Municipal House

Obecni dum was built between 1905 and 1912 on the site of the medieval royal court as a Czech national and civic building at a moment when that had political weight, and every leading Czech artist of the period worked on it: Alfons Mucha painted and decorated the Mayor's Hall entirely, Jan Preisler, Max Svabinsky and Frantisek Zenisek did other rooms, Ladislav Saloun and Josef Myslbek the sculpture, and the whole thing is a coordinated Art Nouveau interior of a completeness that is rare anywhere. At its centre is the Smetana Hall, the main concert venue of the Prague Spring festival, which opens there each year with Ma vlast. On 28 October 1918 Czechoslovak independence was declared from this building. The ground floor holds a large cafe and a French restaurant with their original fittings, both open without a ticket, which is the cheap way in.

History

The Royal Court palace stood on this site: King Wenceslas IV built it around 1380, the kings of Bohemia lived there from 1383 until 1485, and after that it was abandoned, to be demolished in the early 20th century. Construction of the Municipal House began in 1905 to designs by Osvald Polívka and Antonín Balšánek, and it opened in 1912 next to the Powder Gate, with Smetana Hall as its concert venue. The Czechoslovak declaration of independence was made here in 1918 (Wikipedia, Municipal House).

The main sights

• The Mayor's Hall - decorated entirely by Mucha, ceiling to furniture.
• Smetana Hall - where the Prague Spring festival opens each year.
• A complete Art Nouveau interior - every leading Czech artist of the period involved.
• The 1918 declaration room - where Czechoslovak independence was announced.

When to go

All year. Half a day.

Before you go

The upstairs rooms are seen only on a guided tour at set times, and tours sell out. Concert nights close parts of the building. The cafe is open to all but priced for the setting.

Nearby

The Powder Tower adjoins it; the old town square is a short walk west.

Key facts