The Municipal House is a grandiose work of art, with a profusion of colors and materials. You can visit it (info here). Believe me, you won't know which way to turn, and I always take visitors there to see for themselves! This building is the pride of the city of Prague and its inhabitants, who have turned it into a bustling center of cultural and social life.
While you're here, you absolutely must visit this Municipal House. If only to admire the mosaic that dominates its portal under a copper dome. At the end of this article, you'll discover that the band INXS even filmed a video clip in this magnificent building in the late 80s. Today, however, you can attend a classical concert: tickets here. You can also eat in the restaurant or café on the first floor, or in the brasserie in the basement. Restaurant and brasserie offer a daily menu at lunchtime on weekdays (very affordable!)
Viennese Secession in all its splendor
The Municipal House (Obecní dům) is an architectural complex in the Secession style (sezessionsstil, the Viennese equivalent of Art Nouveau, secese in Czech) influenced by neo-baroque art, neo-Renaissance, or Eastern culture. The greatest Czech artists of the time, such as the famous Alfons Mucha with the mayor's salon, contributed to the decoration of this unique ensemble, designed to assert the city's prestige in a flamboyant, allegorical manner. A large number of artists – architects, sculptors, painters, mosaicists, stucco artists, cabinet-makers, glass-makers – took part in the decoration of the building, giving the Municipal House a surprising and very pleasantly heterogeneous feel (note the decorative motifs: golden roses, a baby with its dog, ladybugs or monkeys… it's all over the place!) The building is admired today for the excellence of the work of the artists of the time.
Before entering the Maison municipale, take time to admire the mosaic!
This magnificent allegorical mosaic ("The Apotheosis of Prague") sits atop the central portal. Afterwards, you'll have plenty of time to contemplate the details inside. For my part, wherever I've been in the Municipal House, I've always fallen in love with the beautiful lighting fixtures. By the way, if you like beautiful architecture, a good idea for accommodation is a 10-minute walk away with BoHo Prague Hotel. For smaller budgets or families, head for B&B Hotel Prague City.
A multi-purpose complex
The Municipal House is the people's house. Many events are held here: it combines a concert hall, exhibition space, function rooms, café, restaurant, brasserie and American bar.
I recommend a visit to the Art Nouveau café (first floor on the left, open daily). It will blow you away with its glittering splendor, magnificently restored after the 1989 Revolution (the café never closed under the Communist regime, unlike many others). Take a good look at Josef Pekárek's splendid Carrara marble nymph in the background, which has been restored to its rightful place on the fountain. And if you look up, you can admire František Křižík's chandeliers, lulled by the notes of the occasional pianist. More contemporary, two small robots (the word robot is a Czech invention) have been operating in the theater since autumn 2022.
Be sure to check out the huge brasserie in the basement, which is much more affordable than the ground-floor restaurant in the right wing (although the latter, as mentioned above, offers a very inexpensive weekday lunch menu). Heading down to the basement, you'll discover an eclectic decor and an exceptionally decorated brasserie that was completely renovated in 2020-2021 (a decoration that I find a little "Bavarian"…)
The Smetana Concert Hall, where the Prague Symphony Orchestra plays, can accommodate 1,200 listeners and is used, among other things, for concerts at the Prague Spring Festival and the Prague Proms, a festival I particularly enjoy. But there are concerts almost every day for visitors (tickets here). Prague is a city of concerts, and I also highly recommend the concerts at the nearby Spanish Synagogue (tickets here).
Entrance fees
It's possible to visit the Municipal House (tickets here), but the central entrance hall and monumental staircase are free to enter. This allows you to take a look at the superb American bar and the brasserie in the basement.
A place steeped in history
The Municipal House was built on the site of the former Gothic palace of the kings of Bohemia, which served for just one century, from 1383 to 1484. The splendid Powder Tower, to the left of the Municipal House, is a vestige of this period. It was from this tower that the coronation processions of the Bohemian kings set off along the Royal Way towards the Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. Transformed into a seminary and then barracks, what remained of the palace was finally demolished in 1902. The Municipal House was built between 1905 and 1912 to proudly celebrate the Czech national revival and offer cultural activities accessible to all. The aim was to showcase a country and a people in search of an identity within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The Maison municipale has since been the venue for many important events.
It was at the Municipal House that, in January 1918, the "Declaration of the Feast of the Kings" was adopted, the first step towards the foundation of an independent Czechoslovakia. It was here, too, that Czechoslovakia's independence was proclaimed on October 28, 1918. And in 1989, after the Velvet Revolution, it was the venue for negotiations between Václav Havel 's Civic Forum and the Czechoslovak Communist Party.
Sleep nearby in an Art Nouveau hotel
If you want to sleep right next door, with a view of the Municipal House from your window, I recommend a couple of fantastic addresses. At the superb Art Nouveau K K Hotel Central, you'll never tire of looking at its façade and riding its incredible elevator, while at the Hotel Paris Prague, the rooms are truly exceptional! The third and final address is a little further on, at the Art Deco Imperial Hotel, where you can enjoy one of the prettiest and best restaurants in Prague for a very reasonable price.
K K Hotel Central
Hotel Paris Prague
Art Deco Imperial Hotel
To finish on a high note, check out the video clip for New Sensation taken at the Municipal House by Australian band INXS in 1988, just before the fall of communism (the Guns in the Sky video was shot at the same location).
How to get there
Municipal House
Náměstí Republiky 5
Metro Náměstí Republiky (line B) or streetcar stop Náměstí Republiky (lines 1, 2, 5, 6 or 26)