Palace of the Archbishop

In 1420 a mob of angry Hussites burned down the original palace of the Archbishop, leaving ruins of what was. Ferdinand I of the Habsburg dynasty decided to build a new structure to take place of the original palace and commissioned the new Archbishop Palace, first built in the style of the Renaissance, then Baroque, then in the 18th century the palace was rebuilt in the Rococo style. Standing guard over the entrance to Prague Castle and serving as the seat of the Archbishop since 1562, the small but imposing palace is elegant and beautiful with four wings and courtyards. The interior is Rococo showcasing colorful tapestries from France and portraits of past Archbishops. The famous Ignac Frantisek Platzer designed the lovely facade of the palace. A creepy legend involving murder and torture surrounds the chapel in the palace; the artist who painted the suffering Christ for the chapel altar sacrificed a beggar in order to capture a realistic look of pain.

Hradčanské náměstí 16, Praha 1 – Hradčany.