Municipal House

Nám. Republiky 5. 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. Unless you have tickets to an event, the rooms other than the foyer can only be seen on a guided tour (separate tours in Czech and English, information booklets available in other world languages).

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