The Theological Hall

While wandering around Prague, I decided to go into the Strahov Monastery. It is not high on the list of attractions in a city that includes so many amazing towers, castles, bridges and churches…but I found myself right next to it one day and decided to pay the entry fee to have a look around. It is mainly a museum these days, fairly plain in exterior appearance, but it contains two amazing interior rooms. This one is the library, known as the Theological Hall completed in 1679. 

You can’t actually enter the room as ropes keep you restricted to the outside hallway, but from the entrance you can look down its long corridor and view the ornate ceiling, paintings and bookcases. Based on the simple design of the rest of the building, I was completely surprised to walk down a hall an find this! 

In order to take photographs inside, you must donate 5 euros to the monastery. I happily made the donation and consider it money well spent as this is one of the coolest rooms I have seen. Exploring lesser-known attractions occasionally results in surprise finds like this one…especially in cities as rich in history as Prague…and can provide unique opportunities to capture something that few others have.

The Birth of an Idea...

While wandering around the Old Town of Prague, I walked into a building called the House of the Black Madonna. Why?…because anyplace with this name must be cool, right? 

Actually, I went in because this building currently houses the Czech Museum of Cubism and is the first example of Cubist architecture in Prague (built in 1912).I saw some images of the building and the exhibits on the museum’s website and thought there may be some interesting things to see here. 

After walking through the Grand Orient Cafe located on the ground floor I arrived at this staircase and I looked up…I thought the curves & lines tracing the shape of a light bulb all the way to the top of the building was so unique. This staircase ended up being my favorite part of the entire building.

Strangely, in researching the building after I left Prague, this staircase is not mentioned in any materials I could find online. I assumed it would be featured as part of the architect’s design, perhaps even named, but I was not able to find anything significant mentioning the staircase. I find it somewhat sad that this place is hidden away in the interior of a building thousands of people walk by everyday and never see. But now you know, and I recommend you stop inside if you ever get to Prague. 

Oh, and if you are curious, the building was named after a stone statue that originally adorned the facade and still remains to this day.

Karlův most (Charles Bridge)

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to visit Prague will instantly recognize this landmark…the Karlův most (more commonly known among English speakers as the Charles Bridge).

It is an impressive structure spanning the Vltava River and was completed in the early 15th century. Towers sit on both sides of the bridge and Baroque statues of religious figures have been placed along the entire length. Currently, it is a pedestrian only zone and is often filled with local artists, musicians and souvenir vendors catering to the tourists. 

Only a fraction of the people that visit the bridge during the day are there at night, so it is a much more peaceful place to wander about. Every night I made my way along the river and admired the beautifully lit structures on the opposite side…and each night I stopped and photographed the Charles Bridge from various vantage points. 

I never got tired of spending time here. On my last night in Prague, I took some take-out with me and sat here for hours on the river’s edge…just taking it all in as the sun disappeared and the lights lit up the city.