The Star Lodge, or Summer Palace, outside Prague, is another of those curious buildings that dot the Czech Republic. The Letohradek Hvezda was designed and built in 1555 by Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol; it was supposedly a hunting lodge, but the fact that it’s shaped like a six-pointed star, with four stories, each keyed to a different color (black, white, yellow, and red), seems to indicate a more esoteric intention.
André Breton was taken with it; in his text L’Amour fou, he mentions that “A fond de l’âbime, construit en pierre philosophale, s’ouvre le château étoilé.” (At the bottom of the abyss, the star house, built of philosopher’s stone, opens.)
The Star Lodge has been the subject of speculation over the years; you’ll find some of it here. I made this sketch during a very nice trip to Prague back in 2003.
(Posted by Doug Skinner)
3 responses so far ↓
1 Gail // Jun 17, 2009 at 9:05 pm
it’s so beautiful and modern. Unbelievable that it was built in the 16th century.
2 Gail // Jun 18, 2009 at 8:08 am
I’ve been reading more about this. The very top interests me a lot. I wonder what it looked like. Was it some kind of a weather vane? Did you get to go inside? Is it a museum now? It really makes me want to go to the Czech Republic!
3 Doug // Jun 18, 2009 at 9:28 am
The building has been damaged and restored over the centuries; but the hexagram design is timeless. I think that is a weather vane, but I don’t remember.
And yes, it is a museum: mostly historical, as I recall.