Municipal House () is a civic building that houses Smetana Hall, a celebrated concert venue, in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Czech Republic. It is located on Náměstí Republiky next to the Powder Gate in the centre of the city.

History

The Royal Court

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

used to be located on the site of the Municipal House. This complex was built around 1380 by King Wenceslas IV, and from 1383 until 1485, the Kings of Bohemia lived in the property. After 1485, it was abandoned. It was demolished in the early 20th century. Construction of the current building started in 1905. It was designed by Osvald Polívka and Antonín Balšánek. It opened in 1912. The Municipal House was the location of the Czechoslovak declaration of independence in 1918. The roof of the building was the location for the

INXS INXS (a phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian rock band, formed as the Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney. The founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss, drummer Jon Farriss, gu ...

music video for their 1987 hit '' New Sensation''.

Architecture and art

The building is of the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

architecture style. The building exterior has allegorical art and

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

. There is a

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

called ''Homage to Prague'' by Karel Špillar over the entrance. On either side are allegorical sculpture groups representing ''The Degradation of the People'' and ''The Resurrection of the People'' by Ladislav Šaloun. Smetana Hall serves as a

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage (theatre), stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention ...

and ballroom. It has a glass

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

. It houses artwork by Alfons Mucha, Jan Preisler and Max Švabinský.

Today

Today, the building is used as concert hall, ballroom, civic building, and includes a café to the left of the lobby and a French restaurant on the right side. Beneath the ground there is also a wine bar and an American bar. Many of the rooms in the building are closed to the public and open only for guided tours.

Gallery

File:The Municipal House (Obecni Dum), Prague - 8856.jpg, Main entry File:Jugendstil Prag Gemeindehaus 4.jpg, The Foyer File:Obecni_Dum_Restaurant,_Prague_-_8377.jpg, French restaurant File:Jugendstil_Prag_Gemeindehaus_3.jpg, The café File:Jugendstil Prag Gemeindehaus 9.JPG, Hall in the basement File:Smetana Hall at the Municipal House (Obecni Dum), Prague - 8943.jpg, The Smetana Hall File:120913 Obecní dům Vystava DIVERSE - PAVEL BRUNCLÍK 08 b.jpg, Exhibition hall File:The Municipal House (Obecni Dum) ceiling, Prague - 8906.jpg, Fresko in the Primator-hall File:Smetana Hall ceiling.jpg, Smetana Hall ceiling

References

Sources

* Peter Cannon-Brookes ''Czech Sculpture, 1800–1938''

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Osvald Polívka buildings Music venues in Prague Concert halls in the Czech Republic Czech nationalism Music venues completed in 1912 Event venues established in 1912 National cultural monuments of the Czech Republic Domes Art Nouveau architecture in Prague Art Nouveau theatres 1912 establishments in Austria-Hungary Czech National Symphony Orchestra