Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MMUSSEUUM
NATIONAL MUSEUM
AARCHITE
CHITECTURE
URE
LUCERNA PALACE
Město's many shopping arcades runs through the art-nouveau Lucerna Palace (1920),
between Štěpánská and Vodičkova streets. The complex was designed by Václav
Havel (grandfather of the ex-president), and is still partially owned by the family. It
includes theatres, a cinema, shops, a rock club and several cafes and restaurants.
GOOGLE MAP
(Horse), a wryly amusing counterpart to the equestrian statue of St
Wenceslas in Wenceslas Square. Here St Wenceslas sits astride a horse that is de-
cidedly dead; Černý never comments on the meaning of his works, but it's safe to as-
sume that this Wenceslas (Václav in Czech) is a reference to Václav Klaus, former
prime minister and now president of the Czech Republic.
The neighbouring Novák Arcade, connected to the Lucerna and riddled by a maze
of passages, has one of Prague's finest art-nouveau facades (overlooking Vodičkova),
complete with mosaics of country life.
MMUSSEUUM
MUSEUM OF COMMUNISM
adult/concession/child under 10yr 190/150Kč/free; 9am-9pm; Můstek)
It's difficult to
think of a more ironic site for a museum of communism - in an 18th-century aristo-
crat's palace, between a casino on one side and a McDonald's on the other. Put togeth-
er by an American expat and his Czech partner, the museum tells the story of
Czechoslovakia's years behind the Iron Curtain in photos, words and a fascinating and
varied collection of…well, stuff.
The empty shops, corruption, fear and double-speak of life in socialist Czecho-
slovakia are well conveyed, and there are rare photos of the Stalin monument that
once stood on Letná terrace - and its spectacular destruction. Be sure to watch the
video about protests leading up to the Velvet Revolution: you'll never think of it as a
pushover again.
STREE
STREET
NA PŘÍKOPĚ
