History
The Municipal House is one of the most important monuments of Czech Art Nouveau. This majestic building was inaugurated on November 22, 1912. Although the history of this house is not very long, it is associated with a number of important state-making events in 1918. The Municipal House is an Art Nouveau pearl in the center of Prague in which the penmanship of many Czech artists of the last century is still tangible.
Neo-Baroque, Neo-Renaissance, Western and Oriental influences overlap with the Czech Art Nouveau. The impression from the building is enhanced by the range of decorative styles, the variety of materials used and the quality of the craftsmanship. The lively expression of the building is crowned by the extraordinary artistic decoration of the painters Mikoláš Aleš, Václav Jansa, Alfons Mucha, Jakub Obrovský, Jan Preisler, Josef Wenig, Karel Špillar, Max Švabinský, Josef Ullman or František Ženíšek. Among the sculptors we should at least mention Josef Mařatka, Josef Václav Myslbek, Karel Novák, Ladislav Šaloun, František Uprka, Bohumil Kafka and Čeněk Vosmík.
"The Municipal House Café is located in the direction of the Powder Tower and is equipped with original tiles, dividing walls and boxes of mahogany and leather-covered benches.
On the front wall of the Café there is a light fountain with a Carrara marble nymph relief by sculptor Pekárek. The fixtures manufactured by František Křižík, damaged by later modifications, have been restored and reconstructed according to contemporary documentation. The table equipment is also original, now accompanied by copies. Chairs and armchairs are a loose, not entirely faithful replica of the originals, preserved in a few isolated specimens. The furnishings of the main balcony are contemporary, but stylish, and a new gallery bar has been added."
