Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Michnův palác
Újezd 40 •
sokol.eu
• Tram #6, #9, #12, #20 or #22 to Újezd
The
Michnův palác
was built by nobleman Pavel Michna z Vacínova, though the facade
and gateway still incorporate Renaissance elements of the earlier summer palace built by
the Kinský family around 1580. From 1787 the building was used as an armoury, falling
into disrepair until it was bought in 1921 by the Czech nationalist sports movement
Sokol
,
made into the movment's headquarters and renamed Tyršův dům after one of its founders,
MiroslavTyrš.Setupin1862,indirectresponsetotheGermanTurnverbandphysicaleduca-
tionmovement,Sokol(Czechfor“falcon”)playedanimportantroleintheCzechnationalre-
vival (
národní obrození
). As well as having branches in almost every village across the land
(mostCzechsettlementshaveaSokolovna),itorganizedmassextravaganzasofsynchronized
gymnastics,involvingthousandsofparticipants,roughlyeverysixyearsfrom1882onwards.
The Communists outlawed Sokol (as the Nazis had also done) and, in its place, established a
tradition of similar spectacles called
Spartakiáda
, held every five years in the Strahov stadi-
um behind Petřín. In the 1990s, the Spartakiáda, indelibly tainted by their political past, were
once more replaced by events organized by the reformed Sokol. A small but interesting ex-
hibition details what today's Sokol gets up to.
Atelier Josefa Sudka (Josef Sudek's studio)
Újezd 30 • Tues-Sun noon-6pm • 10Kč • 251 510 760,
sudek-atelier.cz
• Tram #6, #9, #12, #20 or #22 to
Újezd
HiddenbehindthebuildingsontheeastsideofÚjezd,anextensionofKarmelitská,isafaith-
fulreconstructionof
JosefSudek'sstudio
,acutelittlewoodengardenstructure,where
Josef
Sudek
(1896-1976), the great Czech photographer, lived with his sister from 1927. Sudek
moved out to Úvoz 24 in 1958, but he used this place as his darkroom to the end of his life.
The twisted tree in the front garden will be familiar to those acquainted with the numerous
photographic cycles he based around the studio. The building has a few of Sudek's personal
effects and is now used for temporary exhibitions of other photographers' works.
Memorial to the Victims of Communism
Corner of Vítězná and Újezd • Tram #6, #9, #12, #20 or #22 to Újezd
In 2002, the Czechs finally erected a
Memorial to the Victims of Communism
at the foot
of Petřín hill, where Újezd meets Vítězná. The location has no particular resonance with the
period, but the memorial itself has an eerie quality, especially when it's lit up at night. It con-
sists of a series of statues, self-portraits by sculptor Olbram Zoubek, standing on steps that
leaddownfromPetřínhillbehind,eachinvaryingstagesofdisintegration. Theinscription at
