The Pachta family were Czech aristocrats who owned their own coat of arms (received from emperor Franz Ferdinand in 1628). They owned several buildings in Prague's Old Town, one of which, the Pachta Palace, became a popular place to stay. It hosted several important people, specifically Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as Jan Josef Pachta, the owner of the palace at the time, was a music lover. It is said that this is the only place where Mozart and Casanova ever met and one of the main suites is called the Mozart suite. 

This lion stands in the main entrance into the new Smetana hotel that is situated in the building of the original Pachta Palace.