- Address: U Trojského zámku 4/1, 171 00 Praha-Troja, Czech Republic
- Phone: +420 283 851 614
- Website: ghmp.cz
- Ticket price: for adults $ 5.5; for children $ 2.75; family $ 11.5
The Troy Castle in Prague is sometimes called the "Czech Versailles" for the beautiful halls covered with paintings, and the French regular park surrounding it. The palace was built in 1691 for Count Wenceslas Sternberg as a summer residence. Today there is a museum and an art gallery. Many come here specially to admire the unique painting of the walls or take a walk in the park.
History of construction
Troy Castle was the first ever country estate in Prague. It was built 7 km from the city center on the banks of the Vltava River. Count Sternberg after traveling through Europe was so inspired by Roman villas that he decided to build this and himself. To this end, he invited Italian and Dutch architects and artists, as well as sculptors from Germany.
Until the beginning of the twentieth century. The Troy Castle remained private property, but gradually came to desolation. Alois Svoboda, who owned the palace in 1922, decided to transfer it to state ownership, but set the only condition: that in the territory there would be an open public space. After that, the palace and the park were restored, and on a vast plot of land opened a zoo and a botanical garden. Now they are considered one of the best in Europe.
Halls of the Summer Palace of Troy
Today the most bright and interesting halls are open for visitors here. Must visit:
- The Imperial Hall with a bubble "Apotheosis of the Habsburgs", dedicated to their victory over the Turks in the Battle of Vienna. The whole hall is covered with frescoes telling about the great dynasty. Especially it is worth paying attention to the technique of painting trompley, which creates an effect of three-dimensionality and presence.
- The Chinese hall is an enfilade of several rooms in the eastern part of the castle. They appeared in the 18th century, when an unknown artist covered their walls with oriental paintings, referring the viewer to Chinese paintings on silk.
- The Picture Gallery is a collection of the museum "The Metropolitan Gallery of Prague". Here you will see fine art of the XIX century: portraits, landscapes, plot painting and other genres.
- The stable is an internal premise of the castle and is painted no less brightly and interestingly than other halls.
Park and the famous staircase
You can take a walk in the French park for free, the ticket is required only in the inner chambers of the castle. The park is decorated with neatly trimmed lawns and bushes, amazing fountains, antique statues and terracotta vases with beautiful flowers.
The entrance to the castle is decorated with a double staircase, on each march of which there are sculptures and busts representing the gods and heroes of Greek mythology. Due to these statues, the Pragueians were given the name "Troy" to the whole palace, and after that it was fixed to the surrounding territory.
Helpful information
The opening hours of the Troy Castle in Prague are every day except Monday from 10:00 to 18:00. On Friday, you should not arrive earlier than 13:00, before this time, weddings are held in the palace and park. For visiting it is necessary to choose warm months of the year from April to October, as in winter the castle is closed.
It is most profitable to buy a combined entrance ticket, the so-called Troy card, which entitles you to visit the palace, zoo and botanical garden. It costs $ 12.8 and is valid from April to October. At the same time, it is not necessary to visit all three sites in one day.
How to get to Troy Castle in Prague?
By car from the city center can be reached in 15 minutes. without traffic jams, on public transport - a little longer. On the metro you need to reach the terminal station on line C, then take bus 112 to Zoo stop, which will take from 30 to 40 minutes.
The Prague Zoo is located opposite the Troy Palace. On weekends, you can take advantage of free zoobuses that run from the same stop every 10 minutes. Trams Nos. 14,17 and 25 also go to the zoo. You can get to the Troy Castle along the Vltava River Tram. They leave from the pier of the Palackeno Bridge and walk past the main sights of Prague right up to the summer residence. The ticket for the boat costs $ 5.5.