Prague is a destination with so much to see, I have been twice and still feel like I need to go back. The old town and parks are beautiful but the main thing that drew me to Prague was the abundance of weird statues and unusual things to see.
Idiom Installation
This installation is in the Municipal library of Prague, it is in the foyer so it’s a fun place to take pictures without disturbing anyone inside. The tower is made from 8000 books and when you put your head inside you see a mirror at the top and bottom which makes the tower seem never ending. After this we walked for two minutes to Good Food to buy some chimney cakes.
Good Food coffee and bakery
Although chimney cakes themselves are not unusual what made these ones stand out is how beautiful they look. They were also so delicious that we ended up having one everyday and managed to try out most of the flavours. The first photo was taken outside the café, we had the charcoal flavour (which sadly looked a lot better than it tasted) and the chocolate pistachio flavour which was very nice.
For the second photo we ran across the road to take some Instagram photos in front of the river. Even though it was the end of September and not the warmest weather we still got chased by wasps! The flavours in the second photo are raspberry and chocolate vanilla (this was my favourite).
Metamorphosis staute
This is a metallic sculpture of the head of Franz Kafka, a Czech writer. Each of the 42 panels are constantly rotating at different speeds, they eventually align to form a face. It is created by David Černý and found outside the Quadrio shopping centre. Below is a slightly sped up video of it turning in different ways.
Crawling babies
There are 3 giant babies crawling around Kampa park next to the river. But the strangest part is that instead of a face they have a stamped barcode.
In the water behind them is a row of yellow penguins that light up at night. They are made from recycled bottles with the intension to remind everyone about climate change.
The London Booster
This art installation by David Černý is out of the city centre but still very easy to get to. We took the C metro line to Chodov and then we walked for 10 minutes to Chodovska tvrz park.
From research I found out that the bus would do press ups between 15:00 and 15:30 however when we got there at 15:00 the park was locked, this may be because it was the end of September. It was still very impressive and is actually the size of a double decker bus.
Wenceslas statue
This statue by David Černý depicts King Wenceslas riding on an upside down horse. The statue hangs from the ceiling and looks even bigger and more impressive in person. It is found in Lucerna pasáž which is a small shopping centre near Wenceslas square, the statue is outside the cinema. The first photo was taken from the staircase opposite that is seen in the second photo.
Ghosts on Wenceslas Square
These ghosts can be found relaxing together in the middle of Wenceslas Square. There are also a few other statues dotted around the area. It is very close to the King Wenceslas statue but this area is usually busy.
Brown-nosers statue
Yes that is the actual name of this statue, and it still tops my list of weird statues! There are two of them in the gardens of the Futura Gallery. There are also lots of other modern art exhibits in the gallery.
It is one of David Černý’s most risqué sculptures because of its political message. When you climb up the ladder and look inside, there is a video on loop of two Czech politicians feeding each other porridge to ‘We are the champions’ by Queen.
Cost: Free (but there is a donation box that you can contribute to)
Dripstone wall
The gardens of Wallenstein Palace are beautiful but it was this large wall that caught our attention. It represents stalactites found in a limestone cave and is said to have images of snakes, monsters and distorted faces hidden amongst it. However I couldn’t find any, all I could see was lots of creepy hands. Maybe my imagination isn’t quite good enough.
Slight uncertainty
The area outside Mosaic house hostel has a few different statues including a giant fly as seen in the second photo. As well as a man and woman hanging from an umbrella over the busy road. The statues are by Michal Trpak and supposed to represent the feelings of uncertainty experienced in depression.
Il Commendatore by Anna Chromy
This statue is found outside the Estates theatre.
Unusual shaped building
The dancing house has very unique architecture and stands out as very modern compared to the rest of the city. When it was built between 1994 and 1996 it was controversial but it is now part of modern Prague. The unusual shape represents a man and woman dancing together. It is now used as an office building except the top floor which is a restaurant called Ginger and Fred.
Romantic Airbnb
We stayed in this romantic Airbnb which is perfect for couples. The location is also good because it is next to Charles bridge and a short walk away from old town. Check for availability here: Romantic apartment
Visited: 4 days at the send of September 2018