Prague: palace Clam Gallas
The Clam Gallas palace in Prague is a partially hidden jewel, since its huge dimensions are not properly fitting anymore in the narrow streets of the Old Town of Prague. The palace is a masterpiece designed by one of the most famous baroque architects in Central Europe, Fischer von Erlach, the same architect chosen by the Austrian emperors to build Schönbrunn.
As I described already in other posts connected to the Czech history, most of the events that made the fortune or the disgrace of the local noble families are connected to the Thirty Years war. This war raged throughout Europe at the beginning of the XVII century. It opposed the conservative catholics (including the Habsburgs) against the protestants and ended with the victory of the catholics. Prague and the whole Bohemia were one of the regions, where the war was more devastating. Whoever sided the protestant faith preached by Jan Hus and fought to remain independent from the Habsburgs was exhiled, deprieved of all its property or in most cases even killed.
Also the story of the this palace starts from there, since the site and the old palace were owned by one of the most powerful Bohemia families, the Kinsky. But the leader of the family at that time, Wilhelm Kinsky remained finally loyal to the generalissimo Albrecht von Wallenstein and ended killed in the so-called massacre of Cheb (1634), together with Wallenstein himself and other loyal officers. Therefore, the emperor Ferdinand II gave the confiscated palace to the general Matthias, count of Gallas. This family was original from Northern Italy and Matthias was borne at the end of the XVI century in Trento, at that time part of Tyrol. He became a professional soldier and was involved in the whole Thirty Years’ war. He reached the highest ranks in the army led by Wallenstein, but never became generalissimo himself. As already explained, Wallenstein was finally disgraced by the Emperor and Matthias changed position and sided with the Emperor and was supposedly one of the planners of the Cheb execution of the generalissimo and his loyal subordinates.
But it was the son of Matthias, Johann Wenzel Gallas, who ordered the erection of a new Baroque palace, after he purchased several neighbouring houses to enlarge his property. He addressed the court architect of Vienna, Fischer von Erlach and the construction started in 1713. But Johann Wenzel was never able to see his new palace, since he died prematurely and the construction has to be completed by his heirs. At the end of the XVIII century, a private theatre was also established. Meanwhile the family name evolved in Clam Gallas (see the logo depicted on the handles inside the palace in the picture below), since the original Gallas ended without male heirs. And the new family associated its name to the musical events in the theatre, where also Beethoven and Mozart performed.
The palace became again notorious at the beginning of the Czechslovak state, since it housed, among others, the Finance Ministry. Finally, it was completely closed during the Communism and went recently through a major renovation, which ended in 2022. It was reopened to the public only very recently and therefore is still off the menu of the mass tourism. Actually, normally the place is empty, marking the visit even more memorable.
