People can today visit the otherwise inaccessible Liechtenstein Palace on Kampá

Prague – The Office of the Government, on the occasion of today’s commemoration of the burning of Master Jan Hus, will open the Liechtenstein Palace in Prague's Kampa for those interested, which serves the government for representative purposes and accommodation of important guests. The palace will be open to the public from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. On Sunday, people could visit the Hrzánský Palace in Hradčany, which the government uses for representative purposes and as an alternate residence. The normally inaccessible building was opened to the public by the Office of the Government on the state holiday of the Day of Slavic Saints Cyril and Methodius.

Open house days are part of the long-standing tradition of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic, which opens buildings associated with the execution of state administration to the public during significant holidays.

At the Liechtenstein Palace, visitors on a guided tour will visit the representative spaces used during state visits and diplomatic negotiations, including the Golden and Brown Halls. The visitor route will also include the exhibition "Gifts to Prime Ministers," which is continually supplemented with new exhibits. The exhibition showcases over 130 gifts that Czech prime ministers have received from representatives of approximately three dozen countries around the world.

The palace was built in 1697 and 1698 according to the design of the Italian architect Giovanni Battista Alliprandi for the noble family of Kaiserštejn. It changed owners several times afterward. The last noble owners were the Liechtensteins, who owned the palace between 1831 and 1864. It was then purchased by the miller František Odkolek and remodeled into its current form. From 1979 to 1991, the state had the palace adapted for the needs of the government presidency according to the project of architect Kamil Fuchs.

The palace hosts official receptions for foreign statesmen, meetings of the government's advisory bodies, and last but not least, it serves as accommodation for state delegations. In the past, the building was inhabited by, for example, the Spanish King Juan Carlos and his wife Sofia, British Queen Elizabeth II, and Japanese Emperor Akihito with Empress Michiko.