Palace of the Goltz Kinskys. Kinsky Palace in Prague - home of the rich and famous

On which the majestic flaunts Golts-Kinsky Palace.

For a long time, two small ones were located on this site, but in 1755 Count Jan Arnost Goltz wanted to see a palace worthy of it on the square. According to his plan, the building should have stood out somewhat from the Old Town Square. To this day, it does not stand on the same line with all the neighboring buildings, but moves forward a little. Rumor has it that the municipality did not want to allow such a location for the palace. But the owner of the castle was stubborn: having learned which of the council members was especially greedy for money, he bribed them and finally received the desired permission. Of course, towards the end of construction, other members of the city council noticed that the palace was not located as they would have liked, but it was too late: no one would allow the palace to be almost completed. The disgruntled council sued the count, but the count, of course, was acquitted, because he had official permission from those council members whom he managed to bribe. These greedy people were hanged right in front of the palace when the construction was already completed.

...However, this is all just a legend. In fact, everything was much more prosaic. The architect simply tried to follow the layout of the buildings that previously stood on the square.

In ten years, a building with a beautiful facade was erected, which was covered with delicate light pink plaster. Later, the palace buildings were rebuilt in the Rococo style; the palace was equipped with two entrances, each of which was framed by two columns. When Count Goltz died, members of the Kinski family bought the extraordinary palace. They settled in the building and lived there until 1945. In the palace, the family maintained a valuable family library. Now he uses the palace buildings, displaying exhibits of his collections there and holding exhibitions.

The palace boasts connections with many important and quite famous people. For example, Baroness Bertha von Suttner, an Austrian writer and the first Nobel Prize laureate in 1905, was born in the Goltz-Kinski Palace. This happened in 1843.

Another well-known personality, the philosopher Franz Kafka, studied at a German high school located in the palace. And on the ground floor of the same palace, his father ran a small kiosk.

On February 25, 1948, the most important words of Klement Gottwald, the leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, were spoken from the balcony of the Goltz-Kinski Palace. He informed a huge crowd of people about the beginning of the communist era. 42 years later on the same day, another ruler - President Vaclav Havel - proudly addressed the people, announcing to them that this era was forever over.

The Kinsky Summer Palace (Letohrádek Kinských) is a unique building from the mid-19th century, located in Prague, on a slope. This is one of the main attractions of the Kinsky Garden.

The plan of the palace was developed by the Viennese architect Koch. He also designed the Swiss carriage, greenhouses, and the gatekeeper's house.

This is a bright building with 2 floors, on the eastern facade there is a portico with access to the terrace. The triangular pediment is supported by four columns similar to those on the Acropolis. There are French style arched windows here.

In the palace itself, a gilded staircase leads to the second floor. Initially, there were two famous sculptures on it - “Psyche” by A. Canova and “Vlasta” by M. Emanuel. Later, the first statue was moved to the Kinsky Palace in Vienna, and the second was bought by the master’s wife. Only ancient chandeliers, doors and stairs now remind of the palace’s former decoration.

As with any palace, many legends and chilling murders are associated with it. In the 70s of the 19th century, a 17-year-old girl, the mistress of Crown Prince Rudolf, was killed here. The ill-fated Duke also lived here, whose murder by Serbian conspirators marked the beginning of the First World War.

After the death of the last direct heir, the building passed to the city and was purchased by the local government. The Folk Art Museum was opened there. In the second half of the twentieth century, the building was temporarily closed for restoration, but now it has been completely reconstructed. The museum presents exhibits dedicated to the culture and life of the Czech people. Master classes on traditional Czech crafts are held here daily. Many people rent the vacant premises of the palace for wedding feasts and various kinds of banquets.

Kinsky Garden – a paradise for city dwellers

The palace is located in the Kinsky garden (Kinského zahrada), among numerous trees, lawns, ponds and small rivers. The Kinski Garden is one of the most visited places on Petrin Hill.


This is in the English style, created in the 20s of the 19th century on the initiative of one of the representatives of the Kinsky family - Rudolf. The park consists of two parts: one part is a flat area in front of the palace, the second is a hill 130 meters high. Over the course of several decades, the current appearance of the garden was formed. Trees were planted, ponds were dug, and artificial waterfalls were created. In the center of the park is the Kinsky family palace.

The role of guardian in the park is played by a giant plane tree - the oldest tree on Petrin Hill. It is located next to the gatekeeper's house. And, of course, he performs the main job of a gatekeeper - he greets park guests.


It was opened to the public after Rudolf’s death. His wife became the owner, and she opened the park to visitors with paid tickets.

Rudolf's descendants were not so grateful to their ancestor, so they intended to destroy the park and sell the land for the construction of residential buildings, but the garden was bought in time by the local municipality.

The Kinsky Gardens are a favorite vacation spot for most Czechs. The wonderful alleys of the park, children's playgrounds located throughout the gardens, luxurious lawns where dogs are allowed to walk - this is not a complete list of the wonders that every visitor to the park enjoys. This is a real opportunity to take a break from the bustle of the city. Read more about the park.

There are probably few structures on Earth that could boast a large number of “residences.” St. Michael's Church (Svatý Michal zvaný Karpatský) is one of these buildings. She has been to several places and belonged to several owners. The Church of St. Michael is located on the slope of Petrin Hill near the Summer Palace. It is sometimes called “wandering” due to the fact that the temple was somewhat moved from one place to another until it found itself in its current location.


This is a Catholic Unitarian Church. The traditions of the Unites are incomparably closer to Orthodoxy than the traditions of Catholicism. It is part of the Czech Folk Museum. While walking through the park you can get to a service; it is often held in a church.

The church is made in the Lemko style - Baroque “in the Ukrainian style”. The slenderness of the temple, smooth lines, carefully crafted artistic details - all this distinguishes the temple and makes it unique. The main tower, 17 meters high, rises above the women's chapel. It is crowned with an elegant dome with a forged cross. The decoration of the temple uses traditional “Orthodox” colors: white, green and red.

There are many miracles in the world, created by man and created by nature. However, you cannot find two absolutely identical trees or two absolutely identical buildings. So it is impossible to find a church identical in beauty to the Church of St. Michael, it is impossible to find a garden that is as young and ancient at the same time, just as it is impossible to find a palace that is equally powerful and at the same time peaceful. That is why the Kinsky Palace and Garden are truly unique.

The Kinski Palace (Palac Kinskych) is located on the eastern side of the Old Town Square. This is one of the most beautiful objects of Prague Rococo.

The palace was built in 1755-1765 by Anshelm Lurag according to the plans of K.I. Dientzenhofer. Before this, there were three early medieval buildings on the site of the Palace. The south house, first mentioned in 1363, was built on the site of a 12th-century Romanesque building. The first floor of this house was built of hewn stone; you can still find this masonry in the basement of the Kinsky Palace.

After 1560, when the house belonged to Trček from Lipa and later to the Přichovskis from Godeyov, reconstruction work was carried out in the Renaissance style. The northern part of the modern palace arose in the second half of the 13th century. Thanks to the medieval lifestyle, today's cellars retain the original ground floor, including early Gothic arches.

The houses were first united in 1508, when Albrecht of Kolovrat rented them. Around 1583, the northern part of the building was reconstructed, during which, in particular, a front balcony was installed. Later, in 1750, Jan Arnost Count Goltz received the northern part and also bought the southern part, combining them into one building. When the palace was sold to František Oldřich Kinski in 1768, the palace was completed and decorated with sculptures by I.F. Platzer. In the 30s of the 19th century, the palace was further expanded by adding a northern house, which also retained the Gothic cellars, and was designed in a neoclassical style.

The Kinskys owned the palace until 1945, after which it was confiscated according to the decrees of President Benes, and came into the possession of the state.

This palace stands out from its surroundings not only because of its beauty, but also because its facade with rich stucco cartouches protrudes forward so much that there are four windows on each side. There is a whole legend associated with the implementation of this architectural solution.

Count Franz Oldrich Kinsky wanted his palace to attract the attention of everyone who comes to the Old Town Square and looks towards the Tyn Church at first sight. The builder proposed a solution - it was enough to push the façade of the building onto the square. The Count liked the idea and immediately agreed. The main difficulty was getting permission from the Old Town Councilors. They did not like this idea, and they refused the count. He, in turn, bribed three advisers and began construction.
The consuls at the town hall saw that the count was building in his own way, regardless of their ban, and summoned him to the town hall. The count presented three permits and spoke about the bribery of three advisers. Soon they were tried and, by decision of the burgomaster, executed.
However, the permission was valid, no one could remove the three signatures, and the palace was built according to the builder’s drawings and the count’s wishes.

Kinsky Palace is one of two Prague houses in which the famous writer Franz Kavka lived. There was also a haberdashery store owned by his father.

Currently, the Kinsky Palace belongs to the National Gallery of Prague. It houses exhibitions of art from Asia and the medieval Mediterranean. Here is a collection of graphics and the Kinsky family library.

The luxurious building of the Golts-Kinsky Palace faces the elegant Old Town Square. This is the heart of the Stare Mesto district; it is simply impossible to miss this square while walking.

The neat cream-colored building, located next to the Church of Our Lady of Tyn, currently hosts various exhibitions of graphic works. Here you can see copies of works by outstanding masters: Durer, Dali, Picasso and many others.

When the Old Town Square was being built, all the houses had to stand in one row so as not to violate the integrity of the architectural ensemble. But the owner of the future palace, Count Jan Goltz, decided to cheat and bribe the officials who controlled the construction. And so it turned out that the Golts-Kinsky Palace stands out from the general row and occupies an extra two meters of space. By the way, dishonest officials were hanged right in front of the palace as a warning to the remaining employees, but it was too late to change anything.

After the death of Count Goltz, the palace was bought by the Kinsky family, which owned the building until the end of World War II. Then the palace became the property of the state.

The palace was built in the Rococo style, decorated with rich stucco and immediately attracts the attention of all tourists who find themselves in the square. The guides say that in this beautiful building a gymnasium was opened in the 19th century, where Franz Kafka studied. His father owned a haberdashery store, which was opened on the first floors of this palace. Therefore, if you are going to walk through Kafka's sites in Prague, be sure to go to the Goltz-Kinsky Palace.

The Rococo building, designed by Anselmo Lurago or K. I. Dientzenhofer (there is some debate about the authorship), was built between 1755 and 1765 for Jan Arnošt Golz ( Golč)).

On this site previously stood the house “At the Old Currency” (U staré měny) and the “Muglicerovský” house, also called the house “At the Royal Throne” (U Stolice královské).

In 1768 (after the death of Count Goltz) the palace was bought by Count František Oldřich hrabě Kinský.
The palace remained in the ownership of the Kinsky family until 1945.
Under Prince Rudolf Kinsky, a general reconstruction of the residence began in 1836, carried out by the architect Jindřich Koch. The houses “U Pechanů” were attached to the building; the interiors were decorated in the style of late classicism, in the Empire style.
The main facade is divided by two risalits, completed with triangular pediments, between which are installed sculptures made in the studio of Ignác František Platzer (allegory of the Elements and ancient deities). In May 1945 they were damaged and therefore they were replaced with copies in 1956.

According to Platzer's sketches, the plaster decorations of the tympanums of the pediments were also made, probably made by Santino G. Bussi (on mythological themes, such as, for example, the abduction of Europa, etc.). He is also the author of the reliefs above the windows (Madonna and Child and St. Jan Nepomucký).

In 1843, Baroness Berta von Suttnerová-Kinská, who received the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1905, was born in the palace.

Franz Kafka attended the German gymnasium, located on the third floor of the palace, from 1893 to 1901. His father had his own dry goods store on the ground floor of this house from 1912 until his death.
Until 1929, the Polish embassy was located here.
On February 25, 1948, Klement Gottwald spoke from the balcony of the palace and proclaimed communist power in the country.

In 1995 - 2000, the palace was reconstructed. In particular, the library of the Kinsky family, Romanesque and Gothic cellars, which are under strict state protection, were restored.
After its reconstruction, a Kafka bookstore (Kafkovo knihkupectví) opened in the premises of the palace.
The Information Center of the National Gallery was created here, the offices of which are located in the rear tract of the palace, there is a cafe and a museum shop.
The front wing houses an exhibition space.

The Kinski Palace is a national cultural monument.

(Information taken from the official Prague tourism portal: praguewelcome.cz/srv/www/ru/o…)

It’s surprising that having visited Old Town Square many times, I never specifically focused my attention on this beautiful building. There are too many interesting things there, and, frankly, it’s dizzying: there are musicians, horses, clowns and famous chimes...
I wouldn’t have remembered it, but by chance, while looking for material on another object, I came across this material.
I decided to see if I had photographs of this building. It turned out there are, and even many, made at different times, during my different visits to Prague.
On the Turbine website I did not find any mention of this beautiful house with a rich interesting history.
That's why I decided to write this advice.

👁 Do we book the hotel through Booking as always? Booking is not the only thing in the world that exists (🙈 for a huge percentage from hotels - we pay!) I have been practicing for a long time