Municipal Hall, Prague

Municipal Hall, Prague

The Obecní dům was built near the Powder Tower (a storage place for gunpowder and a major trade route entry into the city) on a site called King's Court where once a royal residence stood.

The Obecní dům was built near the Powder Tower (a storage place for gunpowder and a major trade route entry into the city) on a site called King's Court where once a royal residence stood. In 1901, the Prague Civic Society made a proposal to city authorities to build a center for official and social Czech events. As happened so many other times in recent Prague history, the Czechs were trying to balance the grand buildings erected by the German-speaking community of Prague with suitable edifices of their own. The 'German House' (now co-opted and renamed Slovanský dům, or Slavic House, on Na Příkopě street) and a German casino were enough to make the Czechs want a place of their own.Lovers of Art Nouveau should bless the memories of the Prague Civic Society's officials, because the Obecní dům would become one of the most beautiful examples of Art Nouveau in Prague, filled with artwork by the best Czech artists of the day. Neo-Baroque, neo-Renaissance, Western and Oriental influences – all combined with traditional Czech Art Nouveau. This is what makes the Obecnàdum unique among many beautiful examples of Art Nouveau public buildings in Prague. While the exterior is impressive, the interior is both finely crafted and educational. Almost every prominent living Czech artist worked on the Obecní dům. Painters Mikoláš Aleš, Václav Jansa, Alfons Mucha, Jakub Obrovský, Jan Preisler, Josef Wenig, Karel Spillar, Max Švabinský, Josef Ullman, František Zenoek, and the sculptors Josef Maratka, Josef Václav Myslbek, Karel Novak, Ladislav Šaloun, František Uprka, Bohumil Kafka and Čeněk Vosmík carved out an astounding backdrop for the many historical events that would transpire here. Though their contributions are not conspicuously noted, in some cases (such as Alfons Mucha's Mayoral Hall) it is obviously which artist decorated what room.