Schwarzenberg Palace

Newly renovated and more beautiful than ever, Schwarzenberg Palace, located on Hradcanske Square, is one of the best examples of Renaissance architecture in Prague. It is easily recognizable due to the dramatic black and white sgraffito decorations all over the facade of the building. Due to a massive fire in 1541, the three buildings that occupied the original lot of the palace burned down. The wealthy nobleman Jan Popel of Lobkowicz, purchased the ruins and the land and commissioned the main building of the palace in 1567, with the western wing being added years later. The interior of the Palace is splendid with the original painted ceilings from 1580 (the paintings are on stretched canvas applied to the wooden ceilings) depicting the classical scenes The Judgment of Paris, The Kidnap of Helen, The Conquering of Troy, and the Escape of Aeneas. After the Lobkowicz family, this Renaissance gem belonged to different dynasties, the last being the Schwarzenbergs. Under the current direction of the National Gallery, the palace was completely restored and reopened in 2007. The collection showcased in the palace is the Baroque in Bohemia. After your visit to this gorgeous building, take a stroll down Nerudova Street, turn back and look for the famous sundial located on one of the chimneys; the sundial is further decorated by symbols for day (a rooster) and night (an owl).

Hradčanské náměstí 2, Praha 1, +420 222 321 459, www.ngprague.cz