Obrazárna Pražského hradu

About the museum

The origins of the collection go back to the reign of Emperor Rudolf II, who after 1583 had paintings and sculptures bought for Prague Castle and also commissioned works. After his death most of the collection was taken to Vienna, and what remained later disappeared with the Swedish troops during the Thirty Years’ War. A new period began in 1650, when Archduke Leopold Vilém bought more than five hundred paintings in Antwerp from the collection of the Duke of Buckingham; later the collection was again depleted. After the founding of the republic it grew through purchases funded by the Masaryk Fund, especially works of Baroque painting and 19th-century Czech painting.

The Picture Gallery was set up on the ground floor of the north and west wings of the castle, in the former stables of Rudolf, to designs by František Cubr and Josef Hrubý, and it opened to the public in 1965. After the theft of a Cranach painting in 1990, the rooms were closed and the paintings were placed in safe storage. A new design by Bořek Šípek was created in the 1990s; the entrance moved to the Second Courtyard, and the remains of an early medieval church of St Mary were included in the installation. The Picture Gallery was reopened to the public on 1 June 1998.

Today the collection numbers almost four thousand items. The permanent exhibition shows more than a hundred of the most important paintings and several sculptures, arranged by schools of art (Italian, German, Dutch, Flemish). Its quality places it among the important European collections.

Highlights

• More than a hundred of the most valuable paintings from a collection of roughly 4,000 works
• The oldest continuously existing collection of paintings in the Czech lands, with roots in the time of Rudolf II
• Paintings of the Italian, German, Dutch and Flemish schools, including works by Veronese, Titian, Tintoretto and Rubens
• Interior designed by Bořek Šípek, with remains of an early medieval church of St Mary
• The ticket is also valid for the Prague Castle – permanent exhibitions circuit

Permanent exhibition

• Stálá expozice Obrazárny Pražského hradu – More than a hundred of the most valuable paintings and several sculptures from a collection of about four thousand works, arranged by schools of art from Italian through German to Dutch and Flemish.

Founded

1600

Operated by

Správa Pražského hradu

Admission & discounts

Price list valid from 1 March 2024. Pre-school pupils with an accompanying adult, and licensed guides with clients who hold a ticket, enter free. Classes of primary schools of up to 30 pupils pay CZK 150 for the Prague Castle – basic circuit and permanent exhibitions.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

All visitor sites of Prague Castle have at least partial step-free access, with the exception of the towers and the defence corridor in Golden Lane. A wheelchair user and their escort enter Prague Castle free of charge.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Other ways to arrive: Pohořelec stop (about 10 minutes uphill to the Gate of the Giants), Malostranské náměstí stop (New Castle Steps), or Královský letohrádek stop (in summer via the Royal Garden).

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit