Waldstein Riding School, Exhibition venue in Prague, Czech Republic
The Waldstein Riding School is a Baroque former riding hall on Valdštejnská street in Prague's Malá Strana, built by Italian architects Andrea Spezza and Nicolò Sebregondi for Albrecht von Wallenstein. It stands opposite the Waldstein Palace, adjacent to the Waldstein Garden, and now serves as a gallery of the National Gallery Prague.
This building was constructed in the early 17th century by Italian architects Andrea Spezza and Nicolo Sebregondi as part of the Waldstein complex for nobleman Albrecht von Wallenstein. Over the centuries it served different purposes before becoming an art exhibition space for the National Gallery.
The National Gallery Prague uses the hall for temporary exhibitions, and the Senate signed a long-term lease on 15 June 2000. Past shows have been retrospectives of Max Švabinský, Václav Brožík and František Ženíšek, and the thematic exhibition Glory of Baroque Bohemia.
The building stands at Valdštejnská 3, by the Malostranská metro station on line A, and is reached through the adjoining Waldstein Garden. The exhibition halls were fitted with air conditioning during the reconstruction completed in 2000, so the rooms stay at conditions suited to loaned artworks.
The building was demolished in 1974 during construction of the Malostranská metro station and rebuilt in its historic form, with restoration completed in 2000. Before that, from the 1920s onward, it served as workshops and garages for car companies including Laurin & Klement and Škoda. The Senate handed it to the National Gallery on 15 June 2000.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,375 contributors worldwide.