Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There's no denying that the Czech capital enjoys a rich cultural life. Classical music
floats through the city, especially in the summer, when the streets, churches, palaces,
opera houses, concert halls and even public gardens resonate with high-brow melodies.
Mozart had strong links with Prague, and of course the Czechs themselves produced
at least four top-drawer classical composers. In addition, Prague boasts three opera
houses, five excellent orchestras and a couple of important festivals that attract top-
class international artists. There's also a vibrant theatre scene, including mime and
puppet theatre, and, an impressive array of galleries. Rock, pop and jazz gigs are
covered in
Chapter 12
.
Even if you don't understand Czech, the
theatre
scene in Prague is so diverse that there's
usuallysomethingworthcatchingaimedatanEnglish-speakingaudience.Forastart,thecity
hasastrongtraditionofmime,“
blacklighttheatre
”andpuppetry.Asfor
film
,manycinemas
show movies in their original language, and new Czech films often get a showing with Eng-
lish subtitles.
Prague has a fine crop of art
galleries
housing the country's permanent collections from
medieval to contemporary art, as well as staging temporary blockbuster exhibitions, with the
superb, multi-venue Národní galerie (National Gallery) topping the list in most categories.
Andinsuchaphotogeniccity,itcomesaslittlesurprisethatthereisalsoanimpressiveroster
of photography galleries.
