Spanish Hall (Prague Castle)
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Spanish Hall ( cs, Španělský sál) is a ceremonial hall in the New Royal Palace of Prague Castle. As part of the State Rooms it is intended for the reception of official guests of the
President of the Czech Republic The president of the Czech Republic is the head of state of the Czech Republic and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. The president mostly has ceremonial powers as the day-to-day business of the executive governm ...
. Many important political and social events take place in the hall.


History

Spanish Hall was originally intended for the display of statuary collected by Emperor Rudolph II. The over-lifesize
terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...
and
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 ...
statues by Adriaen de Vries were exhibited in the niches in the southern wall. Later the hall was used for ceremonial court occasions such as banquets and concerts. The hall was built in 1602–1606, perhaps by Italian architect Giovanni Maria Filippi. The walls were decorated with
pilaster In classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...
s and Renaissance stucco reliefs, some of which have survived. A row of wooden columns in the centre of the hall supported a panelled coffer ceiling and underpinned the double span-roofs. In the early 18th century the original roofs were replaced by a new king-post roof during
Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer ( cs, Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer) (1 September 1689, Prague – 18 December 1751) was a Bohemian architect of the Baroque era. He was the fifth son of the German architect Christoph Dientzenhofer and the Bohemian-Ger ...
's alternations. The height of the hall was raised by 2.5 meters and a row of smaller windows was added. The hall was damaged during the Prussian bombardment of Prague Castle in 1757 and then was restored by
Nicolò Pacassi Nicolò Pacassi (5 March 1716 – 11 November 1790), also known as Nikolaus Pacassi, was an Italian-Austrian architect. He was born in Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria in a family of merchants from Gorizia. In 1753, he was appointed court archite ...
who removed the central columns. In that time the niches in the southern wall were walled-up and the painter Norbert Kryštof Saeckel decorated them with illusive landscape views with ruins. In 1868 these paintings were covered with mirrors. In 1826 new toilets were installed between the Hall and neighbouring Rudolph Gallery. Both interiors were then rebuilt in 1865–1868 during the preparations for the Bohemian coronation of Emperor
Francis Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...
, which, however, never took place. The reconstruction was led by
Viennese Viennese may refer to: * Vienna, the capital of Austria * Viennese people, List of people from Vienna * Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna * Music of Vienna, musical styles in the city * Viennese Waltz, genre of ballroom dance * V ...
builder Ferdinand Kirschner to plans by architect Hans von Ferstel. The present relief decoration originated mostly in that time. Contrary to the Rudolphian freely modelled stucco it consists of plaster castings additionally fixed on the walls and the ceilings. The two shorter walls of the hall were designed and built in a wholly new way.


Description

Spanish Hall measures 48 meters by 24 meters and 12 meters high. The two long walls have remained from the time of Rudolph II—with nine windows on the north side and the same number of niches of identical size on the south wall. The keystone above the central window bears the imperial monogram ''R'' with the
Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...
. The two shorter walls, with galleries, were built in 1860s and are decorated with sculptures of Art, Science, Trade and Industry by Auguste la Vigne. The gilded chandeliers and wall lights date from the late 19th century, and take over 2,000 electric light bulbs.


References


External links

* {{Coord, 50.0903, N, 14.3985, E, source:wikidata, display=title Prague Castle