40 Hotel Prince de Ligne

Hotel Prince de Ligne was built in 1824 by Anton Richtr. The house was named in honour of the Austrian field marshal and Belgian diplomat Charles Joseph de Ligne (1735 – 1814). In 1785 he married his daughter Kristýna to Jan Nepomuk Clary-Aldringen in Teplice.

In his youth, the Prince de Ligne received a fine education in a wide range of fields, from court etiquette, literature and philosophy to battle tactics. That is why he was not only a splendid soldier, but also a politician, a diplomat, an entertaining writer, an author of memoirs and a true aristocrat. He joined the army at an early age and was soon promoted for his merits. He made his name in the Seven Years’ War, and in 1789, together with General Laudon, he played a part in the capture of Belgrade.

During his colourful life he met a whole range of important statesmen, such as Louis XV, Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Maria Theresa and Catherine the Great. He stayed with her in Russia in 1787 and accompanied her to the Crimea. He was also a friend of Potemkin, Goethe, Voltaire, Rousseau, Casanova and many other famous figures. He also became a friend and adviser of Emperor Joseph II.

The Prince de Ligne visited Teplice regularly from 1794 to 1812. More than a hundred years later, the heights above Šanov, where the Business Academy stands today, were named after him. But the nobleman brought Teplice much more: he passed on the latest architectural ideas of Western Europe to his son-in-law, and this is reflected in the present appearance of the chateau and its garden.

Many important people stayed at Hotel Prince de Ligne, which among others also hosted Prince Metternich. The hotel became most famous only in the 1940s, when a restaurant was opened in the house. From the 1970s, the house was gradually used for various inferior purposes and was no longer maintained. In 1986 it was taken over by the Sklo Union company. The whole house was completely reconstructed according to the original designs. Now it serves as a hotel again, and once more it is a meeting place for more or less important personalities.