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Museums Of Prague (2) – Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace

As the second museum for my blog I have chosen Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace. I am not sure if I can call it museum, as it is more empty – unfurbished, with some temporary exhibitions only. It is somewhere in between ages, between being used and being abandoned and I think it is really good time to visit it right now. After paying ridiculous entrance fee in amount of 1 CZK (5 cents) you can visit former apartments and beautifully decorated baroque hall, where some scenes for Amadeus movie were taken as well as it played the role of sleeping room in the TV set Maria Theresia.

If you had visited Prague, for sure you have walked by the palace, as it stands at the most crowded touristic street at the Old Town next to the entrance to Charles Bridge (Karlova street number 2), palace like a bridge over the tram line.

For the temporary exhibition you should pay some more, but we were interested only in the apartments. And here is what we have found:

Through the doors.

Small dining room and gallery (probably).

Wooden wall cladding and windows to the courtyard.

Ceramic heater and mirror room.

The main hall.

Ceiling.

Chandelier in the mirror.

Bear in watercolor.

After the visit of the Palace I recommend a walk through the house where Johannes Kepler wrote two of his three laws of planetary motion (the next building to the right from the palace, the shortcut is closed during night) to Anenské náměstí, where you can find nice cafe Tricafe and have a nice drink and rest from the crowds on the palace side of the block. Sitting at the cafe I always feel like in the living room of one of my student fellows in 1980s. The same furniture, plastic bear for honey. Just like in my childhood :-).

In front of Tricafe.

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.

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.

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: