SINCE 1370
Connect with the past
Hartig Palace (Šelmberk, Salm)
The house was built by Beneš of Kravař, an official of Emperor and King Charles IV. Before 1370, the house was bought by Petr Litomyšlský. In 1499, it was purchased by the highest chancellor Jan ze Šelmberka. In the 17th century, the house was owned by the Smyslovští family, and in 1668, Marie Anna Smyslovská bequeathed it to the Prague convent of the Order of Carmelites at Our Lady Victorious. Subsequently, the house was sold to the Hartigs, who owned it for 100 years until 1818.
In the 15th century, the house was known as “”the royal office””, in the 17th century as “”the House of the Golden Carp””, as well as the “”Šelmberk”” or “”Smyslovský”” – after its owners. During the time of his studies at Charles University before World War I, T.G. Masaryk lived in this house along with the author Teréza Nováková. Germany bought the building after World War I as its embassy. Throghout the years from 1921 to 1922, architect Adolf Foehr was making modifications to the building as to meet their needs. The house has been protected by the monument authority since 1952.
The building was in the hands of the Czech Red Cross from 1945, but currently, it is part of the TTP Invest Investment Group, which has begun a comprehensive reconstruction of the property.
The building is three stories high, with the main entrance through a historic stone portal. The entrance is formed by nine fields of cross vaults with an entrance and two lateral staircase entrances. The entire ground floor is vaulted. At the end of the garden wall, the original baroque niche with a preserved triangular pediment, interrupted in the lower part. The pediment contains an oval cartouche with a bust of a man. A fountain is located in the niche, now with a newly renovated basin. Hartig Palace offers nearly 2,000 square meters of covered space, combining spaciousness with elegance, which is necessarily associated with its historical value.
Hartig Palace is also interesting for its location. Located on Thunovská Street in Malá Strana, the palace is directly adjacent to the gardens of the Prague Castle. In the vicinity, there are also many diplomatic centers, including the embassies of Italy, the United States, Russia, and namely of Great Britain, whose walls directly adjoin Hartig Palace. It is also located in close proximity to the seat of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic and other state institutions.
