Letohrádek Hvězda (, translating into English as "Star Villa" or "Star Summer Palace") is a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

villa situated in a

game reserve A game reserve (also known as a wildlife preserve or a game park) is a large area of land where wild animals live safely or are hunted in a controlled way for sport. If hunting is prohibited, a game reserve may be considered a nature reserve; ...

of the same name ('' Obora Hvězda'') in

Liboc Liboc is a district of the city of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. It is part of Prague 6 Prague 6, formally the municipal district Prague 6 (''Městská část Praha 6''), is the largest Prague district. It is located in the north-w ...

Prague 6 Prague 6, formally the municipal district Prague 6 (''Městská část Praha 6''), is the largest Prague district. It is located in the north-west of Prague. It covers 41.54 km² and has 100,600 inhabitants (31.12.2008). The administrative ...

, 7 kilometres west of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

city centre. The surrounding game reserve was founded in 1530 by King Ferdinand I. Twenty-five years later he commissioned his younger son

Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria (Linz, 14 June 1529 – 24 January 1595, Innsbruck) was ruler of Further Austria and since 1564 Imperial count of Tirol. The son of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, he was married to Philippine Welser ...

, to build the villa. The foundations were laid on 27 June 1555 by the Archduke alone, and construction of the villa was completed three years later. The villa is shaped as a six-pointed star, from which it and the game reserve acquire their shared name. In 1962 the villa was listed as a national cultural monument, which it remains today. An exhibition relating to the

Battle of White Mountain The Battle of White Mountain ( cz, Bitva na Bílé hoře; german: Schlacht am Weißen Berg) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the n ...

, which took place nearby, is now on permanent display inside the publicly accessible villa.

External links

Memorial of National Literature – Hvězda Summer Palace

Satellite Image of Hvězda

kudyznudy.cz
(in Czech) {{DEFAULTSORT:Letohradek Hvezda Buildings and structures in Prague Renaissance architecture in the Czech Republic Tourist attractions in Prague National Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic