Star Summer Palace: Symbolism in the Middle of a Former Dense Forest
400 years ago Prague was far from being as large as it is today. At the place where you can today find the game preserve Star and where Praguers go for walks and to relax in a bit of nature, used to be a dense forest.
First a game preserve, then a luxury summer palace
In 1534, Ferdinand I ordered establishment of a game preserve, which was in those days called the New Royal Game Preserve. Only in the years 1555-1558 a hunting lodge was established with a ground plan of a six pointed star, a unique work of Czech Renaissance. But by then the construction was already in the hands of his son, Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol.
Conversion of the slender structure to at low, squat one
In the 16th century the summer palace was built as a luxury slimline tall building of three floors. And there was no roofed entrance, such as the current one. There were chambers on the first floor, on the second a dining hall. Also worth noting are the rich stucco decorations, which are invaluable.
In 1948 began a sweeping reconstruction, during which ceilings were lowered, red and white shutters were added, creating luxurious exhibition premises for the exhibition of works of Alois Jirásek and Mikoláš Aleš. In 1996 another reconstruction took place: cellars where constructed where you can now visit the exhibition of the battle of the White Mountain, which took place nearby in 1620. In addition, there is also is a Museum of Czech Literature.
Star as a symbol
The star motif is repeated indoors; the luxurious geometric pavings on each floor have a star in the very centre. When you observe the mosaic from above, you can see spatial crossing of the individual axes of the twelve directions of the universe. In short, Archduke Ferdinand enjoyed symbolism.
In 1962 the Star Palace obtained its proud place on the list of national cultural monuments.
