Wallenstein Palace

Lonely Planet review

Wallenstein Square (Valdštejnské náměstí), the small square to the northeast of Malostranské náměstí, is dominated by a monumental palace built in 1630 by Albrecht of Wallenstein, generalissimo of the Habsburg armies. The palace displaced 23 houses, a brickworks and three gardens, and was financed by the confiscation of properties from Protestant nobles defeated at the Battle of Bílá Hora (White Mountain) in 1620.

The palace now houses the Senate of the Czech Republic, but you can visit some of the rooms on weekends. The fresco on the ceiling of the Baroque Hall shows Wallenstein glorified as a warrior at the reins of a chariot, while the unusual oval Audience Hall is capped with a fresco of Vulcan at work in his forge.