The Lobkowicz Palace in Prague is one of the most significant and beautiful cultural sites in Europe. Lobkowicz Palace was "born" as Pernštejn Palace in the 16th century by the will of the Czech nobleman Jaroslav of Pernštejn. The palace acquired its current name after it became the property of the Lobkowitz family following the wedding of Jaroslav's niece, Polysena.

In the centuries following the wedding, the Lobkowicz Palace witnessed some of Bohemia's most significant historical events. In 1618, Protestant rebels violently expelled the Catholic royal ministers from Prague Castle. They took refuge not anywhere but in the nearby Lobkowicz Castle. After the defeat of the Protestants at the Battle of White Mountain, Lobkowicz further consolidated their position, influence and power over the next three centuries.

As a result, a number of changes were required to the castle itself. All periods of architectural history can be seen today in the building of Lobkowicz. Among the changes are new accents on the chapel of the palace and in the magnificent reception rooms, known today as the Concert Hall, the Marble Hall and the Balcony Hall. These were quite heavily decorated and improved under the reign of the politically powerful 2nd Prince of Lobkowicz, Wenceslas Eusebius. His great-great-great-great grandson Joseph František Maximilian, the VIIth Prince of Lobkowicz, known as a generous benefactor of Beethoven, gave his all to achieve what he considered the ideal external appearance of the Lobkowicz Palace, which has been preserved to the present day - this is a reconstruction he made to commemorate the coronation in 1791 of Emperor Leopold II as King of Bohemia.

The rule of the Lobkowicz Palace is passed on as a legacy to each successive reigning prince of the Lobkowicz family. After the First World War and after the abolition of hereditary shares in 1918, Maximilian, the son of the 10th Prince of Lobkowicz, demonstrated his support for the new Republic by ceding several rooms to the Prime Minister.

At the outbreak of World War II, the invading Nazis confiscated the Lobkowicz Palace, as well as all other family properties of that clan. The family managed to recover everything in 1945, but the same fate befell them again just three years after the communist regime came to power.

The communist rule of Lobkowicz Castle lasted for over 40 years, its restoration lasted another 20 years, yet the family still owns this architectural gem. On April 2, 2007, after 3 years of painstaking renovation work on Lobkowicz, the castle was opened to visitors in the form of a private family museum telling the story of this family.

The new permanent exhibition, entitled "Princely Collections", most extensively the Lobkowicz family. It not only helps to revitalize this important cultural site in the heart of Europe, but also dramatically increases the family's ability to make these treasures accessible to Czech residents and a vast international audience.

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Rating 5 from 1 voted Lobkowicz Palace, Prague