Archive: Travel | Prague Prague
A bit of Paris in Prague – the Bohemian coffeehouse Café Montmartre
Tucked away on Řetězová street in Prague’s Old Town, Café Montmartre
is one of the city’s oldest coffeehouses. While it looks rather
unassuming from the outside, the former cabaret has a fascinating history.
Famous writers such as Franz Kafka and Egon Erwin Kisch are said to have
spent many a wild night here, and Café Montmartre continues to draw
artists, writers and actors. We spoke to its manager, Iva Nesvadbová,
about the café’s history, its guests and its upcoming anniversary. More
Boating along the Vltava river in Prague
Forget the Blue Danube, it’s the greeny-brown Vltava which is the watery
muse of artists and musicians in this part of the world. The Vltava is the
Czech Republic’s longest river, stretching more than 400 km. It is also
the main waterway through the Czech capital Prague, and has been most
famous in recent years for bursting its banks in 2002. The floods caused
billions of crowns’ worth of damage to the capital alone, and put the
city’s metro out of action for several months. More
Cycle path shows the hidden side of Žižkov
The rumbling railroad track that used to pass through Žižkov in Prague
was completely natural to the gritty-but-chic image of the 19th century
proletariat quarter. The main western entrance to Žižkov was arched by
three foreboding railway bridges, and the noisy, spray-painted cars passed
alongside Vítkov hill to the cargo station. Four years ago the trains
were
still rattling the plaster off that lower end of the neighbourhood, just
as
they had been since the late Industrial Revolution, and then the route was
cancelled for a higher-capacity alternative. More
A Prague institution - the famous Café Slavia
Prague’s wealth of traditional coffeehouses is a legacy from the era of
the Austro-Hungarian Empire. But even in today’s hectic time, grabbing a
quick cup on the run is fortunately not the only option for coffee lovers
in the Czech capital. Probably the best-known café in the golden city is
Kavárna Slavia, or Café Slavia. We recently visited this traditional
coffeehouse. More
Prague’s “Rocket” TV Tower undergoes re-fuelling on 20th anniversary
In this week's Spotlight, we visit Prague's infamous TV tower and find it
in the middle of a major re-construction. More
The Cross Club – independent culture centre with a twist
In this week’s Spotlight we take you to an independent culture centre
decorated with an abstract array of industrial machine part artistry. More
The Mánes Exhibition Hall – an icon of functionalist architecture
The functionalist Mánes Exhibition Hall, located on the right bank of the
Vltava river between the bridges Jiraskův most and Most Legií, is one of
only two buildings in Prague that were expressly designed to house art –
the other one being the famous Rudolfinum gallery. Martin Pavala, the
chairman of the supervisory board of the Czech Art Foundation, which owns
it, explains that the art gallery’s history started in 1930. More
Karlín – Prague’s first suburb
Prague’s leafy central suburb of Karlín may best be known outside of the
Czech Republic for the devastating floods that laid ruin to it in 2002, but
much of the world has been using the machines and products born of Karlín
factories for more than a hundred years and aside from that it is also
Prague’s oldest suburb – a point recalled by an exhibition being held
this year at the City Museum in Prague that was created by historian Dr.
Zdeněk Míka: More
The House of the Black Madonna – home of the only surviving Cubist café in the world
Nestled between busy Wenceslas Square and Prague’s number one tourist
destination, Old Town Square, the House of the Black Madonna houses a small
museum of Cubism as well as the only surviving Cubist café in the world
– the Grand Café Orient, which was renovated between 2002 and 2005. More
The Museum of Decorative Arts – a must-see destination for fans of Czech design
Lovers of Czech applied arts and design will find a veritable treasure
trove of interesting items, ranging from glass wares to clocks and metal
works, in Prague’s Museum of Decorative Arts. Located right across the
street from the well-known Rudolfinum palace, the museum is housed in a
stunning Neo-Renaissance building. It was one of the last in Prague to be
designed in that style. The architect was Josef Schulz, who also was behind
the Czech National Museum. More
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