DK Travel : Prague : History & Culture

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Lichtenstein Palace

Originally several houses, Lichtenstein Palace fused in the 16th century. Today, it is home to Prague’s Academy of Music and numerous concerts and recitals.
Lobkowitz Palace

Home to the German Embassy; in 1989 hundreds of East Germans found their way to the West by scrambling over the embassy’s back fence.
Maisel Synagogue

Rudolf II gave Mordecai Maisel permission to build his private synagogue here in the late 16th century, in gratitude for the Jewish mayor’s financial help in Bohemia’s war against the Turks. At the time of its construction it was the largest synagogue in Prague, until fire destroyed it and much of the ghetto in 1869. It was later rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style. Inside is a wonderful collection of Jewish silverwork and other items such as candlesticks and ceramics, much of it looted by the Nazis from other synagogues across Bohemia. Ironically, the Third Reich planned to build a museum in Prague, dedicated to the Jews as an “extinct race”.
Malostranské náměstí

The hectic traffic that now detracts from the beauty of Malá Strana’s main square seems historically fitting – in the past it has been witness to innumerable destructive fires, revolutions, including the 1618 defenestration (see Prague’s Third Defenestration), and executions during the days when a gallows stood here. St Nicholas’s Church and the adjoining Jesuit college dominate the centre of the square, while lovely Neo-Classical palace arcades and restaurants line the perimeter. One of the most important buildings is the Směmovna palace, once the headquarters of the National Assembly, and now home to the Chamber of Deputies.
Maltézské náměstí

The Knights of Malta once had an autonomous settlement here, and the square still bears their name. The area is dominated by beautiful Baroque palaces, and the 12th-century Church of Our Lady Below the Chain – so called for the Marian portrait inside that hangs beneath chains from the Judith Bridge, the precursor to Charles Bridge.
Michna Palace

Architect Francesco Caratti modelled this palace on Versailles. Today it’s home to the Museum of Physical Culture and Sport.
Milan Kundera

Czechs have a love-hate relationship with their best-known contemporary author. Since his emigration to Canada, Kundera has had little to do with his native country, even writing his novels in French. His works convey a comic skepticism.
Miloš Forman

The Academy Award-winning director of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) returned to his homeland to film Amadeus .
Mirror Chapel

The Baroque chamber of the Clementium hosts string quartets and other small ensembles (see Clementinum).
Mission: Impossible

Cars explode on Kampa Island, restaurants explode on the Old Town Square. The opulent party in the thriller’s opening scene takes place in the National Museum, in this 1996 sci-fi fantasy starring Tom Cruise.