Troja Chateau

Troja was built between 1679 and 1691 for Count Vaclav Vojtech of Sternberg by Jean-Baptiste Mathey, a French architect working in Prague, and it was designed as an Italian suburban villa - a long red block with a central hall, set on an axis with formal gardens running towards the river and the castle visible beyond. The garden front carries the feature people come for: a double external staircase crowded with figures by the Heermann brothers of Dresden showing the Gigantomachy, the gods hurling the giants down from Olympus, with the defeated figures tumbling over the balustrades. Inside, the Grand Hall is frescoed floor to ceiling with a glorification of the Habsburgs by Abraham Godyn. The gardens are formal parterres with a maze and orangery, and there is a vineyard on the slope behind. Prague Zoo and the botanical garden adjoin it.

History

Troja Palace was built for the Counts of Sternberg from 1679 to 1691, in a design shaped by French and Italian architecture and mostly the work of the French architect Jean Baptiste Mathey, who also built the Buquoy Palace in Prague, now the French embassy. Domenico Orsi worked on it before Mathey, and Silvestro Carlone was the master builder. The palace now belongs to the city of Prague and holds the City Gallery's collections of 19th-century Czech art (Wikipedia, Troja Palace).

What to look for

• A staircase of falling giants - the Gigantomachy carved over the garden steps.
• The Grand Hall - frescoed throughout by Godyn with a Habsburg glorification.
• Formal parterres - laid out on an axis towards the river, with an orangery.
• A vineyard behind - on the slope above the house.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Practical notes

Open seasonally and closed on Mondays; winter access is limited. The chateau is a city gallery branch with rotating exhibitions as well as the historic rooms. Combined with the zoo it is a full day.

Nearby

Prague Zoo and the botanical garden are next door.

Key facts