The Palace was originally built in the middle of the 16th century by Jaroslav of Pernstejn & his brother Vratislav, High Chancellor of Bohemia. After the Battle of the White Mountain in 1620, the Lobkowicz family stood at the forefront of Central European politics & culture for the next 300 years. The castle was confiscated by the Communists in 1952 from Prince Maximilian Lobkowicz. Max was a friend and supporter of Thomas Masaryk (President of Czechoslovakia) and his son, Jan Masaryk (Foreign Minister) and became Czechoslovak Ambassador to Great Britain during World War II. The Lobkowicz Palace was returned to the Roudnice Lobkowicz family in 2003 under the restitution laws of 1991.