Prague’s most exuberantly art-nouveau building, the Municipal House (Obecní dům; obecnidum.cz), is a labor of love, with every detail of its design and decoration carefully considered, and every painting and sculpture loaded with symbolism. The restaurant and Kavárna Obecní Dům cafe here are like walk-in museums of art-nouveau design, while upstairs there are half a dozen sumptuously decorated halls that you can visit by guided tour. Walk downstairs to find an ornately decorated Czech pub and an early-20th-century rendition of an American-style cocktail bar.
The building was built between 1906 and 1912. It was a lavish joint effort by around 30 leading Czech artists of the day, including Alfons Mucha. The origins were part of the Czech national revival and meant to showcase the abilities of Czech – as opposed to Austrian or German – artists. The site of the building is significant. This was the home of the former Royal Court, the seat of Bohemia’s kings from 1383 to 1483, which was demolished at the end of the 19th century.
While the building looks almost too pretty to enter, don’t be afraid to walk in. The building's purpose was always to serve as a place of recreation for city residents. The mosaic above the entrance, Homage to Prague, is set between sculptures representing the oppression and rebirth of the Czech people. Other sculptures ranged along the top of the facade represent history, literature, painting, music and architecture. You pass beneath a wrought-iron and stained-glass canopy into an interior that is art nouveau down to the doorknobs.
The Municipal House is home to the Smetana Hall , Prague’s biggest classical concert hall, with seating for 1200. The stage is framed by sculptures representing the Vyšehrad legend (to the right) and Slavonic dances (to the left). On 28 October 1918 an independent Czechoslovak Republic was declared in the Smetana Hall, and in November 1989 meetings took place here between the Civic Forum and the Jakeš regime. The Prague Spring music festival always opens on 12 May, the day the Czech composer Smetana died, with a procession from Vyšehrad to the Municipal House followed by a gala performance of his symphonic cycle Má vlast (My Country) in the Smetana Hall.
Guided tours in English can be booked over the website or at the venue box office. The highlight of the tour is the octagonal Lord Mayor’s Hall, the windows of which overlook the main entrance. Every aspect of its decoration was designed by Alfons Mucha, who also painted the superbly moody murals that adorn the walls and ceiling.
