Schwarzenberg Palace Paintings of Old Masters
The Schwarzenberg Palace is home to paintings by Old Masters from the Baroque period. The palace is easily spotted by the black and white sgraffito decorations on the walls, an optical illusion that makes the wall appear 3-D. These decorations were added in the mid-nineteenth century and have been the ‘trademark’ of the building ever since. Only when you stand very close to the wall, will you notice that they are paintings and not part of the structure.
Schwarzenberg Palace: Art Collection
The Schwarzenberg Palace exhibits masterpieces of Baroque art from the 16th to the 18th century: Rembrandt, Rubens, El Greco, Goya, Dürer and other celebrities from this period. The interior of the palace is also attractive, because of the well-preserved painted ceilings from the sixteenth century depicting scenes from Greek mythology.
Schwarzenberg Palace: Art on the Ceiling
The ceilings in the Schwarzenberg Palace are covered with paintings stretched on canvas over a wooden frame. Created around 1580, they depict well-known scenes from ancient times: the Judgment of Paris, the Kidnapping of Helen, the Conquest of Troy, and the Escape of Aeneid. Such representations were trendy in those days and many of the well-to-do gentry had them painted on the walls or ceilings of their mansions. What makes those in the Schwarzenberg palace so special is the good condition they are in.
History of the Palace
The palace is named after the Schwarzenberg family who owned it from 1719–1948. It is now part of the National Gallery of Prague.
It is impossible to overlook the building. It stands right next to the entrance gate of Prague Castle and is covered in black and white sgraffito. The architectural style is Bohemian Renaissance, a mix of Italian and Czech styles.
During the Second World War, the Nazis confiscated the Schwarzenberg Palace and used it for the collection of the military museum here, and this museum remained here throughout the communist period. After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the military museum moved to Invalidova in the Karlin district and later moved again to a building at the foot of Zizkov Hill.
Prague National Gallery
The Schwarzenberg Palace is part of the National Gallery of Prague as are the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in the Trade Fair Building which is home to a collection of modern art from the 20th and 21st centuries, the Agnes Monastery with Bohemian art from the Middle Ages, the Sternberg Palace with masters from the 16th to the 18th century and Kinsky Palace with Asian and Medieval art.
Getting there
The most interesting route to reach Schwarzenberg Palace is via Nerudova Street. Take tram 12, 20, 22, 23 to the Malostranske namesti stop and walk along Nerudova street. Just before the street name changes to Uvoz, turn right up a staircase (Radnicke Schody) that takes you to Hradcanske Namesti. If you don’t feel like walking uphill, take tram 22 or 23 from the Malostranska metro station to the Prazky Hrad stop. More about Nerudova Street.
Address: Schwarzenberg Palace, Hradcanske namesti 2, Hradcany, Prague
Open: Tuesday to Sunday 10am-6pm, Wednesday 10am-8pm, closed Mondays
Trivia
When it is dark, and in winter already at about four o’clock, the square and the museum are lit by street lamps, not electric, but gas lamps.
Nearby places
Strahov Monastery Brewery Pub
Miniature Museum
Strahov Library