Lichtenstein Palace Prague

Designed by Domenico Egidio Ross the Palace is one of the very first large building projects in Prague. Liechtenstein or 'Lichtenstein' Palace is also home to the 'Garden Palace' designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer, and the entire complex is now larger then when it was built in 1690 since the original residence, designed for Karl von Liechtenstein (who is best known as 'the bloody governor' for pronouncing the death sentence on 27 protestant leaders in 1621 in the name of Emperor Ferdinand the 2nd) was merged into several surrounding homes several decades later, including the Hartig Palace. It now houses two concert venues known as the Martinu Hall as well as an art gallery, café and of course the beautiful Lichtenstein Garden Palace. It became Vienna's first museum in 1807 featuring the family's private art collection. During the Nazi occupation the palace was taken by German army headquarters. After the war until 1960 the Czechoslovak army had its seat there, and afterwards it housed the Political School of the Communist Party. In the beginning of the 90s reconstruction of the Hartig and Liechtenstein Palaces was started and the complex reopened to the public in 2004. Today it is used by the Music Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts.