, thanks to the last two owners - Count Johann Goltz and then Count Franz Kinsky.

History of the object

In the 18th century, Prague experienced a boom in the reconstruction of secular buildings. Many of the palaces in the Old Town were expanded by combining several houses and underwent renovation. However, new architectural styles appeared only in the reconstruction of facades, while the foundation of the buildings remained the same.

This is precisely the strategy that was applied to the Kinsky Palace. The palace was built in 1755-65. in the late Baroque style, combining three houses from the Middle Ages. In the underground part of the building, ancient masonry with Gothic vaults is still preserved.

Moreover, the two buildings had already been united by that time. Since 1583, they were decorated with a balcony, which was changed as a result of further reconstructions.

In 1768, Franz Ulritz Kinsky organized the final decoration of the facade. Sculptures from I.F. Platzer’s workshop dedicated to the elements were installed on the pediment. The façade, in accordance with the Rococo style, was decorated with lush ornaments and reliefs. Large medallions depicting the Madonna and Child and John of Nepomuk were placed above a row of windows in the Kinsky house. In the center of the facade is the coat of arms of the Kinsky family.

Reconstruction in the 1830s added massive columns to the palace. The facade of the palace still stands out among the buildings with its original design. Until 1949, the palace belonged to the Kinsky family, after which it came under the control of the state.

Countess Kinski, who became the second woman in the world to receive the Nobel Prize, was born and raised in the palace. Bertha von Suttner was awarded the Peace Prize in 1905.

At the end of the 19th century, a German gymnasium operated at the palace, where Franz Kafka, who lived near Old Town Square, studied.

The place of the Kinsky Palace in modern life in Prague

Palác Kinských is a national cultural monument. The palace is one of six sites of the National Gallery of the Czech Republic. The photo shows the entrance to the gallery: