Abstract
The Star (Hvězda) Renaissance summer palace is one of the symbols of Prague. The authors of the book tried to put the Star into the context of Habsburg "leisure" architecture, but also into a pan-European cnotext.
Among the specific features of the Star that are analysed in detail are the six-pointed star ground plan, the surprisingly monumental character of the building, its seemingly pointless fortress-like character, and the multisemantic yet playful iconography of the white stucco reliefs in the interior, evoking ancient Rome. In the same way, the game preserve surrounding the building (which already in Renaissance times had wide avenues intersecting in the form of a star) is interpreted as an important element helping to create the character of the Hvězda.
A key role in its construction was played by the governor in Prague, Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria (1529-1595), who commissioned the building and was its "inventor". The wealth of stucco decoration motifs is documented by more than seven hundred reproductions made specifically for this book.