Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Located behind the exhibition grounds on the edge of Stromovka Park, Prague's
Planetári-
um
has static displays and shows films, but doesn't have telescopes - for those you need to
go to the
Štefánikova hvězdárna
.
Maroldovo panorama
April-Oct Sat & Sun 10am-5pm • 25Kč
The Výstaviště Exhibition Grounds are home to
Maroldovo panorama
, a giant diorama of
the 1434 Battle of Lipany that is the largest such artwork ever created in the Czech Lands,
measuring a whopping 11m by 95m. Czech artists Luděk Marold and many helpers, one of
them a scenery painter from the National Theatre, assembled the battle scene for an exhibi-
tion in 1898; since then the painting has fought its own battles with snow, floods and crum-
bling pavilions.
Křižíkova fontána (Křižík Fountain)
Devisedforthe1891ExhibitionbytheCzechinventorFrantišekKřižík,
Křižíkovafontána
,
Prague's most famous fountain, puts on hourly evening music and light show performances
(with live dancers; 220Kč) to packed audiences. For the schedule, ask at the tourist office or
check the website.
Lapidárium
Wed 10am-6pm, Thurs-Sun noon-6pm • 50Kč •
nm.cz
One high-brow attraction at the Výstaviště Exhibition Grounds is the National Museum's
much overlooked
Lapidárium
- immediately on the right as you enter - official depository
for sculptures that are under threat either from demolition, the weather or Prague's polluted
air.
The first couple of rooms contain a host of salvaged medieval treasures, such as the slender
columns decorated with interlacing from the Romanesque basilica that stood on the site of
the city's cathedral. Some of the statues, such as the bronze equestrian statue of
St George
,
will be familiar if you've visited Prague Castle; others are more difficult to inspect close up
in their original sites (the figures from the towers of the Charles Bridge, for example). There
are copies here, too, such as the busts from the triforium of St Vitus Cathedral.
One of the most outstanding sights is the remains of the
Krocín fountain
, in room 3, an
ornate Renaissance work in red marble, which used to grace the Staroměstské náměstí, but
failed to hold water and was eventually dismantled in 1862. The angels smiting devils, now
displayedinroom5,areallthatcouldberescuedfromthe
MarianColumn
,whichalsoused
to stand on Staroměstské náměstí, after it had been attacked as a symbol of oppression by
marauding Czech nationalists in 1918. A copy is set to return to the square in the coming
years. Many of the original statues from
Charles Bridge
are in room 6, as well as those that
were fished out of the Vltava after the flood of 1890.
