Municipal House
Art Nouveau civic palace of 1912 with Mucha interiors and the Smetana Hall, open for guided tours.
The Municipal House stands on the site of the Royal Court, the seat of Bohemian kings until 1483, next to the Gothic Powder Tower. Built between 1905 and 1912 to designs by Osvald Polívka and Antonín Balšánek, it was conceived as a representative civic building for Czech-speaking Prague and became the most complete Art Nouveau ensemble in the city. Its facade carries the mosaic Homage to Prague by Karel Špillar above a glazed canopy and wrought-iron balcony.
Almost every leading Czech artist of the period contributed to the interiors: Alfons Mucha decorated the Mayor's Hall, while Jan Preisler, Max Švabinský and Ladislav Šaloun supplied paintings and sculpture for the other salons. Czechoslovak independence was proclaimed from the building on 28 October 1918. The Smetana Hall, seating around 1,200, hosts the Prague Symphony Orchestra and the opening concert of the Prague Spring festival, and the building also contains a café, restaurant and American bar.
Highlights
- Mayor's Hall decorated throughout by Alfons Mucha
- Karel Špillar's facade mosaic Homage to Prague
- Smetana Hall, home of the Prague Symphony Orchestra
- Czechoslovak independence proclaimed here in October 1918
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