Image by Jana Kneschke

Even though you often look down at post offices to collect your ticket or to stamp your letter, here you should look up. The ceiling in the Main post office in Jindřišská street deserves admiration, and not only the ceiling. The whole building is the most beautiful post office interior I have ever seen. If you add its’ opening hours (02:00 till midnight, it is closed for only two hours), it is really awesome.

There is also one curiosity – a tubular post system, more than 100 years old, still functioning (e. g. to Czech News Agency). Originally it delivered mail at a speed of 40 km/h across the river to many destinations and also to Prague Castle (there it was in 8 minutes, beats the metro, too!).

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Main post office | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Jindřišská 14 | Praha 1
02:00 – 00:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Prague

Image by Tomáš Jungwirth

Just by the river, near Klárov, there is a place many tourist guides will lead you to. It is a nice small square where there is the famous Franz Kafka museum. I haven’t visited it once, although I am a fan of Kafka’s work. Maybe it actually is worth visiting but I want to draw your attention elsewhere.

What I am talking about is the strange-looking sculpture in the middle of the square. You will find there two copper persons peeing into a strange bowl. Their waists move so that it looks even more life-like. The funniest part which a lot of people don’t realize, though, lays on the ground. Those guys pee into a bowl shaped like the Czech Republic. Once again, this proves David Černý‘s (artist of Entropa i.e.) skills and vision.

We Czechs aren’t a particularly proud nation. We are actually willing to make fun of ourselves quite often, which I find quite appealing. Artist like Černý who would elsewhere be considered very controversial thus have many fans here, me among them. But some others may surely find his work insulting. What is your opinion?

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Miska Republika | Art & culture | Free
Cihelná 2 | Praha 1
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Prague

Image by Tomáš Jungwirth

Half way between the Charles bridge and Národní třída, you will find a café I very much recommend visiting. It is called Krásný ztráty and it has become quite popular here – so famous in fact, that a regular TV talkshow is being recorded there. Krásný ztráty is a place where a lot of interesting people gather. It is one of the few places where you can find students, intellectuals and celebrities all at once.

Although it is called a café, once again it has the character of a regular restaurant. They cook all day and the food is great while prices remain moderate. I can particularly recommend visiting for a breakfast or a brunch as Krásný ztráty is a calm place with a very nice interior design.

Apart from being a café, a bar and a restaurant, Krásný ztráty is also a wine shop, a book shop, a gallery and an occasional music club or theatre stage. There are many events taking place there so you might want to check that out at their website.

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Krásný ztráty | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Intern.) | Espresso CZK 29
Náprstkova 10 | Praha 1 | +420775755143
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 01:00, Sat – Sun 12:00 – 01:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Prague

Image by Tomáš Jungwirth

It is a place you will probably find in all regular city-guides. However, as it is not directly in the center, many people (even the locals) just miss the opportunity to visit it, which is definitely a shame. Vyšehrad is an important place in Czech history, appearing in many national myths and legends (most of which appear in this book).

There are basically two ways to get there. Either you can take the Metro “C” and get out at the stop “Vyšehrad” – it is still a small walk, but that shouldn’t bother you. Or – and I prefer that one – you can take the tram to the stop “Podolská vodárna” and walk up the hill. Up there, there is not only the majestic and huge church and an ancient rotunda, but most importantly a spacious and calm park.

Vyšehrad is not just a summer place. Thanks to all the trees, it is very beautiful in the fall. And when its freezing and the city rests under a pillow of snow, Vyšehrad is a place for a nice silent walk. The great view of the city (from different places at Vyšehrad, you can see different parts of the city and get a complete picture) makes it a relaxing spot.

Up on the hill, there is also a cemetery called “Slavín” at which the Czech heroes and heroins of the past two centuries rest. Surely worth seeing!

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Vyšehrad castle | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Vyšehrad | Praha 2
Park 24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Prague

Image by Tomáš Jungwirth

At first, it used to be a school. Children would spend their first two grades of elementary school there. Then, it used to be a boy-scout club. Later, it was decided that the building be torn down and replaced by a motorway. But until it is eventually destroyed, it is going to serve as a stylish and original club place, where loads of events are being held. I am talking about „Klubovna”, a club in Dejvice.

A bunch of guys and girls who have for some years been organizing a summer music festival called Povaleč have decided to establish a club where drinking meets culture. They succeeded surprisingly well. Renting the building from city of Prague, they reconstructed every inch of it with their bare hands. More and more people are coming in every day.

Concerts, festivals or theatre plays take place there quite often. Klubovna offers a wide range of drinks including draught lemonades and a vast number of quality rums. The whole spot is covered in graffiti and wall pictures so it feels a bit like a squatt inside. Come sit at the garden, listen to a concert, play chess or a game of fussball! I might meet you there at 03:00 or 04:00 as Klubovna usually closes only after there are no people left in.

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Klubovna in Dejvice | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Festivals & events | Páter, 0,5L CZK 27
Generála Píky | Praha 6
Mon – Sat 15:00 – open end

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Prague

Image by Tomáš Jungwirth

Újezd is an area where many of the Prague locals spend their time. There aren’t many tourists, it’s in the centre, there’s a number of nice bars and cafés, the Petřín hill is just across the road…

One of the best-known bars is (surprisingly) called Klub Újezd. Open since 1990, it is a night-life classic. It started as a music club but live music performance were forbidden some ten years ago. It’s no big deal, though – it is a great place to visit anyway.

Currently, Klub Újezd is a three-floor bar. In the basement there is a small bar, a few tables, a DJ’s stage and a table-football. The first floor is more spacious with a large bar. But, if you plan a party, you should definitely make a reservation to the second floor which feels somehow most comfortable of all. It, among others, offers a very nice sight of the street and Petřín hill.

What makes Klub Újezd unique, are the decorations and paintings. For instance, on the walls there are paintings of strange people with disfigured faces – as well as many other, sometimes even more pleasant scenes. Plus, the whole club works also as a free gallery – of photography, usually.

Thanks to its very late closing-hours, Klub Újezd is a very common place for late-evening or early-morning chill-outs. Add very reasonable prices and you’ve got a place you have to visit!

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Klub Újezd | Art & culture, Bars | Pilsner 0,5L CZK 35.00
Újezd 18 | Praha 1 | +420251510873
First floor bar 14:00 – 04:00, the rest 18:00 – 04:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Prague

Image by Jana Kneschke

Whenever I feel like going out at night, doing some culture thing and I do not know what or cannot decide, I check out jlbjlt.net. Concerts, exhibition openings, projections, theatre, performances, dance, workshops – jlbjlt.net is my virtual spot, where I always find something interesting.

All events are well described, I can filter them by choosing a city (e. g. Prague) or the kind of event I feel like (dance, exhibition, …). Each event is often accompanied by an downloadable invitation or flyer, you can link it with your iCal, Facebook (fcbk) or by clicking on the gmap link you will find the given place on … yes, Google map

Even though the original is in Czech, Google can provide a pretty understandable translation, so jlbjlt.net in english is available. Only a few mistakes can be found and it is still comprehensible.

So when in Prague, support a culture of marginal interest, but of considerable importance!

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JLBJLT.net | Art & culture, Festivals & events
http://jlbjlt.net/ | Praha 1
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Prague

Image by Jana Kneschke

Once upon a time, Roxy was one of the very few options in Prague for a decent evening, when I felt like some dancing. But these times are over and Roxy still lives its standards.

Opened in 1992 under the name of Roxy, and reopened in 2002, and just recently in 2010 and 2011 due to reconstruction and some bureaucratic mismatches afterwards, this place become alive again.

In 20`s and 30`s it was a shining pearl at the Old Town, full of people in its restaurant, cinema and a ballroom. After being damaged by the enormous floods (2002), the Experimental Area Roxy/NoD now offers a full variety of concerts, dance music, gallery presentations, internet café with wi-fi connection, theatre, films, performances and workshops. For some of their best gigs have a look yourself.

If you are into clubbing and are in Prague for couple days, Roxy is definitely the place to go – next to Radost FX (see the Radost FX article). Have a look at the programme to see if anything interests you. They have regular Free Mondays and Midweek Lounge, where entry is free.

Oh, and do not forget about NoD upstairs (check the NoD article)!

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Roxy | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Music, Theaters
Dlouhá 33 | Praha 1 | +420224826296
Depends on given programme

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Prague

Image by Jana Kneschke

Proudly standing on the corner of Celetná and Ovocný trh, the House at the Black Madonna is a true home of Czech Cubism. It is worth seeing as this art period was, in Czech, strong and fruitful. “Sharp points, slicing planes, crystalline shapes. These are the trademarks of the Czech Cubists – a unique, avant-garde group, feverishly active in Prague between 1910 and 1914.”, says Modernista. There is a stable exhibition of the artwork of e. g. Otto Guttfreund, Emil Filla, Josef Čapek (brother of Karel Čapek, the writer) and Josef Gočár, of course, the author of this amazing building.

After the art-seeing, to revive your stamina, have a coffee or snack on the first floor, in the Grand Café Orient. You can choose from deserts and sandwiches, fresh juices and hot chocolate – and all will be served in design porcelain. Even the ashtrays and sugar bowl are cubist designs. And if you get trapped by the elegance of straight lines and edges, you can buy your own piece in the downstairs shop, Kubista.

If you want to know more about Czech cubism, there’s an article about Czech cubism on the Spotted by Locals main website.

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House at the Black Madonna | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Coffee and cake CZK 100
Ovocný trh 19 | Praha 1
Gallery Tue – Sun 10:00 – 18:00 | Café Mon – Fri 09:00 – 22:00, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 22:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Prague

Image by Jana Kneschke

I love traveling by train. It is comfortable, if I need to work or write I can do both and it is also fast.

Trains are inevitably connected with stations, and some train stations are pieces of art. Like the one called Hlavní or Wilsonovo nádraží. If you arrive by train, you can see part of its beauty, but if you arrive by metro, you have to walk outside to appreciate is architecture or get up to the first floor – follow the signs Fantova kavárna or Historická budova. If you enjoy slightly run down and crinkly places, you will possibly like it.

The station itself was built between 1870-1871 to honor Franz Joseph I, and was rebuilt to increase its capacity by architect Josef Fanta in 1909, after whom is also the café in 1st floor/street level named. Recently is being reconstructed, but it is still in function.

An interesting and not very well known fact: in 1922 one of the four towers were used by the Czech astronomic society, but they soon left because the steam was a quite of a handicap. You can see what view the towers offer here.

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Wilsonovo nádraží | Art & culture, Coffee & tea
Wiilsonova 8 | Praha 1
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Prague