Spanish Hall at Prague Castle

Some modifications were made in the 19th century for the coronation of Ferdinand V. New mirrors, which were put on the walls, reflected candles of new chandeliers. Courtly balls took place there at the time. At the present time, the Spanish Hall is frequently used for classic music concerts and festivals, as well as for official political events.

Interior of the Spanish Hall The interior of the Spanish Hall is embellished with stucco decorations from the 17th century. You can see a monogram of Rudolph II. Above the middle window. Sculptures by Adriaen de Vries were placed in the hall in the 19th century. They represent allegories of the Arts, the Science, the Commerce and the Industry.

The majestic Spanish Hall, 43 m long, 21 m wide and 12 m tall, is situated in the North wing of the New Palace on the Second Castle Courtyard, right next to the Rudolph Gallery. It was commissioned by the emperor Rudolph II and built in 1602-06 based on a plan by G. M. Filippo as a space for emperor´s vast collection of statues. It is located above the former stables where the emperor kept horses of a rare Spanish breed - hence the name of the hall. The hall had originally columns in the middle which supported the painted ceiling, its current look is the result of a number of extensive reconstructions. From Rudolph´s era part of the stucco wall decorations were preserved. At present time the Spanish Hall is used for major state events, concerts and social gatherings.

The majestic Spanish Hall, 43m long, 21m wide and 12m tall, is situated in the North wing of the New Palace on the Second Castle Courtyard. It was commissioned by the emperor Rudolph II and built in 1602-06 based on a plan by G. M. Filippo as a space for emperor´s vast collection of statues. The hall had originally columns in the middle which supported the painted ceiling, its current look is the result of a number of extensive reconstructions. At present time the Spanish Hall is used for major state events, concerts and social gatherings.

Rudolph´s Gallery, 47m long and 10m wide, neighbouring with the Spanish Hall, was built by O. Aostalis according to plans of G. Gargiolli at the end of the 16th century to store large collections of paintings, artefacts and various rare objects in the possession of Rudolph II The gallery walls used to be smooth so that they could hold as many paintings as possible, but in the second half of the 19th century they were adorned with rich stucco decorations.

The Spanish Hall is part of the State Rooms intended for the reception of official guests of the President of Czechia; important state events, concerts and social gatherings take place in here.

The state-rooms are not ordinarily open to the visitors of the Castle. Usually, they are open to the public twice a year - in May on the day of remembrance of the Day of liberation from fascism (the first Saturday after May 8 as a rule), and in October on the day of remembrance of the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic (the first Saturday after October 28 as a rule).

Spanish Hall is a part of the Prague Castle representative premises located in the Northern wing towards the Powder Bridge. The hall got its name from being built above the stables of noble Spanish horses, the cult of which Rudolf II keenly pursued. It was built in the beginning of the 17th century upon the wish of Rudolf II to store his collections of statues. It is magnificent due to its parameters - it is 43m long, 21m wide, and 12m high. When the Spanish king Filip II visited Prague, he decorated Rudolf II by the Spanish order of the golden fleece, and its plaster model is hung on the hall's window. The author is probably Giovanni Maria Filippi. Originally, there were pillars in the middle of the hall, plus a painted ceiling. The hall was vaulted only in the Baroque era; Kilian Ignác Dientzenhofer gave it a straight, higher ceiling. In the second half of the 18th century, the so called arch hallway was created around the hall, which caused the bricking-in of the windows on this side. In place of the original windows, J. A. Saeckel painted illusive garden vedutas. The hall was re-built on the occasion of Ferdinand V coronation (1836), when royal balls were held in the Spanish hall and in the adjacent hall. New floor of oak parquets was laid, ceilings were painted in light tones by Josef Navrátil, and candles in new chandeliers reflected light from eight newly set large mirrors. Later on, the hall was re-built again for the prepared but never realized coronation of Franz Joseph I in a pseudo-Baroque style by Ferdinand Kirschner. The statues of Science, Industry, Trade and Arts were settled here, from the author A. P. de Vigne. Part of the stucco decoration on the walls dates back to the era of Rudolf II.

The Spanish Hall, Rudolf's gallery, and some other premises too were full of art treasures Rudolf II passionately collected or was given as a gift. However, most of them were taken to Sweden as a war booty, or as Habsburg royal property to Vienna, when the seat of Emperor Matthias II was transferred there, lots of objects from the collections were sold for ridiculous money. Part of the collection which remained in Prague now forms a part of the exhibition in the Prague Castle Picture Gallery.