Letohrádek Hvezda / Hvezda Chateau - Liboc (Prague)
N 50° 05.001 E 014° 19.594
33U E 451820 N 5548115
Beautiful Chateau Hvezda (Letohrádek Hvezda), one of the most interesting Renaissance buidings in Prague, is located in Hvezda gaming park in Liboc suburb district of Prague.
Waymark Code: WMQCZX
Location: Hlavní město Praha, Czechia
Date Posted: 02/07/2016
Views: 66
Beautiful Chateau Hvezda (Letohrádek Hvezda), one of the most interesting Renaissance buidings in Prague, is located in Hvezda gaming park in Liboc suburb district of Prague.
Hvezda, an outstanding chateau and hunting lodge is the work of Renaissance architects Giovanni Maria Aostalli and Giovanni Lucchese. Commissioned in 1530 by the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, the project was finally realized in 1555 by his son Ferdinand II, vice-regent of Bohemia. The summer palace lies at the junction of a series of formal avenues on high ground about 7 km west of the centre of Prague. Its geometric design ('hvezda' means 'star' in Czech) refers to the mystical properties of the number six, traditionally a symbol of the union of heaven and earth. The foundation date, 1555, is likely to have been chosen as a multiple of 311, the year of the Edict of Toleration of Christians by the Roman emperor Galerius.
Such arcane numerology, however, failed to save the palace from a number of bloody battles fought at or near its strategic hilltop location, notably the Battle of the White Mountain (1620) and the Battle of Prague (1648). The first of these is commemorated in a permanent display now exhibited inside the building.
In 1962, Hvezda was listed as a national cultural monument, which it remains today. Chateau is opened for visitors daily except mondays during summer season (from April to October).