Kinský Palace (Prague)

Kinský Palace
Kinský Palace
Palác Kinských
	Kinský Palace in 2006
	Wikimedia \| © OpenStreetMap
General information
Architectural style	Rococo
Location	Prague, Czech Republic
Current tenants	National Gallery in Prague
Construction started	1755
Completed	1765
Design and construction
Architect	Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer
Website
	ngprague.cz

Kinský Palace (Czech: Palác Kinských) is a former palace, now an art museum, located on Old Town Square in the Old Town 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.^[1]^[2] 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 and is painted in pink and white. There are statues by on the exterior, which are of the classical elements. In 1768, the Kinský family purchased the home from the Golz family.^[2]

Franz Kafka's father, Hermann Kafka, was a haberdasher. He had his store at the palace, which was located on the ground floor. Franz Kafka attended secondary school at the palace, from 1893 until 1901.^[1] In the interwar period, the palace housed the legation of the Republic of Poland (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.^[1]^[2]

Since 1949, the palace has been under the administration of the National Gallery, and the building is currently used as an art museum.^[2]

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Richard D. E. Burton (January 2003). Prague: A Cultural and Literary History. Signal Books. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-902669-63-2. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Turp, Craig (2012). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Prague. London: DK Travel. ISBN 0756683998.