This large palace is located in the Jirska street in the area of the Prague Castle. Originally a Renaissance palace of the noble family of Rosenberg, it was rebuilt in Baroque style and used as a residence for unmarried women from insolvent noble families.
Palace of the noble family of Rosenberg
There were several houses in the area already in the 13 th century, but they all burned down in the big fire at the Prague Castle in 1541. The nobles of Rosenberg, owners of the area, decided to build a large residence there. The entrusted architect Hans Vlach projected a Renaissance palace with four-wings, two of them with arcades. Rosenbergs later bought another part of the area and founded a large garden there, lined with an arcade gallery built by Ulrico Avostalis in 1574.
The Emperor Rudolph II. gained the palace in exchange in 1600. He ordered to build a wooden corridor to connect the building with the Louis Tract of the Old Royal Palace.
Residence for unmarried noblewomen
The Rosenberg Palace was rebuilt to be used as a Residence for Noblewomen in 1756. It was projected by N. Pacassi and built by A. Lurago. 30 poor noblewomen lived in the palace, all of them had to be 24 years old or older. There was only an exception for orphans, who could live there from the age of 18. The symbol of the Residence for Noblewomen was a picture of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary in a golden oval medal. The residence was led by an unmarried archduchess from the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty. The first abbess was archduchess Marie Anna, the Empress Maria Theresa´s daughter. The noblewomen lived in the first and second floors, in the other rooms there was a capitular room, a sacrarium, a chapel and the abbess apartment.
Rosenberg Palace at the present time
The Residence for Noblewomen was abolished in 1919. The palace was taken over by the Ministry of the Interior for several decades. Nowadays, there are offices of the Prague Castle administration and the Office of the President of the Czech Republic.
The Rosenberg Palace has largely preserved its look from the 18 th century. There are some traces of the former Renaissance building, such as arcades by the courtyard.
