The original building of the Czech National Museum has closed for five years for extensive modernization.
I have fond memories of the National Museum building and some not so fond ones. Starting with the latter I need to point out that the building is at the same location as the Muzeum metro station, a major crossroads for us. To get to and from the station we would frequently need to walk around the huge building and through an underpass that was always dirty and smelly due to the food stalls there. Prague and the metro stations are usually quite clean so this hike stood out like a sore thumb.
The building itself we always found interesting for its massive size looming over Wenceslas Square. We loved the story about the bullet holes that are still visible in the facade because the Czech workman ordered to repair them by the new communist overlords in 1945 purposely made them standout by miss-matching the patch. I wonder if they will remain after this current renovation.
This is an artists rendering of the proposed works.
The National Museum like the National Gallery can be confusing because it consists of multiple buildings. We did go to several other exhibitions in other buildings but these rooms of prehistoric history, minerals, zoology and the like never made it to the top of our To Do list. So when we saw a notice for a Christmas concert to be held there we bought the tickets immediately. The performance, a selection of arias, was held on the central staircase. We enjoyed the location and the music, the experience, very much. For more see Christmas Concerts in Historical Buildings
The scheduled June 2016 re-opening is a life time away, but don’t worry the National Museum will be hosting a great many exhibitions at other locations. See their web site for schedules.
Our favourite is the Czech Museum of Music. Below is Karin’s account of our visit there.
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| Czech Museum of Music |
David Cerny’s work can be seen every where in Prague, literally and figuratively. The climbing babies on the Ziskov Tower in our original masthead photo are the prime example.
So after three months there we thought his name and reputation would be well known around the world. But, to date, we have yet to have a conversation with anyone else who had heard of him. In a Wikipedia search a footballer is ranked ahead of the artist.
When acquaintances ask us why we love Prague so much we usually waffle on about the architecture and the compactness of the city. Now I am thinking I will just answer, David Cerny. I think his art epitomizes the Czech character: fun loving with depth.
We visited his Entropa in the DOX Museum. This piece was commissioned by the EU to memorialize the Czech Republic’s term in the EU Presidency. But I heard Cerny had to return the kc350,000 fee because the work made fun of most of the EU member countries depicted.
Click to enlarge or save to your computer to zoom in on the countries. Some are obvious, others need the printed guide.
Entropa probably received the most 
international coverage but the work that is mentioned in most Prague guide books is Saint Wenceslas Riding a Dead Horse located in the Lucerna Palace.
While checking out the Franz Kafka Museum we discovered this kinetic sculpture by chance. Click this link for a short video of Pissing Men. Jeffery Martin tells the details here
Cerny is still active so we look forward to seeing what’s next and touring his Meet Factory on our next trip to Prague.
July 2012 Update: Cerny is big in London: Push-up Bus
We, Karin and Michael, have been travelling over the last three months to USA, Ireland, England and Scotland. All of our family and friends in those countries asked about Prague and why we liked it so much. The long answer would be to refer them to this blog and all the places we have been. The short answer, perhaps, is architecture.
Recently, Ricky Yates, a Prague expat, has posted on the same subject. Since we have not been posting here I will refer you to his blog which includes some great photos: Prague Architecture with its amazing variety of decoration
Now that we are back in Greece and settling into a stationary life we will begin posting more about our experiences in Prague and the Czech Republic.