Wallenstein Palace Malá Strana

Valdštejnské náměstí, a small square northeast of Malostranské náměstí, is dominated by the monumental 1630 palace of Albrecht of Wallenstein, general of the Habsburg armies, who financed its construction with properties confiscated from Protestant nobles he defeated at the Battle of Bílá Hora in 1620. It now houses the Senate of Czechia (the parliament's upper chamber), with limited public access. Enter via the Senate Information Centre in the first courtyard – the self-guided tour takes in the more spectacularly decorated parts of the palace. The ceiling fresco in the Baroque Hall shows Wallenstein as a warrior at the reins of a chariot, while the unusual oval Audience Hall has a fresco of Vulcan at work in his forge.