Did you know that there is a palace in Europe that was built in memory of a monarch’s spouse? Its story would remind you of the love story behind the Taj Mahal in India. This palace is in Prague in Czechia (AKA The Czech Republic) and was built in memory of a member of the Hapsburg dynasty.

Our story starts off in 1503 with the birth of Anna Jagiellon, the daughter of King Vladislaus II of Hungary and Bohemia. Bohemia is a region that is located in modern day Czechia. It should be noted that this Anna Jagiellon shouldn’t be confused with the Polish Queen and Lithuanian Grand Duchess who lived from 1523 to 1596. The Anna we are talking about was 20 when the Polish Queen Anna was born. Anna was born in the city of Buda which is now part of the Hungarian capital of Budapest. She had a younger brother who succeeded their father to the Hungarian and Bohemian throne in 1516. At a young age, she was arranged to be married to Archduke from Austria named Ferdinand whom she later married in 1521 in Linz, Austria. Five years later, Ferdinand ascended to the throne of Bohemia and Hungary after Anna’s brother Louis died in a horseback accident without an heir. Together, Ferdinand and Anna had 15 children though two died in childhood. Many of their children married into noble and royal households though a few remained celibate (they didn’t marry, stayed single) and became nuns. Sadly, Anna died a few days after giving birth to her a girl named Joanna in 1547. Coincidentally, the day she died was 27 January 1547 and a day later, King Henry the Eighth of England died, also leaving a widow (Catherine Parr).

Distraught, Ferdinand I commissioned an Italian architect called Paulo della Stella to build a palace in memory of his wife. That palace, made with influences from architecture of the Italian Renaissance was completed in 1563 and is called Belvedere Palace (AKA the Royal Summer Palace), this palace has beautiful arcades, a facade that is beautifully decorated an a lovely garden. It can be found in the Royal Garden of Prague Castle in Prague, Czechia. The aforementioned architecture of Belvedere stands out amidst Prague Castle’s Gothic surroundings. Oddly enough, construction had started during the last 9 years of Anna’s life. By the time it was complete, Ferdinand became Holy Roman Emperor and he never remarried.