DK Travel : Prague : History & Culture

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Monument of National Liberation

After a failed attempt to embalm President Klement Gottwald after his death, the Communist government was forced to cremate their favoured leader. His ashes, as well as those of various other apparatchiks , were buried here atop Vítkov Hill, behind the giant statue of Jan Žižka. They were removed after the Velvet Revolution), and in reparation, the National Museum hopes to create a monument to the victims of totalitarianism on the site.
Monument of National Liberation

The one-eyed Hussite general Jan Žižka defeated invading crusaders in 1420 atop the hill where his giant equestrian statue now stands in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Erected in 1929, the monument serves as a memorial to all those who suffered in the Czech struggle for independence. The Communists co-opted the building, and for a time it served as President Klement Gottwald’s mausoleum.
Monument to Victims of Police Torture

It seems a cruel joke, but the Communist secret police had an interrogation centre in this picture-postcard neighbourhood. The plaque on the wall at Kapučínská 2 honours those who were brought here and coerced into compromising themselves, their neighbours and even their family.
Mordecai Maisel

The Jewish mayor (1528–1601) was one of the richest men in Europe (see Mordecai Maisel’s Grave).
Morzin Palace

Two giant Moors (hence Morzin) bearing up the Romanian Embassy’s façade are said to wander about Malá Strana streets at night.
Municipal House

National Revival artist Alfons Mucha was one of many to lend his talents to the Municipal House (Obecní Dům ), Prague’s star Art Nouveau attraction. One of its most beautiful and striking features is Karel Špillar’s mosaic above the main entrance, entitled Homage to Prague. It also has a firm place in history as it was from the Municipal House that Czechoslovakia was declared an independent state in 1918. Today, it is home to restaurants, cafés, exhibition halls, shops and the Prague Symphony Orchestra.
Museum of Communism

This museum seeks to help visitors experience totalitarianism first-hand through reproductions and genuine objects from the Communist era. The most chilling area is the reconstructed interrogation room. Although locals might not agree, the tour is more fun than it sounds.
Na Příkopě

Formerly a moat protecting the city’s eastern flank, Na Příkopě is Prague’s fashion boulevard, counting Benetton, Izod, Marks & Spencers and Taiza among its big-name stores. Shoppers jam the pedestrian zone and pavement cafés, streaming between the gleaming Myslbek Shopping Centre and Slovanský dům, with its 10-screen multiplex cinema. The Hussite firebrand Jan Želivský preached on the site now occupied by another shopping mall, the Černá Růže Palace.
Náměstí Republiky

The odd couple of the Art Nouveau Municipal House and the Neo-Gothic Powder Tower are the centrepiece of Náměstí Republiky (Republic Square), facing the Czech National Bank’s stern façade and the Hybernia Theatre, currently undergoing renovation. The composer Frédéric Chopin stayed briefly at a house that stood at the corner of Hybernská and Senovážná. Behind the theatre, at Hybernská 7, is the former home of the Lenin Museum, closed in 1991 after the Communists had lost power. The unassuming Church of St Joseph huddles in the northeast corner of the square.
Národní divadlo

The National Theatre’s curtain first raised for Bedřich Smetana’s opera Libuše in 1883; you can still see this or other Czech operas on the same stage today. Go to a performance, if only to appreciate the artistic work that went into creating the theatre.