Kaiserštejnský palác, Baroque palace in Malá Strana, Czech Republic
Kaiserstein Palace is a baroque building at Malostranské náměstí 37, formed in 1714 by rebuilding two Renaissance houses. It consists of two buildings linked by narrow side wings around a small courtyard; the rear building at Josefská 3 preserves Renaissance vaults and painted late-Renaissance beamed ceilings. The design is by Giovanni Battista Alliprandi, built by Kryštof Dientzenhofer's workshop.
The palace was built in 1714 when Count František Helfried of Kaiserstein commissioned the reconstruction of two Renaissance buildings on the site. Architect Giovanni Alliprandi transformed the structures into a baroque residence.
The palace is also called U Petzoldů, after hotelier Václav Petzold, who ran a restaurant here; his wife Marie Petzoldová-Sittová was the first performer of the title role in Smetana's The Bartered Bride. Soprano Ema Destinnová lived here from 1908 to 1911, and a bronze bust by Jan Simota was unveiled on the house in 1978.
The palace is used for conferences, weddings, exhibitions and concerts; its nine halls hold up to 400 visitors. The entrance to the rear building, where Renaissance vaults and painted beam ceilings survive, is at Josefská 3, separate from the main facade on Malostranské náměstí.
The main facade facing the square originally featured an arcade that was replaced with a balcony in 1896. This change reflects how later renovations altered the building's appearance.
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