Embassy of the United Kingdom, Prague

British Embassy in Prague
Location Czech Republic Prague, Czech Republic
Address Thunovska 14
118 00
Prague 1
Ambassador Jan Thompson OBE
Website Official website

The British Embassy in Prague is the chief diplomatic mission of the United Kingdom in the Czech Republic. It is located in the Thun Palace, a historic building in the heart of the Malá Strana ("Lesser Town").

History

A bust of Winston Churchill close to the British Embassy in Prague

The long history of the Thun Palace goes back to medieval times and there are Gothic traces in the cellars and foundations of the building. The first written record of a building at this place is from the middle of the 14th century. Since then, the location has marked some of the great events in Czech history. There are records that a house here was burnt during the Hussite Wars, along with much of Malá Strana. Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor bequeathed a rebuilt house to one of his faithful servants, and the house was subsequently traded by winners and losers during the catastrophic upheavals of the Thirty Years' War.

In 1919, when Britain established relations with the new Republic of Czechoslovakia, the British leased the Thun Palace as a Residence for the Minister and the Legation offices. It has been the Legation, and then the Embassy, ever since and in 1925 the British Government bought it. The first Czechoslovak President, Tomáš Masaryk, was a frequent visitor and according to some sources, Masaryk used to come from the Prague Castle through the Embassy garden. Over the years many internal changes to the building have been made to provide more working office space. But the main architectural features, artwork and great treasures of history remain and the building and garden continue to be amongst the most beautiful locations in the city.[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM6H3G_The_British_Embassy_in_the_Czech_Republic_Prague

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, May 04, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.