Kinský Palace ( cs, Palác Kinských, german: Palais Goltz-Kinsky) is a former

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

, now an art museum, located on

Old Town Square Old Town Square ( cs, Staroměstské náměstí or colloquially ) is a historic square in the Old Town quarter of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. It is located between Wenceslas Square and Charles Bridge. Buildings The square ...

in the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

area of Prague, Czech Republic. The palace's name refers to its former ownership by the Kinský noble family.

Early history

The palace was originally built for the Golz family between 1755 and 1765. As a result, the palace is also known as Golz-Kinský Palace (''Palác Golz-Kinských''). The building was designed by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer and is Rococo in style. The exterior is

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

and is painted in pink and white. There are statues by

Ignaz Franz Platzer Ignaz is a male given name, related to the name Ignatius. Notable people with this name include: * Franz Ignaz Beck (1734–1807), German musician * Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644–1704), Bohemian-Austrian musician * Ignaz Brüll (1846–190 ...

on the exterior, which are of the

classical element Classical elements typically refer to earth, water, air, fire, and (later) aether which were proposed to explain the nature and complexity of all matter in terms of simpler substances. Ancient cultures in Greece, Tibet, and India had simil ...

s. In 1768, the Kinský family purchased the home from the Golz family. Franz Kafka's father, Hermann Kafka, was a

haberdasher In British English, a haberdasher is a business or person who sells small articles for sewing, dressmaking and knitting, such as buttons, ribbons, and zippers; in the United States, the term refers instead to a retailer who sells men's clothing, ...

. He had his store at the palace, which was located on the ground floor. Franz Kafka attended

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

at the palace, from 1893 until 1901. In the interwar period, the palace housed the

legation A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, minister. Ambassadors diplomatic rank, out ...

of the

Republic of Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

(1922-1934).

Later history

The palace was used by Klement Gottwald in 1948 to address an audience from the palace's balcony. This took place in the final episode of the

1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état In late February 1948, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia. It marked the onset of four decades of the party's rule in the country., sk, Február 1948) or ...

. Since 1949, the palace has been under the administration of the National Gallery, and the building is currently used as an art museum.

References

External links

*
Official website
(archived 22 April 2017) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinsky Palace (Prague) Former palaces Art museums and galleries in the Czech Republic Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer buildings Palaces in Prague Museums in Prague Rococo architecture in the Czech Republic Franz Kafka Former school buildings in the Czech Republic 1948 in Czechoslovakia Buildings and structures completed in the 18th century Old Town (Prague)

Early history

Later history

See also

References

External links