History and nearby

The most representative hall of this palace, whose northern gateway faces the Prague Castle, is the Main Hall. The historical rooms of the palace are accessible to the public free of charge at the weekends. Next to the Main Hall, Valdštejn's representative parlours are located: the Knight Hall, the Antechambre, and the Audience Hall. In the opposite wing of the Valdštejn Palace, parallel to the Main Hall, two hallways are located: the Mythology Hallway and the Astrological Hallway one floor higher. Both hallways are richly decorated with frescoes and stucco decorations. The Mythology Hallway used to be connected by a staircase to spacious stables for as many as 40 horses. It is interesting that every horse housed in these stables would have its portrait above its box. Nowadays, the stables have become to house the Meeting Hall.
Albrecht Valdštejn had the complex of palaces built in 1623 in the place of the former Trčkovský palace, 26 other houses, three gardens and a brickworks. Renowned Italian architects, builders and artists participated in the construction. In 1648, the palace fell victim to the looting of the Swedish army that took all valuable objects including bronze sculptures of the emperor Rudolph II by Adrian de Vries and transported them to Sweden.
The palace belonged to the property of Valdštejn heirs until 1945. After that it became the property of the state that turned it into the seat of public service institutions. The palace has been the seat of the upper chamber of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, the Senat, since 1996.
The extensive reconstruction of Valdštejn Palace that took place in 2003 was awarded by Europa Nostra award.

One of the biggest attractions of the Valdštejn Palace is its garden with a small sala terrena. The sala terrena is an open construction resting on three large pillars. Its hight was unsurpassed at the time of its creation. Another interesting place of the garden is a dripstone wall with an aviary inhabited by two pairs of horned owls. The other end of the garden is enclosed by a large building of the riding school. Valdštejn had a pool with the sculpture of Hercules built in front of it.
Some of the hotel rooms offer a splendid view of the Prague Castle, which is by far the most significant cultural and historical monument not only of Prague but also the entire Czech Republic. Visitors can find here a number of sights that have witnessed the history of the Czech statehood. The most important sights include: St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, St. George Basilica, the Golden Lane, Summer Royal Palac and many more. The construction of the Prague Castle was started at the end of the 9th century by Prince Bořivoj of the Přemyslid dynasty.
Not far from the hotel you will find Malostranské square with St Nicholas Church - an important Baroque construction with a cupola and a richly decorated interior. W.A. Mozart played the organ in this church during his stay in Prague.

In the near vicinity of Valdštejnské náměstí you will find the Palace Gardens under the Prague Castle - the Kolowrat Garden, the Great and Small Palffy Garden, the Ledebour Garden, and the Small Furstenberg Garden.
The recently re-opened Gardens under the Prague Castle offer their visitors a peaceful oasis full of dignity. They are also used for various cultural and social events as concerts, garden parties, fashion shows and many other. The galeries of the Ledebour Garden are used to exhibit various pieces of art.