Kinsky Palace

On one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, sits the lovely neo Rococo Kinsky Palace with its delicate pink and white stucco facade. Between 1755-65 it was built for Jan Arnost Goltz, on the grounds of two old hotels. Goltz wished for a Rococo palace that would feature two entrances under two balconies and a balustrade on the first floor. The Kinsky family would become the new owners after the death of Jan Arnost Goltz and reside in the palace until 1945. Notice the location of the palace; it is not in line with the next-door buildings, such as the House at the Stone Bell. A superstitious legend involving three hanged men surrounds this mistake, but it turns out that the architect was only following the original position of the hotels. Countess Kinsky, also known as Baroness Bertha von Suttner, was born at the palace in 1843; she was the first Nobel Peace Prize recipient in 1905. The palace was also used as a German speaking school where Franz Kafka was enrolled; his father operated a small stall on the ground floor, there is a plaque on the wall at the location. In the year of 1948, Klement Gottwald announced the beginning of Communism from one of the balconies of the palace; 42 years later, the beloved president Vaclav Havel proclaimed it would never again return.

Old Town Square, Praha 1, +420-224-810-758, www.ngprague.cz