Thunovský palác, Baroque palace in Malá Strana, Prague, Czech Republic
Thunovský Palace, also called Leslie Palace, stands at Thunovská 180/14 in Prague's Malá Strana. It is a Baroque palace with a polygonal tower, rebuilt in 1716–1727 by Giovanni Battista Alliprandi and Anselmo Lurago, and it houses the British Embassy.
A house of Beneš of Kravař stood here in the 14th century and was destroyed in the Hussite wars. In 1659 Archbishop Guidobald of Thun bought it from Walter Leslie and had it rebuilt as a palace with a polygonal tower; Giovanni Battista Alliprandi gave it its Baroque form in 1716–1727, built by Anselmo Lurago, followed by Neoclassical changes by Palliardi and Pollak.
The palace has housed the British Embassy in Prague since 1919, when the diplomatic mission moved into its rooms; the United Kingdom later bought the building and garden from Count Josef Osvald III Thun. A bust of Winston Churchill by sculptor František Bělský stands before the entrance, its pedestal inscribed with a quotation on resolve in war and good will in peace.
The palace houses the British Embassy and is not open to the public as a sight; the entrance on Thunovská street is guarded. Visitors can view the bust of Winston Churchill with its inscribed quotation on the pedestal in front of the entrance. The terraced Italian-style garden is not regularly accessible.
A bust of Winston Churchill by sculptor František Bělský stands before the entrance; its pedestal bears the quote "In war resolution, in defeat defiance, in victory magnanimity, in peace goodwill."
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,164 contributors worldwide.