Lobkowicz Palace

Built sometime around the second half of the 16th century by two Czech nobleman brothers, the Lobkowicz Palace opened in 2007 as a museum within the Prague Castle complex. Spread over 22 galleries, the museum is a UNESCO World Heritage site and displays one of Central Europe’s most comprehensive socio-cultural assemblages, the Lobkowicz Collections. The House of Lobkowicz is a Czech noble family dating back to the 14th century and known to have sponsored the musical maestro Beethoven. After losing properties in the pillages of Second World War, a large number of the family’s estates were restored to different heirs following the Velvet Revolution of 1989, which included this museum and the collections therein.

More than 1,500 paintings, including works of Pieter Bruegel, Canaletto, Veronese, Velazquez, and Rubens, rare ceramic pieces like the largest-surviving 17th-century Delft dinner service in the world, and unique arms and weapons used for hunting parties in the 18th-20th century are part of the collection. However, the museum’s main attraction is the Music Archive, where one can find a spectacular collection of instruments, manuscripts, and hand-annotated works of Mozart, Beethoven, and other world-famous classical and baroque composers. The library, which is the oldest and largest private collection in Central Europe, is a must-visit as well. The museum also offers an exclusive one-hour programme where select creations of musical geniuses such as Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, and Beethoven are performed. The hall for the concert features a classical piano and more exquisite art pieces, while seats are laid out under a 17th-century fresco ceiling.