The palace was built for the Counts of Sternberg from 1679 to 1691. The French architect Jean Baptiste Mathey did most of the design work. Domenico Orsi worked on it earlier, and Silvestro Carlone was the master builder. The style is Baroque, influenced by French and Italian architecture. The article gives no materials or dimensions.
Johann Georg and Paul Heermann of Dresden made the stairs between the palace and gardens, with statues of gods and giants. The Antwerp painters Abraham and Izaak Godijn began the trompe-l'oeil fresco in the main room in 1690. The central axis of the garden points toward the spires of St. Vitus Cathedral.
The Czechoslovak state bought it in 1922, and restoration began in the 1970s. The City of Prague owns it, and it houses the City Gallery's collection of 19th-century Czech art.
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