The Star: an Archduke’s Summer Palace

The Hvězda [Star] Renaissance Summer Palace is a symbol of Prague. Artefactum, publishing house of the Institute of Art, recently published The Star. Archdule Ferninand II of Tyrol and His Summer Palace in the European Context. Institute researchers directed by Ivan Prokop Muchka point out that the unusual form of the Hvězda Summer Palace and the exceptional artistic quality of its stucco decoration surpass anything found in Czech or European hunting lodges. They place the Hvězda Summer Palace both in the milieu of Habsburg “leisure” architecture and of European architecture. The universal idea of a building intended for seasonal relaxation in a green environment remained virtually unchanged throughout the whole of the early modern age. At the same time, it takes on various concrete forms in diverse architectural projects. The new photos of the stucco decoration of the Hvězda are the work of Vlado Bohdan.