Liechtensteinsky palac

The Liechtenstein Palace on the upper end of Malostranské náměstí (Lesser Town Square) in Prague is a historic city palace that now houses the music faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts. It originally grew out of five houses dating to the early 15th century, which Karl I of Liechtenstein had joined from 1622 into a single ensemble with an inner courtyard and garden. After a Baroque remodeling in the 1670s, the building received its present Neoclassical facade in 1791 from Matyáš Hummel, who also added a monumental staircase and a large hall. Passing through a series of owners, among them the Counts of Ledebour and the Princes of Windisch-Graetz, the palace served a range of military and political purposes over the centuries, from the headquarters of the Austro-Hungarian army corps command to the Communist Party's political academy. Renovations for the university began in the late 1980s. Today, you can visit the large concert hall on the second floor, named after the composer Bohuslav Martinů, as well as the Neoclassical rooms, which reflect the rich history of the site.