Lobkowicz Palace

The Lobkowicz Palace

The Lobkowicz Palace in Prague Castle
Established	25 April 1550 (1550-04-25)
Location	Prague, Czech Republic
Collections	The Lobkowicz Collections
Founder	Jaroslav of Pernstejn (1528–1569)
Curator	Veronika Wolf
Owner	William Lobkowicz
Public transit access	Metro stop Malostranska (A Line), Tram stop Malostranska (# 5,12,18,20,22)
Nearest parking	N/A
Website	www.lobkowicz.com

The Lobkowicz Palace (Czech: Lobkowický palác) is a part of the Prague Castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the only privately owned building in the Prague Castle complex and houses the Lobkowicz Collections and Museum.

The palace was built in the second half of the 16th century by the Czech nobleman Jaroslav of Pernštejn (1528–1569) and completed by his brother, Vratislav of Pernštejn (1530–1582), the chancellor of the Czech Kingdom. It was opened to the public for the first time on 2 April 2007 as the Lobkowicz Palace Museum. Set in 22 galleries, the museum displays a selection of pieces from the Lobkowicz Collections, including works by artists such as Antonio Canaletto, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Lucas Cranach the Elder, and Diego Velázquez, as well as decorative art, military paraphernalia, musical instruments, and original scores of composers including Beethoven and Mozart.

Lobkowicz Palace was built in the second half of the 16th century by the Czech nobleman Jaroslav of Pernštejn (1528-1569) and completed by his brother, Vratislav of Pernštejn (1530–1582), the chancellor of the Czech Kingdom. Vratislav's wife, Maria Maximiliana Manrique de Lara y Mendoza, brought the Infant Jesus of Prague statue, thought to have healing powers, from her homeland of Spain to the Palace. The statue was later given by Vratislav and Maria Maximiliana's daughter, Polyxena (1566-1642), to the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague, where it remains on display as a popular tourist attraction. A replica of the Infant Jesus of Prague is on permanent display in the Lobkowicz Palace Museum.