If you are coming to Prague for the first time, or are simply tired of the standard tourist attractions, you will probably want to see something new. Fortunately, there are no problems with this in Prague – in addition to what is described in every guidebook, there are also many interesting places that not all visitors know about.
Morning walk
In order to see Prague from a different angle, you don’t even have to look for special places, the first step can simply be choosing the right time. For example, if you overpower yourself, get up early and come to Old Town Square or Charles Bridge at 5-6 am, you may simply not recognize these places – they are crowded with people from morning to evening, early in the morning they will be completely empty, so you can see them at from a completely different perspective.
Interesting excursions from local residents in Prague
Sculptures of David the Black
In addition to the historical architecture for which the Czech capital is so famous, Prague also has a very positive attitude towards contemporary art. One of the most famous sculptors in Prague is David Černý; people like his work for its shockingness and provocativeness, bordering on hooliganism. Arrange yourself a whole quest to find all his sculptures, especially since they are scattered throughout the city, so you can visit many parts of Prague along the way.
“Where are you going?” (Quo vadis?)
This is one of the first sculptures that brought wide fame to Black, it depicts a Trabant car standing on human legs instead of wheels, and symbolizes the time when residents of the GDR emigrated en masse to Prague in the then popular German Trabant cars, in order to get… ;nbsp;political asylum. Now the sculpture is located on the territory of the German Embassy.
“The Head of Franz Kafka” (Hlava Franze Kafky)
Kafka was born and buried in Prague, and much is connected with his work here. Cherny immortalized the famous philosopher in the form of a 10-meter sculpture, which is located in the very center, next to the National Avenue metro station (Národní třída). Kafka’s head is made of 42 mirror disks that constantly rotate.
“Pissing men” (Čůrající postavy)
This fountain sculpture, installed next to the Franz Kafka Museum, depicts two adult men peeing on a surface resembling a map of the Czech Republic. A definite advantage of sculptures is that they can do their job not chaotically, but write your text in a stream – for this you need to send an SMS to a certain number.
“Embryo”
In 2008, on the building of the Theater on Zabradli (Divadlo Na zabradli), Cherny placed another work dedicated to his 50th anniversary. A glowing embryo made of metal, plastic and epoxy resin is placed on a building’s drainpipe. It would seem how the embryo and theater are connected? The author’s idea remains in his head, but most often it is interpreted as a monument to the “birth of creative life.”
“Babies” (Miminka Babies)
Cherny’s brilliant bronze “Babies” are perhaps his most famous work. They were originally installed on the Žižkov TV Tower, and now copies of them can also be seen in Kampa Park.
“The Hanging Man” (Viselec)
The man grasping a beam hanging from the roof of a house represents Sigmund Freud. One interpretation is that the author wanted to show the gap between the famous psychoanalyst and ordinary people who are far from psychoanalysis. However, some will recognize in this sculpture the features of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, symbolizing communism hanging by a thread.
“Inverted Horse” (Kůň)
The sculpture is located in the Lucerna arcade and depicts the Czech prince Wenceslas sitting on his stomach, suspended by his legs, a dead horse with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. It is a parody of the famous equestrian monument to Wenceslas, but what it symbolizes is anyone’s guess.
Monument to Sycophancy (Brownnosers)
This, perhaps one of Cherny’s most provocative works, represents two naked human figures leaning towards the wall at an angle of 90 degrees. A staircase leads to the back of the sculpture, facing the viewer, and inside there is a video of artist Milan Knizek feeding former Czech President Vaclav Klaus with porridge. Apparently for Czechs who are familiar with the political history of their country, this video makes much more sense than for visiting tourists, who, however, are satisfied with the very appearance of the sculpture.
“Red cars” on the MeetFactory wall
Two red cars hang vertically on the wall of the Meetfactory cultural center building. Perhaps this work is less known, but given that the place where it is located is interesting in itself, it makes sense to visit here.
Photo: Derek Halsey
Meetfactory
Meetfactory, as the name suggests, is a meat factory. However, his “meat” business is a thing of the past, but now this building houses a fashionable “art space”, which, by the way, was organized by the same David Cherny. True, unlike most of his works, this place does not express any protest, but rather the opposite – it unites modern talented craftsmen, both local and visiting, under its roof. This is at the same time a concert hall, a gallery, and a cinema; alternative musical groups perform here, exhibitions are held and art-house films are shown.
CrossClub
This underground club is one of the most popular among locals. It is attractive for its atmosphere and futuristic interior – inside there are all kinds of mechanisms, blinking and moving figures, unusual chairs, many passages and corridors. Once inside, you feel like you are on the set of a science fiction film. Periodically, concerts of rock and punk bands take place here, so if this culture is close to you, you should like the place.
Beer depot
Of course, when talking about Prague one cannot fail to mention beer. Regular bars are located on every corner here, but if you want something more original, then check out the Vytopna restaurant. Its peculiarity is that all the tables are connected to each other by a model railway along which mini-trains with beer move. They load up at the bar counter and return there with dirty dishes “on board” – this, of course, doesn’t make the beer taste any better, but the surroundings are very interesting. Don’t forget to book a table – as a rule, there are plenty of people willing to receive a beer order by rail.
Beer sauna
Well, if you want to immerse yourself as much as possible in beer traditions in every sense of the word, then we recommend going to the beer sauna. As a rule, relaxation in such places consists of several parts – first, guests warm up in a Finnish sauna, then plunge into an oak barrel with beer solution, after which they relax on a heated straw bed. A bath beer mixture usually consists of mineral water, beer wort with hops, malt and brewer’s yeast, as well as oils and herbal extracts. There is no alcohol in this mixture, but most often there is a tap with beer connected to the barrel, the use of which in unlimited quantities is included in the cost of the procedure.
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