Velkopřevorské nám. 484/3 – Small Buquoy Palace

Palace History

The origins of the unique Malá Strana palace complex, of which Small Buquoy Palace is a part, date back to the 12^th century, when King Vladislav II donated a plot of land to the Order of the Hospital of St. John (later of Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta the so-called Order of Malta) for the purpose of building a church and hospital on the premises.

Small Buquoy Palace was built in 1598 in the heart of Old Prague by Melchior Gniessen of Kobach¹, the Chancelor of the Order of Malta. Over five centuries, the sought after townhouse changed hands within the ranks of the European aristocracy multiple times.

Among the residents, for instance, were Christopher II of Redern, Herman Czernin of Chudenice², and Marie Valburga, Countess Petazzi by marriage. In 1764, the house was bought by Franz Leopold Lonqueval, Count of Buquoy, High Steward of the Kingdom of Bohemia³.

Palace Architecture

The whole ground floor of the main building of Small Buquoy Palace was built in a Late Renaissance design, with the dominant feature being a Renaissance-style gable on the eastern facade, which, except for certain simplifications, has been preserved in this original form. All the vaults, groin vaults and the whole ground floor layout date back to around 1600.

Tha palace was completed and amply decorated in the Baroque and Rococo periods, as evident from the richly adorned Baroque north gable. Among the preserved features are the original fittings with Baroque hinges and the box lock on the entrance gate. Upstairs, some of the interestingly crafted accessories, include Neo-Classical doors and ceilings with covings. As the house has never been afflicted by fire, the older joist ceillings decorated with Renaissance-period paintings have been preserved. One dominant and unmistakably Rococo feauture is the inner staircase, which dates back to the second half of the 18th century and is considered amongst Prague´s most beautiful. The whole staircase space is decorated with floral decor and rocailles⁴.

The jointed porches are also features of the Rococo period, but were undoubtedly glazed at a later time. The Baroque profiled stucco chambranas lining the small portals and individual windows accentuate the decorativeness of the rental townhouse.

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Use of the palace

The palace remained the property of the originally French noble family, the Boquoys, until 1945, when it was confiscated from its last owner, Carl Georg Buquoy, under Presidental Decree No. 108/1945 Coll. The administration of the palace later fell under the authority of the Services Management of the Diplomatic Corps in Prague⁵, with today´s Diplomatic Service being its successor. For a long time, the building was rented to the French Embassy.

^{¹Dr. Vlček, Dr. Vilímková, Dr. Urban, Stavebně historický průzkum č.p. 484/III, č.j. 4927/b únor 1989

² SUA, SM sign. C 215/R 12

³ SOA Třeboň, Vs Nové Hrady, Buquoyské domy v Praze

⁴ Rokaj (franc. Rocaille – mušlička) je abstraktní a často nesymetrický ornament, podle kterého dostalo název rokoko

⁵ Výpis z pozemkové knihy Katastrální území: Praha, Malá Strana, Dům čís.: 484, ze dne 5.1.1995}