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.

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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/

Winter Walks (8) – just around us

Today it was so cold that I decided to walk only around our place, have a coffee and and back home.

First are the buildings on our street, like the newly reconstructed Lanna palace (sorry, link only in Czech).

Lanna House.

Or Cafe Arco (soory link in Czeck again, but you can read there the list of people who were regulars to the cafe), where Franz Kafka used to come (but not regularly, but would not find the doors opened today, as the cafe is not in use.

Cafe Arco.

Not talking about touristic highlight of the Powder Gate / Tower at the end of the street.

Hybernská street with Powder Tower at the end.

Some other buildings on our street.

Where is also nice Podzemní antikvariát (Underground bookshop) – shop selling old books, print etc.

The entrance to the Underground bookshop.

And at the same building you will find this beautiful “detail”.

Hall? Balcony?

The oldest train station in Prague Masarykovo nádraží, on the opposite side of the street.

Masaryk train station.

My goal today is to visit another one of my favored cafes Kavárna Pražírna Voznice at YMCA palace. At the palace I will also show you something quite unique.

But still we have couple of steps to get there around Hilton Old Town with beautiful mosaic and through the shortcut to Na Poříčí street.

And we are there, at YMCA palace.

The main corridor of YMCA palace.

AND NOW the surprise. YMCA palace is one of the places in Prague where you can see and actually use the pater noster lift. That’ the one with lot of cabins permanently moving around and you jump in and out, when you want to use it. Even more adrenaline you drive at the top (or bottom) of the lift, but be careful as this is forbidden (the sign VYSTUPTE means EXIT NOW).

Find my reportage from the ride bellow, I was playing a little with time-lapse, so please survive my “creativity”.

Or you can just use the stairs in YMCA palace :-).

Up at the palace.

I think I have deserved the delicious cafe then :-).

Kavárna Pražírna Voznice.

Nice filter cafe.

Before you leave its good to use this one (specially when it is so cold outside).

Entrance to the bathroom at YMCA.

Outside from the palace, and you can take tram, subway, go shopping to Palladium or just simply walk home in this cold.

St. Joseph’s Church and monastery.

The list of pater nosters in Prague here (some of them closed = zrušené).