Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Národní třída
Tram #6, #9, #18, #22 or #24 to Národní třída
The eastern half of
Národní třída
is lined with shops, galleries and clubs, all of which
begin to peter out as you near the Vltava. On the north side is an eye-catching duo of Art
Nouveau buildings, designed by Osvald Polívka in 1907-08. The first, at no. 7, was built for
the
pojišťovnaPraha
(PragueSavingsBank),hencethebeautifulmosaicletteringabovethe
windows advertising
život
(life insurance) and
kapital
(loans), as well as help with
důchod
(pensions) and
věno
(dowries). Next door, the slightly more ostentatious
Topičův dům
,
headquarters of Československý spisovatel, the official state publishers, makes the perfect
neighbour, with a similarly ornate wrought-iron and glass canopy.
THE MASAKR
Onthenightof
November17,1989
,a50,000-strong,officiallysanctionedstudentdemon-
stration, organized by the students' union SSM (League of Young Socialists), worked its
way down Národní with the intention of reaching Wenceslas Square. Halfway down the
street they were confronted by the
bílé přílby
(white helmets) and
červené barety
(red ber-
ets) of the hated
riot police
. For what must have seemed like hours, there was a stalemate
as the students sat down and refused to disperse, some of them handing flowers out to the
police. Suddenly, without any warning, the police attacked and what became known as the
masakr
(massacre)began.Intheend,noonewasactuallykilled,thoughitwasn'tforwant
of trying by the police. Under the arches of the Kaňkův dům,
Národní 16
, there's a small
symbolic bronze relief of eight hands reaching out for help, a permanent shrine in memory
of the hundreds who were hospitalized in the violence.
Sv Voršila
Národní třída •
vorsilky.ic.cz/praha
• Tram #6, #9, #17, #18 or #22 to Národní divadlo
Towards the river end of Národní třída the
conventandchurchofsvVoršila
(St Ursula) are
distinguishedbytheraresight(inthispartoftown)oftwotrees-inthiscasestickingstraight
out of the base of the white facade. When it was completed in 1678, this was one of the first
trulyflamboyantBaroquebuildingsinPrague,anditswhitestuccoandfrescoedinteriorhave
been restored to their original state.
Národní divadlo (National Theatre)
Národní 2 • 224 901 448,
narodni-divadlo.cz
• Tram #6, #9, #17, #18 or #22 to Národní divadlo
Overlooking the Vltava, at the end of Národní, is the gold-crested
Národní divadlo
, proud
symbol of the Czech nation. Refused money from the Habsburg state coffers, Czechs of all
classesdugdeepintotheirownpocketstoraisefundsfortheventurethemselves.Thefounda-
