Up You Look (2) – Masaryk’s Waterfront

Masarykovo nábřeží (Masaryk’s Waterfront) is a waterfront on the right bank of Vltava River in Prague. It is bordered by the Jirásek’s and Legion bridges. Opposite from the waterfront you can find Slavic Island, you can read about it and see some pictures in recommendations section here.
The waterfront was named after our first president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (pres. 1918-1938), but it happened as late as in 1990 year. Before it was named after our first communistic president Klement Gottwald (pres. 1948-1953). And during the WWII it was called Reinhard Heydrich Ufer, as the whole waterfront of Vltava River.

Waterfront from the island.

The place is quite crowded with tram and car traffic. Up to 19th century this place was just a beach next to the river with mills and workmen “jirchář”, who were processing the leather there.

Waterfront from the Legion Bridge.

Now you will find quite beautiful buildings there, National Theater – this one deserves separated post, Goethe Institute building with fantastic sculpture decoration on the roof, Hlahol building built for Hlahol singing choir and being home of our first republic and later (1918-1942) movie stars; and we cannot forget water tower Šítkovská věž and modern building of Mánes House of artist above the river (between the embankment and the island).

Slavic Island (left) and Water Tower and Mánes House of artists.

The architect of the waterfront concept was František Sander, and we can see the frescoes of the works done on the building number 30 (in the gallery picture: nabrezi (15), the one with the knight, bellow him).

Gallery of the details above your head:

The author of former bank house, now Goethe Institut, was director or the Art school Jiří Stibral and the statues were done by Ladislav Šaloun (he is on plan to have his own post).

Goethe Institute.

One of the most important art nouveau houses is the Hlahol house, done by architect Josef Fanta (Main Train Station in Prague) with mosaic (Karel Klusáček).

Hlahol.

And if you need to go the bathroom (Toalety in Czech) after looking so much up, there is a nice place down 🙂 under the National Theatre (do not promise they are working).

Toalety above the river.

One more nice building on the waterfront.

Red house.

For you who needs a coffee after this tour, visit one of the most famous ones: Slavia cafe (surprisingly I do not have a picture, as I always forgot to make one) or Savoy cafe on the other side of the river.

Cafe Savoy, větrník is a must have.

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Up You Look (1) – Strossmajerák

Another moment for some winter pictures from Prague. Today I had to go for new glasses (the first ones for reading) and quite like the glass shop and workshop) at Strossmayer Square in Bubny (“Drums”) area (Holešovice Quarter), that I have found wandering around couple of months ago (another walk close to this area here).

This area is really beautiful and you don’t have to go anywhere far, in fact I have walked just 4 little streets (circling around Dukelských Hrdinů, Heřmanova, Pplk. Sochora and the Square) and yet I was able to find lot of details above my head.

Dukelských Hrdinů 39.

Under the attic of this beautiful house you will find portraits of famous Czech Kings and Emperors:

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Two more houses and you see the ladies of our history (Dukelských Hrdinů 43).

Most of the buildings are around 100 years old.

Strossmayerovo náměstí 10.

In the gallery you can find lot of details you can see just looking up above your head.

Nice scene at the entrance to the restaurant Domažlická jizba.

Domažlická jizba.

The dominant of the whole square is the church of St Anthony of Padua.

St Anthony of Padua.

Window.

More about the church here.

We are going to this Church on Christmas to see their Nativity Scene, which is quite nice. Church is open to public almost all day and it has beautiful stained glass windows and status of Mary in the cave.

Mary in the cave

Altar

After the visit of the church there is one last shot of colorful building of former Civic Saving Bank, where the word “záložna” (saving bank, but literally something like: put there your money for worse time) has very nostalgic feelings, as we do not use it much nowadays, but historically it had some sound :-).

Dukelských hrdinů 29

Winter Walks (9) – Žižkov

Another cold day in Prague. I took the bus to visit Žižkov, one of the Prague quarters, just a little (North/West) part of it. In fact I went there to look for shoes :-).

View to Karlin Viaduct (now in reconstruction).

Crossing the border of Žižkov, Military History Institute in Prague: The Army Museum Žižkov in the middle of the picture.

I took a bus, it needs just 5 minutes from city center and I am here at Tachovske náměstí with some street art.

Horses.

Details on the buidling connected with Hussites (and Žižka) history.

Pedestrian tunnel under Vitkov Hill back to Karlin.

I look at the tunnel, but today I am not going there. I am even not going South and Up, where one of the most visible Prague landmarks is, Žižkov Tower, you can read about it in one of my previous posts about Prague towers here.

Žižkov TV Tower.

Another famous landmark of Prague in Žižkov is one of the biggest equestrian statues of Jan Žižka. But today I also wanted to make a picture of another equestrian status, of Jaroslav Hašek. Reading his book of Good Soldier Švejk (happening during the first world war) you can learn about Czech character and sense of humor, we even use the word “švejkovani” (švejking) after the main character, meaning something like: pretending being stupid to get something I want and not to get something I don’t want (like punishment for what I have done or something):-). The statue is quite interesting as well.

Jaroslav Hašek.

My goal is a visit to the shop with men’s fashion (I love them :-)) to look at their new shoes for my husband. I visit the place for the first time and it is quite nice with lot of interesting design supplements. The name of the shop is Gentleman Store.

Gentlema Store Shop.

The next place I really want to visit here is unique cubist Bethlehem chapel hidden at the backyard. The chapel is in use and unfortunately is closed now, as there is not any ceremony at the moment. But even from outside it is nice.

The entrance from the street to the courtyard.

The chapel itself.

Some details of the exterior.

Even today it is really really cold and I just need to go home, therefore I climb up the streets for a tram. During the walk I meet Czech writer Karel Havlíček Borovský in the middle of the square with some of his quotation written on the street.

Karel Havlíček Borovský.

The text bellow:
The honest one suffers from hunger
Thieves are at risk of gallows
The Czech writer has more troubles
He is at risk of hunger and gallows

A poem.

No one there to listen to him. No one wants to freeze :-)-

Empty chairs.

Some of the buildings at Žižkov are uninhabited, empty.

Street art doors.

Another street art piece on the wall.

What’s the time?

And quite new picturesque colorful building.

Studio Pokrok.

Couple of colorful windows.

And finally just under the tram stop, a memorial to Jaroslav Seifert, Czech author, who won Nobel price.

Jaroslav Seifert Memorial.

Museums Of Prague (1) – DOX

There is a lot of museums in Prague, some of them I like and visit, some of them are traditional. I will visit couple of them for you and I do not follow any special key, like the most famous one, the newest one or any other. I will choose just as the idea would cross my mind. As today morning, I’ve seen a picture of DOX museum somewhere on internet, and almost immediately I decided to visit it now. The museum is on my plan quite long time, but today was THE day.

DOX, former factory building.

To read more information about DOX museum follow this link. I will share more my feelings about the museum :-). To be honest, my main goal was the visit of Gulliver Airship and the cafe and the design shop. I did all three, but then I decided to visit the exhibitions as well (mainly because you have to pay the entrance fee for the Airship which includes the exhibitions, and then there was no reason to skip them).

Gulliver from the street.

I started with the shop and then the cafe. I love Czech design and Czech designers, therefore I enjoyed the shop a lot. I have seen a lot of familiar names and pieces, but also some new ones.

Qubus DOX design shop

Jizerská collection from SKUBB.

Then came the coffee (and pink wine) time.

Museum Cafe.

Museum Cafe.

As you can see there were a lot of books at the cafe. Old books. For sale. 10 Czech crown per one, what is something less then 50 cents! How many do you think I purchased? 5! And two more at the other part of the museum!

But they all were quite nice famous books, 5 of the 7 bought books were criminal stories for my husband, Graham Greene, Mika Waltari, just 2 were for me, one my favorite childhood book (I know I have it somewhere but I can’t find it) and a first part of Skalholt books by Gudmundur Kamban (the second one I just got from similar book shelf at the train station). They also had a lot of Czech classis bookf, for example from popular writer Alois Jirásek, but these are too big and heavy to carry.

On the roof.

After the coffee (and wine) we went to see the Airship on the roof of the former factory. As it is cold, there is no special action happening there, but from April through the warmer months you can go there for lecture or performance. I have loved it :-).

Up the stairs.

Inside.

One more.

And back to the warmer part of the museum.

There were currently three exhibitions on program, and you will see some installation lower, but I really enjoyed the overall space of the museum, the technical style of it.

The coridor.

Fishes.

Fishes.

From three exhibition I am choosing one author from them for this picture. You wouldn’t believe what it is. Take a olook ant think. The name of the author is Luboš Plný and he is (wait for it) certified Academic model! As he didn’t made to the Art school, he attended the lectures as a model for students, even made a thesis and finally he got the title.

What it can be?

Hard to write: the author took everything that grew up in his “umbilical whole in the navel” (I am not able to find the translation of this one, the left picture) and put it on the scheme (the middle picture) and wrote the notes, what he wore that day and other information, what can influence “the product” (right picture). Creepy. isn’t it?

Pictures form the current installations here:

Last picture from the cafe terrace.

Found on WordPress:

https://openartdoors.wordpress.com/2018/03/05/lubos-plny-viva-lubos-plny-dox-centre-for-contemporary-art-prague/

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Sunset to Sunrise

Promenade.

For this weeks CFFC I decided to share with you pictures taken through the week I have spent in Nice in February 2015. I was not able to get rid of one of the places in Nice and I was coming back there every evening to make a picture. More or less they look the same but as the sky was changing, the pictures vary.

I hope you will enjoy it as I did :-).

Promenade.

Promenade.

Promenade.