palác Kinských (Praha 1) Palace

The Palace of Kinski, originally called the Palace of Goltz-Kinski, stands on the east side of the Old Town Square near the monument of Jan Hus. This rococo building from the second half of the 18th century is among the most famous palaces in the historical centre of Prague.

There were two older houses in the Middle Ages where the palace stands today. The remains of the Romanesque building have been preserved in its underground, and the remains of the early Gothic house have been preserved. The palace was built between 1755 and 1765 for Count John Arnošt of Goltz of the House of Goltz. The construction was based on the older plans of Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer and carried out under the leadership of architect Anselm Lurago. The rich stucco decoration of the facade was performed by C.G. Bossi. The facade of the palace ends with two attics decorated by a series of statues of ancient gods created by sculptor Ignac František Platzer. Two symmetrically located monumental entrances lined with stone columns connect a narrow balcony on the first floor.

After the death of Count Goltza in 1765, the palace was purchased in 1768 by Prince Rudolf Kinský, from whom the palace later carried its name. Under Kinski, the palace was rebuilt in classical style. The palace was also extended to the second courtyard, which spread out between three wings in Empire style; the project for this reconstruction was developed by Josef Kranner. In 1835 another building was attached to the palace and the whole structure spread to Týnská alley. This part was rebuilt under Kranner's leadership in a neo-Baroque style. Since 1964, the Kinsky Palace has been protected as a cultural monument.

The palace is associated with the fate of a number of prominent personalities. It was on June 9, 1843 that Bertha Kinská was born, who later became known as Berta von Suttner, secretary of Alfred Nobel. In 1905 she became the first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. At the end of the 19th century there was a German Gymnasium in the building, which he went to from 1893 to 1901 and Franz Kafka; His father Hermann had his shop in the palace as well. A decade later František R. Kraus also studied here. In the interwar period, namely between 1922 and 1934, the Polish Embassy was located in the palace.

The palace is also closely linked to the events of February 1948. According to official communist propaganda, Klement Gottwald was to make a historic speech from the balcony of the Kinsky Palace, beginning with "I just got back from Castle..." Historical sources, however, state that Gottwald stood on the balcony on 21 February, and the said sentence was uttered only at Wenceslas Square from the truck. On the balcony of the Kinsky Palace in February 1948 stood beside Gottwald also Vladimír Clementis and both were captured in period photography. When later Clementis was charged with conspiracy and execution, he became undesirable to the Communist regime; Therefore, it was subsequently reprinted from the image.

In 1949, the Palace of Kinský became the seat of the collection of graphics of the National Gallery in Prague. At the turn of the 1960s and 1970s, the group The Plastic People of the Universe was in the palace under the patronage of the Prague Cultural Centre. In 1992 the palace and the Old Town Square were declared a national cultural monument. Today it remains one of the most important buildings in the Old Town Square and a witness to the rich history of Czech culture and politics.