Lažanský Palace, Neo-Renaissance palace near National Theatre, Prague, Czech Republic
The Lažanský Palace is a three-story building with four wings and two courtyards, distinguished by its elegant main entrance with a balcony supported by decorative corbels. The facade displays typical Neo-Renaissance architectural features with carefully crafted ornaments.
The palace was designed by architect Vojtěch Ignác Ullmann between 1861 and 1863 on the site of former bathhouses from the 14th century. This construction marked a transition from medieval structures to modern urban architecture in the 19th century.
The building houses the Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts, serving as a center for artistic training and creative work.
The palace stands at the corner of Národní třída and Smetanovo nábřeží, directly opposite the National Theatre. The café on the ground floor is reached from Národní třída; the upper floors, used by the Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts, are not open to visitors.
The palace's name honours Count Prokop Lažanský, who had it built as his aristocratic residence. In 1881 the entrepreneur Václav Zoufalý opened a café on the ground floor, first called Velká Slavie and later Slavia; it closed from 1989 to 1997 and has served customers again since.
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