The Kinsky Palace

The Kinsky palace is a former palace which is now art museum located on the Old Town square.

The Rococo building was designed by the project of Anselm Lurago or K. I. Dientzenhofer from 1755 to 1765 for Jan Arnošt Golz. In 1768 (after the death of Count Goltz) František Oldřich Count Kinský bought the Palace. The palace remained in the possession of his family until the year 1945. In 1836 Rudolf Prince Kinský started the reconstruction of the entire residence by the builder, Jindřich Koch.

In 1843, Berta Stuttnerová-Kinská was born in the palace; she was the first Peace Nobel Prize winner. The German gymnasium, which was located on the second floor, was attended by young Franz Kafka in 1893-1901. On the ground floor his father, Hermann Kafka, had a haberdashery shop from 1912 until his death. By 1929 Polish Embassy was here. On 25 February 1948 Klement Gottwald gave a speech from the balcony and so began another era of the lack of freedom for our peoples.

In 1995 – 2000 they made reconstruction of the palace. The Kinských library was reconstructed and precious and highly protected Romanesque and Gothic cellars were opened to the public.