Since 1947, Sternberg Palace has been home to masterpieces of National Gallery Prague whose predecessor, the Picture Gallery of the Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts, had been located there in the 19th century.
The palace was founded by the imperial count Wenzel Adalbert of Sternberg (1643 – 1708), a descendant of one of the oldest aristocratic families and as such, one of the most powerful Bohemian magnates. In 1690 he purchased the estate adjoining Prague’s Archbishops’ Palace. The topographically complicated site, steeply sloping down, featured an earlier house of medieval origin. The new owner immediately started planning a large residence. Built between 1699 and 1708, the palace is attributed to Giovanni Battista Alliprandi. Upon Sternberg’s death in 1708, the palace was only partly completed.
Even though only fragments of the original decoration have remained, Sternberg Palace is a first-rate jewel of High Baroque architecture in Prague. Both the building and its furnishings combine diverse art forms, creating the perfect space for artworks of miscellaneous styles and times.
Permanent exhibition: Old Masters II
The Old Masters II is a follow-up to the Old Masters permanent exhibition located in the opposite Schwarzenberg palace. It features a unique collection of early Italian art, complemented by Renaissance and Baroque paintings, as well as extraordinary collections of Dutch and Flemish painting dated 15th-18th centuries - including works by Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck.
