Ditrichštejnský palác, Renaissance palace in Hradčany, Prague, Czech Republic.
Ditrichštejnský Palace is a two-storey, four-winged Renaissance house with a square courtyard, at Loretánská 176/7 in Hradčany. Its northern facade onto the sloping street has five bays of irregularly placed paired windows, and the entrance portal set slightly left of centre carries prominent rustication with a stucco cartouche of the Kolowrat coat of arms above it.
Two ruined 14th-century Gothic houses on this site were replaced in the second half of the 16th century by a late Renaissance house built for the Šlik family. The Lobkowicz family had it rebuilt in the early 17th century, and around 1700 early Baroque alterations followed. The Ditrichštejn family acquired the palace in 1741, giving it its present name.
The palace's name comes from the Ditrichštejn family, who acquired it in 1741; before them it belonged to the Šlik, Lobkowicz, Martinic and Kolovrat families. Above the rusticated entrance portal on Loretánská Street is a stucco cartouche with the Kolowrat coat of arms, a heraldic detail a visitor can still pick out.
The palace sits near Prague Castle in the Hradcany neighborhood, making it easy to reach on foot during city walks. Visitors should expect typical cobblestones and some slopes in this older part of the city.
The palace is registered as a cultural monument and receives special legal protection in Czech Republic. This official recognition shows the building is valued as part of the nation's heritage.
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