Did you know that the Nostitz Palace houses the Ministry of Culture today? For centuries this palace belonged to the noble family of Nostitz-Rieneck. The Nostitz Palace stands here in Lesser Town. It graces Maltese Square in Prague’s historical center.
Let’s delve into the history of this beautiful building. Count Jan Hartvik Nostitz-Rieneck commissioned its construction. This was between 1662 and 1675. He was the supreme chamberlain at the time. The Nostitz Palace is an Early Baroque building.
It is believed that Francesco Caratti was the architect. The Nostitz Palace shares similarities with Caratti’s other works. The Cernin Palace is one such example. The Nostitz Palace boasts a stucco-decorated frontage. Statues of emperors adorn the balustrade. M. J. Brokoff created these statues. However, the current statues are replicas from 1887.
In 1760, the Nostitz Palace underwent reconstruction. It gained an ostentatious Rococo portal. The halls and salons were adorned with paintings. These paintings depict scenes from antique mythology. Anton Haffenecker added the rococo portal.
The Nostitz family significantly enriched Prague’s cultural scene. Count Frantisek Antonin Nostitz funded the Estates Theater. Back then, it was called the Nostitz Theater. Celebrated musicians like W. A. Mozart performed there.
Since 1736, the Nostitz Palace housed the renowned Nostitz Picture Gallery. After 1945, it became part of the National Gallery in Prague. The Nostitz Palace also has a large library. It holds about 15,000 titles. The National Museum now administers this library.
The Nostitz family supported young talented artists. Frederic Chopin was one musician financed by the family. The Nostitz Palace remained the family’s residence until 1945. Today, it serves as the seat of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
The palace was built on the site of a garden and two demolished houses. Johann Hartwig of Nostitz-Rieneck had it built after 1662. The library still resides in the palace. It contains 15,000 volumes. The National Museum of Prague manages it. The palace was electrified in 1908. From 1924, the Ministry of Culture and the Dutch Embassy used the building. The palace and garden have been listed as cultural monuments since 1958. Between 1998 and 2002, the palace underwent complete renovation. It was enlarged to become the seat of the Czech Ministry of Culture.
The palace’s foundation stone was laid in 1660. Redesigning of the layout and facade happened in 1736. At the same time, statues of classical emperors by Michal Jan Brokoff were erected on the roof. These were replaced with replicas in 1887.
During their almost three-hundred-year tenure of the palace, the Nostic family continued to be great patrons of the arts. They built an extensive collection of paintings and a 14,000-volume library with manuscripts dating from the thirteenth century. Here, among other enlightenment academics, the philologist Josef Dobrovsk\u00fd developed his work on the relationship of Slavic languages and their Indo-European ancestors.
So, as you stand before the Nostitz Palace, remember its rich history. Think of the noble family, the art, and the culture that flourished within these walls. It is now a center for culture.