Wife and I are loving Prague, really bowled over by it. However, we can't find the parliament building, or whatever building is the center of the national government. We're on a mission (among other things) to gather postcards for a political junkie frIend. Does anyone know where it is?
BTW I was thrilled to see where K was born, and thrilled that you can see "The Castle" from the corner on which his building sits!
http://prague-stay.com/lifestyle/review/790-national-museum-former-parliament-building/
is this the place you are looking for, Up above Wenseslas Square or could be the present verison
http://www.psp.cz/en/sqw/hp.sqw?k=671
hope this helps
have you been to Kafka's grave or the Kafka museum yet, both quite interesting and there is a new and very unusual sculpture of Kafka at the back of the narodni Trida metro station.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm15Qb4NFwg
If you want to do the parliaments in order, start with the Rudolfinum on Namesti Jana Palacha It was originally built as a concert hall, but in 1919 it was converted into the Parliament building for the Republic of Czechoslovakia. The Nazi occupation resulted in the closure of the parliament, and its return to use as a concert venue.
After the war, the reformed National Assembly took up residence in the former stock exchange at the top of Wenceslaus Square. During the Prague Spring reform period in 1968, it was decided that Czechoslovakia would be federalised, and so a new extension, the Federal Assembly, was built on stilts over the former stock exchange. You got to hand it to them; the communists had the symbolism nailed.
After the collapse of communism, the old Federal Assembly building become a Radio Free Europe broadcast centre and the new post-communist parliament relocated back to the other side of the river, to the Lesser Thun Palace on Malastrankse Namesti. This building was the original home of the Landtag, the local Bohemian assembly during the period of Austro-Hungarian rule. Effectively therefore, the house has returned to its original 19th century location, with a few political upheavals along the way.
I really enjoyed seeing the Kafka museum and also one of the little houses he lived in for a while on Zlata Ulicka, part of the castle complex.
Thanks everyone! Those very informative posts are just the ticket. Thanks also for the Kafka recommendations; I particularly want to see that sculpture, actually had forgotten that it is here.
If you haven't been to the Museum of Communism, I highly recommend it.
They have lots of political postcard reproductions. The museum itself is well worth your time.
http://muzeumkomunismu.cz/
Seconding the Museum of Communism suggestion--one of my favourite museums in Prague, really interesting exhibits and great commentary. It's in a rather decrepit looking old building and when I was there last May there was a film crew making a movie in the stairwell.
We went to the Museum of Communism today. What the Czech people had to go through! Just amazing courage. Thanks for the recommendation.
