Historical Origins

Through the centuries, the Palace witnessed some of Bohemia’s most important historical events. The Palace was built in the mid-16th century by Bohemian nobleman Jaroslav Pernstein (1528–1560). It is believed that here, Maria Manrique de Lara y Mendoza (1538–1608), wife of Jaroslav’s brother, Vratislav, Chancellor of the Kingdom of Bohemia(1530–1582), brought the celebrated Infant Jesus of Prague statue from her homeland of Spain. The statue, renowned for its miraculous healing powers, was gifted to their daughter, Polyxena (1566–1642), who presumably donated it to the Carmelite Order at the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague where it remains today. A replica of the Infant Jesus can be seen on display at the Lobkowicz Palace.

The Palace came into the Lobkowicz family through the marriage of Polyxena to Zdenko Adalbert Popel, 1st Prince Lobkowicz (1568–1628), in 1603. In 1618, the Second Defenestration of Prague took place when Protestant members of the Bohemian Estates threw two Catholic Habsburg vicegerents from the windows of the Old Royal Palace in Prague Castle. Surviving the fall, they took refuge in the adjacent Lobkowicz Palace, where they were protected by Polyxena. For 300 years, the Palace was passed down to each ruling prince. It took on a more formal, Imperial role and functioned as the Prague residence when the family needed to be present at the seat of Bohemian power for political and ceremonial purposes.

Architectural Features

After the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648), the Palace underwent significant architectural changes. Of particular note are the mid-17th century alterations under Wenzel Eusebius, 2nd Prince Lobkowicz (1609–1677), who redesigned the Palace in the Early Baroque style. Among those parts of the building that were altered include the Chapel; Imperial Hall, whose frescoed walls depict trompe l’oeil statues of emperors surrounded by geometric designs and floral motifs; and today’s Concert and Balcony Halls, whose ceilings are adorned with elaborate stucco work by Domenico Galli (after 1600–1675) and frescoes by Fabián Šebestián Václav Harovník (c. 1607/17–1683). In the 18th century, Franz Joseph Maximilian, 7th Prince Lobkowicz (1772–1816), best known as one of Beethoven’s principal patrons, was responsible for the Palace’s present-day Classicist exterior, a reconstruction he commissioned for Emperor Leopold II’s 1791 coronation as King of Bohemia. Additional alterations included the addition of the panoramic balconies that visitors to the Palace still enjoy today. Remnants of original 16th-century murals and sgraffito work can still be seen in both interior courtyards. 

Recent History

The end of World War I and the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 marked the beginning of a new era: the formation of the Czechoslovak Republic, headed by the new nation’s first President, Tomáš G. Masaryk. As a result, a new set of laws were passed revoking the use of noble titles and implementing land and property reforms.  Though greatly disadvantaging Maximilian Lobkowicz (1888–1967), son of Ferdinand Zdenko, 10th Prince Lobkowicz (1858–1938), Max demonstrated his support for the emerging First Czechoslovak Republic through his three decades of diplomatic service, while Ferdinand made rooms at the Palace available to the Prime Minister’s office. In 1939, the invading Nazi forces confiscated and occupied the Palace (headquarters of the Hitler Youth Organization), along with all other Lobkowicz family properties. The Palace was returned in 1945, only to be seized again after the Communist takeover in February 1948. For the next 40 years, the Palace was used for a variety of purposes, including state offices and as a museum of Czech history, operated by the National Museum.  


After the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and the fall of the Communist regime, the family began the arduous restitution of their vast cultural heritage. Following a twelve-year legal process, the Palace was returned to the family in 2002. In April 2007, the family opened the Palace and its collections to the public with a permanent exhibition, The Princely Collections. They also restored the Palace’s historic rooms which are used for a museum gift shop, café & restaurant, concerts, and events.