SAMPLE PROGRAM
| 6:30 p.m. |
Departure by bus to Prague Castle area Walk through Prague Castle courtyards to the Lobkowicz Palace |
| 07:00 p.m. | Arrival to the Lobkowicz Palace The Palace was originally built in the middle of the 16th century by Jaroslav of Pernstejn & his brother Vratislav, High Chancellor of Bohemia. Vratislav was also the father-in-law of the 1st Prince Lobkowicz, Zdeněk Popel, whose wife was Polyxena Pernstejn. It was to this very building that the injured ministers Martinic & Slavata were brought and hidden by Polyxena after their famous defenestration from the adjoining Royal Castle in 1618. After the Battle of the White Mountain in 1620, the Lobkowicz family stood at the forefront of Central European politics & culture for the next 300 years. Large scale remodeling of the Palace interior was undertaken in the mid-17th and 19th centuries, as well as functional alterations under the Communist regime (1948-1989). The castle was confiscated by the Communists in 1952 from Prince Maximilian Lobkowicz. Max was a friend and supporter of Thomas Masaryk (President of Czechoslovakia) and his son, Jan Masaryk (Foreign Minister) and became Czechoslovak Ambassador to Great Britain during World War II (serving from 1939-1948). The Lobkowicz Palace was returned to the Roudnice Lobkowicz family in 2003 under the restitution laws of 1991. |
| 07:00 p.m. | Welcome aperitif with canapés and greeting by William Lobkowicz William Lobkowicz personally greets the arriving group before they visit the gallery upstairs. His introduction will cover both his family's history and its current attempts to preserve its cultural heritage. |
| 07:30 p.m. | Guided tour of The Princely Collections with an English-speaking guide Housed in the Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle, The Princely Collections are drawn from the extensive Lobkowicz Collections, one of the most significant aristocratic family collections in Europe. Major paintings - including Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s Haymaking and two world-renowned views of London by Canaletto - are on display as are rare decorative arts, one of the finest collections of arms and armor in Central Europe, and important musical instruments and manuscripts including Beethoven’s 5th Symphony and Mozart’s reorchestration of Handel’s Messiah. |
| 08:00 p.m. | Gala dinner The gala dinner will be served in designated rooms of the Palace. These historic rooms provide the setting for an incomparable dining experience. Our chefs, who have been trained in many of Prague’s finest dining restaurants and hotels, including The Four Seasons, will offer excellent menu choices of international and traditional Czech dishes. Dinner will be accompanied by a classical duo (guitar and flute) or by a quartet playing classical music. |
| 10:00 p.m. | After dinner drinks can be served on the terrace and guests will have an opportunity to enjoy spectacular panoramic views of Prague |
| 10:30 p.m. | Departure by bus back to the hotel |