Press Advisories

12. 2. 200917:55

Entire Hrzánský Palace in Prague will be opened to the public during the weekend

Entire Hrzánský Palace in Prague will be opened to the public during the weekend, the reason is enormous public interest in the exhibition of European orders and decorations.

Over the past ten days the exhibition of the highest state decorations of the member states of the European Union has been seen by more than 5,000 visitors. Responding to the great public interest in the display, the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic has decided to open to the public the entire Hrzánský Palace where the exhibition is held on the weekend of February 14-15, 2009.

Visitors will also see the reconstructed representative premises used by the Government, the Prime Minister’s office as well as a selection of historic objects from the collections of the Office of the Government. Hrzánský Palace, situated on the southern side of Loretánská Street (map) not far from the Prague Castle, will be opened to the public only for the second time in its history. At present, it serves as one of the representative premises for the reception of state visits. Several of the Palace’s interiors and its exterior have recently passed through extensive reconstruction, and visitors will see for the first time e.g. the Tapestry Hall in its renovated garb.

Guided visits of the Hrzánský Palace as part of the Open Days will take place on both days from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Information on the history of Prague’s Hrzánský Palace can be found at: /en/urad-vlady/dalsi-objekty/hrzansky-palace-21436/) An exhibition called “The Beauty of European Orders and Distinctions - Decorations from the EU Member States“ is on display in the Hrzánský Palace throuhgout February. This exhibition is held by the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic in conjunction with all the member countries of the European Union, the country’s Office of the President of the Republic, the National Museum and the Military History Museum. Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek and Vice Premier for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra have taken over the auspices of the exhibition. The most valuable exhibits in this display include Denmark’s Order of the Elephant, established as early as in the middle of the 15th century.

At present, this order is usually awarded only to members of the ruling families related to the Danish royal court and to heads of state. The Order of the Elephant was in this country only three times in history: its holders were Tyho de Brahe, Field Marshall Karl I Prince of Schwarzenberg and President Tomáš G. Masaryk. After the death of the holder the order is returned to Denmark, and that is also why it is not represented in the collections of orders and distinctions and is almost never displayed.

More information is available at: http://faleristika.vlada.cz/faleristika_eng.html