Lobkowicz Palace
Lobkovický palác
Czech republic · Prague, Hradčany · Near Prague
Built 1570 · Renaissance palace; constructed 1570–1576; substantially rebuilt in Baroque style between 1651 and 1668 by architect Giovanni Domenico Orsi; the interior retains elaborate Baroque ceiling frescoes, period state rooms, and the private Lobkowicz family art collection; the palace is the only private property within the Prague Castle complex
This page is part of an independent travel guide and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by Lobkowicz Palace.
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Quick Facts
- Hours
- Daily 10:00–18:00
- Guided tour from
- €25
- Duration
- 1.5–2.5 hours (museum + concert)
- Best time
- Year-round
- Nearest city
- Prague
Featured Tour
Prague Castle: Midday Classical Concert at Lobkowicz Palace
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Highlights
- ✦The Lobkowicz family art collection — Pieter Bruegel the Elder's Haymaking (1565), Canaletto's views of London, and works by Velázquez, Lucas Cranach, and Jan Brueghel the Elder
- ✦Beethoven's Eroica Symphony manuscript — the original hand-corrected score with Beethoven's own revisions, including the famous deletion of Napoleon's dedication; one of the most important musical manuscripts in the world
- ✦Mozart's Don Giovanni — an original manuscript copy annotated in Mozart's own hand, acquired by the Lobkowicz family during Mozart's Prague period
- ✦Midday classical concerts in the palace's original music rooms — a 1-hour performance by resident musicians in the room where Beethoven and Mozart themselves performed
- ✦The only private property inside the Prague Castle complex — returned to the Lobkowicz family in 2002 after 55 years of communist-era confiscation
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Skip-the-line tickets & expert guides
Lobkowicz Palace is the most exceptional private house museum in the Czech Republic — and one of the finest in central Europe. Situated at the eastern end of the Prague Castle complex, it is the only palace within the castle that is privately owned: returned to the Lobkowicz family in 2002 after confiscation by the Nazi occupation (1939) and subsequent communist nationalisation (1948), its collections were reunited and the palace opened as a museum and concert venue the same year.
The palace's art collection was assembled by the Lobkowicz family over four centuries and is extraordinary by any measure. Pieter Bruegel the Elder's Haymaking (1565) — one of his famous cycle of Months paintings, only three of which remain in private hands — is the centrepiece. Canaletto's panoramic views of the Thames at Richmond and the city of London are among the finest of his English works. The collection also includes Velázquez, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Jan Brueghel, and an extensive armoury.
The musical manuscripts are perhaps even more significant. Beethoven's Eroica Symphony: the original working score, with the famous crossed-out dedication to Napoleon (Beethoven's rage at Napoleon's coronation as Emperor in 1804 led him to erase the title 'Bonaparte' so violently that the manuscript is torn at that point). The Lobkowicz family were Beethoven's principal patrons in Vienna — Prince Joseph Franz Maximilian Lobkowicz gave Beethoven an annual stipend and was the dedicatee of the Eroica, Symphonies 5 and 6, and the string quartets. Mozart's Don Giovanni connection: the manuscript copy in the Lobkowicz collection is annotated in Mozart's own hand from his 1787 Prague period, when Don Giovanni premiered at the Estates Theatre.
History
The Lobkowicz family — Bohemian nobility of the highest rank, later elevated to the Imperial title of Prince — were among the most powerful magnates in the Habsburg Monarchy for three centuries. Their support of the Habsburgs during the Thirty Years' War (and specifically their alignment with the Catholic side against the Protestant Bohemian nobility after the Battle of White Mountain in 1620) brought them enormous landholdings confiscated from Protestant families.
The palace at Prague Castle was acquired in 1651 and rebuilt in Baroque style between 1651 and 1668. Through the 18th century the family developed into major cultural patrons: Prince Joseph Franz Maximilian Lobkowicz (1772–1816) was arguably the most important single patron of Beethoven's career, supporting him financially through a formal annuity and premiering several of the major symphonies at Lobkowicz family palaces in Vienna and Prague.
The confiscations came in two waves. The Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia (1939) seized the family's Bohemian properties. The communist nationalisation of 1948 completed the transfer of everything remaining, including the palace and its collections. William Lobkowicz — an American citizen who had grown up outside Czechoslovakia — began the restitution process after 1989 and succeeded in recovering the palace, its collections, and other family properties under Czechoslovak and Czech restitution legislation. The Lobkowicz family reopened the palace in 2007 as a privately operated museum and concert venue.
How to Visit
Museum admission: Palace museum tickets (CZK 350 adult) are available at the palace entrance on Jiřská street within the Prague Castle complex. The audio guide — narrated by members of the Lobkowicz family — is included in the ticket price and is one of the better audio guides in Prague, providing personal family history alongside art commentary.
Midday concert (GYG t48430, €25): The concert ticket includes both the 1-hour classical concert and palace museum entry — the most efficient way to combine both. Concerts run at 13:00, Tuesday through Sunday (check schedule). Booking via GYG is recommended; some dates sell out.
Getting there: The palace is at the eastern end of Prague Castle, a 5-minute walk through the castle from the main entrance on Hradčanské náměstí. Approach by tram to Pražský hrad or Pohořelec (trams 22, 23, 41) — the castle is on the hill above the Malá Strana; the walk up from the Lesser Town is scenic but steep. Alternatively, tram to Malostranské náměstí and walk up Nerudova street.
Frequently Asked Questions
No — Lobkowicz Palace is privately owned and operated separately from the state-managed Prague Castle complex. The standard Prague Castle combined tickets (circuits A, B, and C) do not include Lobkowicz Palace. A separate ticket (CZK 350 adult) is required for the museum, or the concert ticket (€25 via GYG) which includes both the midday concert and museum entry. The palace is inside the castle complex but accessible only with its own ticket.
Location
Jiřská 3, 119 00 Praha 1-Hradčany, Czech Republic
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