The Spanish Hall

The most striking of the State Rooms at Prague Castle, the glittering and gold and white Spanish Hall, is also the largest chamber, measuring 48 metres long, 24 metres long and 12 metres high. It takes its name from the stables under it, which housed Spanish thoroughbred horses.

The original structure dates from the seventeenth century and was designed by Italian architect Giovanni Maria Filippi, and later altered and heightened in the eighteenth century by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. Further changes were made for the coronation of Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand I, in 1836, and the hall was furnished with mirrors, which covered the original frescoes, depicting ancient scenes and dating from 1774. The Baroque features we can see today are actually the result of reconstruction carried out in between 1866 and 1868, for the coronation of Habsburg Emperor Joseph I, although the ceremony did not actually take place.

Today, the Spanish Hall is used for important state occasions. Cultural events such as concerts are also held in the hall, including the Strings of Autumn festival.

The Spanish Hall is open to the public, for a few days in May and at the end of October.