Tuscan palace in prague. Hradcany Square at the gates of Prague Castle. Who can visit the Tuscan palace
The western side of Hradcany Square is occupied by the magnificent Tuscan palace, erected in the Baroque style for Count Thun-Hohenstein in 1691. After several decades, the Duchess of Tuscany buys the palace, and henceforth the mansion will be called by her last name.
The palace looks quite representative. It consists of four wings and a courtyard, as well as two turrets, giving the design and appearance of the palace lightness and charm.
On the roof of the palace between the two towers you can see seven original sculptures depicting free art. The statues were created by Jan Brokof - the Czech master, the author of the sculpture by Jan Nepomucki on Charles Bridge. This design of the facade reminds attentive travelers that this mansion is very similar to some Roman buildings. The facade is decorated with two ducal emblems that perfectly complement the restrained design of the palace.
The corner of the palace is decorated with a statue of St. Michael, who was considered the patron saint of the Thun-Hohenstein family, customers and the first owners of this palace. The statue was made two years after the construction of the palace, so just place it on the wall in a specially left place for this. The statue of St. Michael is a highly artistic work, which simply cannot be passed by without capturing it on your camera.
Nowadays, the palace houses the services of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Important receptions are sometimes held here, serious meetings are held and state problems are resolved.
The monumental Tuscan palace is now occupied by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so an ordinary visitor will not be able to get inside. But you can admire it from the outside: magnificent baroque, magnificent sculptures and decorations on the facade, windows, arches, balconies - beautiful architecture!
Tuscan Palace (Toskánský palác), photo by Zden Her
The Tuscan palace (Toskánský palác) is built in the spirit of classical Roman Baroque. The balustrade on the attic of the building is decorated with statues of Sēptem ārtes liberāles - the "seven free arts" of the Hellenistic era. At the corner of the palace is a statue of St. Michael, the patron saint of the Thun-Hohenstein family. The facade is decorated with 2 emblems of the Dukes of Tuscany.
The history of the palace
In 1689, Michael Oswald Count Thun-Hohenstein decided to erect a palace in the western part of the square, instead of several houses of the XIV century. There were disagreements with the owners of neighboring buildings: a new palace would close their facades. The conflict was resolved in favor of the count by Emperor Leopold himself.
Palace in the ensemble of Hradcanska Square, photo by Roland Christian Richter
The palace design was developed by 1690 by Jean-Baptiste Matei, the founder of the early Prague Baroque. The work was led by Marc Antonio Kanevalle. The figures of the “Seven Arts” were sculpted by Johann Brockoff. A magnificent statue of the Archangel Michael, located on the corner of the palace, according to the assumptions of art critics, was created by Ottavio Mosto - in about 1693.
The first owner of the palace did not live to see the end of all work. The unfinished building was bought by Anna Maria Francis, the Duchess of Tuscany, in 1718. With the new owner, the project was completed. The palace received the name and family coat of arms of the Dukes of Tuscany. In 1803-1918 the building was owned by the Habsburgs. In 1918, the Tuscan Palace was transferred to the Czech Foreign Ministry.
Architecture
The palace complex is made in the form of a closed rectangle and consists of four three-story wings enclosing the courtyard. Two fountains are installed in the niches of the courtyard facades. Above the portals of the main facade are edicules framed by columns; above them, on the same axis, are two ducal arms.
In 1996–98 reconstruction was carried out under the direction of Pavel Kupka. The work was awarded the architectural prize of the year - GranPrix Architektů. Today, the Tunovsky Palace is still owned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At normal times, it is closed to tourists. Pre-bookings for excursions and events are available on the ground floor.
Hradchanch Square is a place where you can endlessly turn your head, looking at the spectacular architecture.
As a guide in Prague, during my tour of Prague I tell interested people "what it is and where it comes from." Well, as long as I’m not around, my "Free Guide" to all curious to help.
The Tuscan Palace in Prague is a wonderful Baroque gizmo that deliciously decorates Hradcanska Square.
In ancient times, some houses stood on the site of this architectural charm, which at the end of the 17th century were bought out by the Tung-Hohenstein family from the Lobkovets family.
By that time, the Thun-Hohenstein were famous Tyrolean gentry, who appeared in the annals of European historiography back in the 11th century. For many centuries, these guys served the Holy Roman Empire either as the highest government officials, or as bishops and archbishops.
In the first half of the 17th century, finding themselves in the victorious Habsburg wake, the newly minted Countess Thun und Hohenstein gladly began to buy up luxury real estate and numerous Bohemian hectares.
In those days, the Thun-Hohenstein liked the stylish Baroque buildings, attracting prominent European architects to their creation.
In 1685, Mikhail Oswald Tun-Hohenstein bought the same Lobkovitsky houses a hundred meters from Prague Castle and began building up a large beautiful meadow.
The scale of the planned palace can easily be called the apotheosis of the baroque ambitiousness of the Tun und und Hohenstein era of Leopold I.
The counts did not spare money for their tower and, having arrived a little earlier in Prague, the architect Jean Baptiste Matei promised to become their main architect for a substantial fee.
After completing the necessary papers and a ritual blow to the hands, hammers, picks and shovels rattled in the Hradchany.
The neighbor of Count Michael Oswald, Count Martinez, tried to protest against the daily rumble, however, the emperor intervening in a noble dispute, approved the construction of the palace in every way.
Count Michael introduced himself before the completion of construction work, and his brother, Count Maximilian, ceded the tenure of the choir under construction to his sister. The same in turn transferred them to other relatives.
For all that, it was a pleasure to complete the northern palace part to a completely foreign person - Princess Saxe-Lauenburg of Schleswig-Holstein, Countess of Mecklenburg and the Grand Duchess of Tuscany, the builder of a certain number of churches, cathedrals and all kinds of castles, an extremely devout person, a lover of protracted building and extensive reconstructions - Anna Maria Tuscany.
Under her, the main architect of the palace was Vaclav Spacek.
Anna Maria also did not live to see the end of construction. The act of acceptance of the completed object was signed by her daughter Maria Anna. Further, the Tuscan Palace went into the hands of the following children and grandchildren.
In 1803, Ferdinand of Habsburg became the legal prince of Tuscany.
Since then, the Tuscan Palace in Prague became the property of the imperial dynasty.
By coincidence, in 1918 the new authorities said “Dosvidos, Papa” to the Hapsburg masters, and the Tuscan palace was transferred to the balance of the Czechoslovak state.
Soon, employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs moved into its walls. At the end of the 20th century, the reenactors became quite seriously interested in the palace building, turning it in the end into what is visible in my photograph.
Greetings friends! Somehow I was puzzled by what area in Prague is considered the main one. There are many squares in the Czech capital in the historical center, and several of them are quite famous. Yes, and I described some areas of Prague in detail on the blog. But Hradchanskaya Square was mentioned by me only in passing. And this despite the fact that it is located in a special place - in front of the main entrance to the Prague Castle.
In my opinion, Hradcany Square is authorized to be the main square of Prague. It occupies a rather large territory at the main gate of the Prague Castle, behind which the central authorities of the Czech state are concentrated. The Matišová gates, decorated with a crown, are invitingly open from early morning until midnight, inviting every resident and guest of the Czech capital to visit:
Hradchanskaya Square is rarely desert. Although at the end of October in the evening I managed to walk around the square without the usual crowds of tourists and see everything around. This article will help you better get acquainted with Hradcanska Square and you:
- General description of Hradcanska Square
- Archbishop's palace
General description of Hradcanska Square
It is possible that even after visiting Prague, the name Hradcanska Square will not tell you anything. It will be remembered with the Oryol clock, you will remember about. And in relation to Hradcanska Square, most likely, the question “Where is this in Prague? ..”
And all because on this square all the attention is drawn by the Prague Castle. But how can one ignore the square itself and the original palaces that frame it?
To understand where the place of Hradcanska Square is in the structure of the city, let’s look from a panoramic view:
In the photo in front of the entrance to Prague Castle you can see a small triangle of the square. This is about a tenth of it, and the entire area is hidden behind the buildings on the left side. It stretched from the gates of Prague Castle up the hill to the Tuscan Palace.
If we are transported to the square, approximately to its center, then Gradchanskaya Square will appear to us as follows:
The square was formed as the main public place of the medieval town of Hradcany. She remembers the executions of the mid-16th century after the uprising of the estates, and the proclamation of the Hradcans as a royal city in 1598.
The emergence of the special status of Hradcans significantly influenced the transformation of the area. If earlier the Hradcans were inhabited by the clergy and servants who served in, then in the royal city the nobles wanted to settle. Since then, beautiful mansions called palaces have grown on all sides of the square.
Archbishop's palace
The archbishop's palace stands on ancient foundations. Grispekovsky house was in this place until 1562. Since that time, there have been several reconstructions of the building, and to this day the appearance of the palace has been preserved when it was renovated in 1764-65:
By the way, the slope of the square is clearly visible in the photo. Hradcany Square smoothly descends to the gates of Prague Castle.
A small arch is visible on the left side of the facade. If you go into this arch, you will find yourself in the courtyard, where another palace is located - Sternberg. Now housed in the National Gallery of Ancient European Art.
As for the Archbishop’s Palace, Archbishop Antonin Przykhovsky organized a grand restructuring at his own expense, which was undertaken by the architect Jan Josef Virch. In the center of the facade of the palace, he placed the emblem of the Prague dignitary:
The archbishop’s palace rises from the north side of Hradcanska Square, and on the contrary there is a rather strict building, but with such a magnificent crown, which is simply impossible not to pay attention to:
Rococo style had a significant impact on the decor of both buildings, "crowning" their facades. And the churchman is directly related to the second mansion. The palace in the classical style is built on the savings of the funds of Archbishop Willem Florentin Salm-Salm. However, the Schwarzenberg mansion is called. We will call it, at our discretion, a small palace, because there is a large one nearby.
Following the classical and later Schwarzenberg Palace (we just admired its crown), the south side of Hradcanska Square is continued by the large and unusual Schwarzenberg Palace:
To the sixteenth century, this work of architecture, decorated with graffiti and rustic. The authorship belongs to Agostino Galli.
Schwarzenberg Palace is the most striking example of Italian Renaissance architecture in Prague. See which picturesque pediments adorn the building:
The Schwarzenberg Palace includes three wings that frame a large square courtyard. I really like this original building. Every detail in it is thought out to the smallest detail, and even the wall separating the courtyard from the square is made in the same style:
This is a view of the wall from the yard. I walked with interest through the courtyard of the mansion. There is currently a summer restaurant in the courtyard. You can sit at a table and take a leisurely look at the architectural details.
The western side of Hradcany Square ends with the palace of the Dukes of Tuscany. Architect Jean Baptiste Matei built a building in the Roman Baroque style at the end of the XVII century:
Matei was a Burgundian by birth, and he was completing the construction of this mansion. And the Italian Giacomo Kanevalle began the construction. The architects preferred the baroque and decorated the facade of the palace with numerous sculptures. An intricate composition adorns the southern corner of the building:
This sculptural composition will not go unnoticed by you if you go from Hradcany Square to the Prague Holy House.
Loretan street starts from the southern corner of the Tuscan palace. The passage is so narrow that it seems inconspicuous from the middle of Hradcanska Square. And the street itself is no different in width. This tourist train left the square just from Loretansky Street:
Take a look at Loretanskaya street and the side facade of the Tuscan palace. The palace wall from this side rests on massive supports, forming an arcade. And Loretansky Street begins with a small square, where you can see exactly the same beautiful lantern that stands in the center of Hradchansky Square:
Right on the left is the descent from Hradcany. The staircase is called the Town Hall. She will lead first to Neruda Street and then to Malostranskaya Square.
What object I have not yet mentioned, describing Hradcanska Square, is the monument to President T.G. Masaryk. His tall figure is set almost opposite the main entrance to Prague Castle. Since this patch is the most popular part of Hradcany Square, most travelers pay attention to the sculpture of Masaryk.
In conclusion, I want to wish you, friends, during your acquaintance with Prague, come to Hradcanska Square several times and in different ways. You can climb the Castle stairs, and you can also the Town Hall. Try to enter from the direction of the Powder Bridge and or take a walk through the Southern Gardens of Prague Castle. All these routes are very exciting. If you have your own route, how to get to Hradcanska Square in Prague, please share it, and we will also master it with interest.
Your euro-conductor Tatyana
It is very difficult to imagine Prague without the Tuscan Palace, because this city and this architectural monument form something solid and cannot exist without each other.
Built in the style of monumental Roman Baroque by architects J. B. Mate and J. Canevalle in 1689-1691, the palace closed with its foundation houses belonging to bourgeois and noblemen. Count Michal Oswald Thun-Hohenstein - the first owner of the palace placed a library in the palace, as well as valuable collections. After the sale of the palace in 1718, the Duchess Maria Anna Tuscan became the owner of the palace. The Tuscan Palace is a representative building with four wings, a symmetrical shape of the facade and two towers.
The wall above the cornices between the arbors is decorated with seven sculptures representing various types of art. The sculptor is Jan Brockoff. It is this sculptural decoration of the attic that connects the Tuscan palace with Roman palaces of the 17th century.
Incomparable skill is the sculpture of the Archangel Michael, the patron saint of the first owner of the palace, by whose order the palace was built. The statue is on the corner of the palace. Its author is Ottavio Mosto, who created the sculpture in 1693.
