Friends, the first summer event is approaching, so mark it in your calendar. We will go for a walk around the Old Town, with guides from Praha Neznámá. Don’t worry, it will take about an hour, an hour and a half, and then we’ll go for something good to eat and chat. For those of you who attended previous years, you know what to expect… for those who haven’t, stop by, you’ll experience it. Sign up below.
The meeting is at 5:00 PM by OD Kotva (or shortly before), in the arcade on Náměstí Republiky.
After the walk, we’ll head to the café at UMPRUM, café Turquise, planned from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM. Look forward to sitting outside (weather permitting) and buffet-style refreshments, including drinks (welcome drink, 1x beer or 1x wine), all for 1,000 CZK/person.
A little teaser from the guide’s talk is here:
On the Praha Neznámá walks, we usually focus on unusual routes or neighborhoods that are often overlooked and not as explored. However, this time, I would like to suggest a walk to the Old Town, where you’ll find grand buildings and institutions. Even though most Prague residents have walked here many times, sometimes in the daily rush, we don’t even notice our surroundings anymore… We miss out not only on the experience of the great architecture but also on the genius loci and atmosphere of many places. Today, we’ll be talking about representative buildings.
Many of them have witnessed history, whether political, artistic, or scientific. Our route will also include buildings of several universities that educate graduates in various professions, preparing them for their future careers. This is certainly no easy task, and though it may not seem so, good architecture can also contribute to this. And with that, we arrive at the start of our walking tour.
Today’s world would certainly not function without legal professions. At a time when nearly half of all marriages end in divorce, it seems that the men and women of the law will have work for years to come. Being a lawyer has always been a highly valued and respected profession. This fact is reflected in the appearance of the building of the Prague Faculty of Law, which can be found just a short walk from Náměstí Currierových.
When we stand in front of it, the first thing that catches our eye is its majestic triangular pediment and the rational modern façade of the building. I’ve used this architectural phrase deliberately, as there are few buildings where it is so appropriate as here. The architect who designed the building is Jan Kotěra, a man who was one of the first to promote this restrained style in architecture. The Faculty of Law is one of his most important projects in Prague. Unfortunately, he had many difficulties with this building, as he had a lot of trouble getting the project approved and even had to revise it several times.
The modified proposal was finally accepted, and Jan Kotěra was honored to build the faculty. Unfortunately, he was already at an advanced age and died during the construction. His pupil, Ladislav Machoň, had to complete the building. It wasn’t finished until 1926.
… but we won’t reveal everything, just this: we’ll also see the interior of the Faculty of Law, another university building—ČVUT. Maybe even the Conservatory, the old Jewish cemetery, the Museum of Decorative Arts with its reading room, the Faculty of Philosophy, and the Rudolfinum. After the walk, we’ll follow up with refreshments,
Meeting: 5:00 PM by OD Kotva, in the arcade on Náměstí Republiky. End of the walk: around 6:30 PM at the New Town Hall, Fr. Kafka Square. After that, we will move to café Turquise,
Have a great summer, and we’ll see you here, or in August, on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, for the second summer event. The standard program will resume in September.
Best regards and looking forward to seeing you
Petr Šedivý
P.S.
Participation upon registration below. Ticket prices vary for NON-members (who cover most of the refreshments), Basic members (who pay half the price of refreshments), and Regular members (who contribute a small fee for refreshments). The club also covers the cost of the guide for all participants. If there are more than 30 of us (40 max), we will have headphones available for better hearing of the commentary. The cost of headphone rental will be included in the entrance fee. Participation in just the walk “for free” without paying for the rest of the program is not possible.