Letohrádek Hvězda

Welcome to Obora Hvězda, a sprawling sanctuary of nature and geometry located on the northwestern edge of Prague. As we step through the historic gates of the perimeter wall, the ambient noise of the city abruptly fades, replaced…

To understand the genesis of the Star Summer Pavilion, we must delve into the mind of its patron, Archduke Ferdinand the Second, the first Habsburg to effectively rule from the Czech throne. In 1555, Ferdinand commissioned this…

We now stand before the Letohrádek Hvězda itself. The most immediate and striking feature is, of course, its ground plan: a perfect six-pointed star. …

As serene as this pavilion appears today, it is impossible to stand here without acknowledging the dark, violent history that saturated the soil just outside these walls. The very name 'Bílá Hora', or White Mountain, which is the…

Following the devastation of the Thirty Years' War, the Letohrádek Hvězda entered a long period of severe utilitarian degradation. By the late eighteenth century, during the reign of Emperor Joseph the Second, the Renaissance…

In the twentieth century, the Star Pavilion experienced a remarkable resurrection, transforming from a neglected military storehouse into a beacon of Czech cultural identity. Following extensive and careful restorations, the…

Let us turn our gaze away from the stone of the pavilion and back to the surrounding park. The atmosphere of Obora Hvězda today could not be more completely divorced from its bloody, exclusive past. …

As we conclude our walk through Obora Hvězda, take a moment to look back down the long avenue at the Star Pavilion. It stands there as an architectural paradox: a building rooted in esoteric Renaissance philosophy, scarred by the…