Letohrádek královny Anny
Renaissance summer palace in the Royal Garden of Prague Castle, intended for exhibitions; closed for more than a year since May 2026.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The summer palace was built in 1538–1560 by Ferdinand I on the eastern edge of the Royal Garden of Prague Castle for his wife Anne Jagiellon, who did not live to see its completion and died in 1547. Designed by the Italian builder and stonemason Paolo della Stella, it is regarded as the purest Italian Renaissance architecture outside Italy. It is surrounded by an arcaded gallery with 36 columns and rich relief decoration, and is crowned by a unique copper roof in the shape of an inverted ship's keel. It was completed in 1563 by Hans Tirol and Bonifác Wohlmut, who added the upper floor.
Rudolf II used the summer palace the most: on the upper floor he set up an astronomical observatory, which Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler visited, and after losing the royal title in 1612 the emperor died there. In 1648 the building was plundered by Swedish troops, and later it housed an artillery laboratory. In 1841–1855 the architects Bernard Grueber and Petr Nobile adapted it into a picture gallery for the Society of Patriotic Friends of Art and added a monumental Neoclassical staircase.
After the restoration by Pavel Janák in the early 1950s the summer palace has served as an exhibition hall, and a further reconstruction took place in 1988–1991. In front of the building stands the Renaissance Singing Fountain from 1564–1568. Since May 2026 the summer palace has been closed for more than a year; the Royal Garden remains open.
Highlights
- Pure Renaissance architecture with an arcaded gallery and rich relief decoration
- Copper roof in the shape of an inverted ship's keel
- Singing Fountain from 1564–1568 in front of the building
- Site of astronomical observations under Rudolf II
- Location in the Royal Garden of Prague Castle
- Founded
- 1538
- Operated by
- Správa Pražského hradu
Admission & discounts
The summer palace has been closed for more than a year since May 2026.
Accessibility
The summer palace has been closed for more than a year since May 2026.
Kids & families
The summer palace has been closed for more than a year since May 2026.
Getting there & parking
The summer palace has been closed for more than a year since May 2026.
Amenities & dining
The summer palace has been closed for more than a year since May 2026.
Events & venue rental
The summer palace has been closed for more than a year since May 2026.
