Culture in Prague
Prague is a true cultural treasure trove, bursting with fascinating museums, galleries, theatres, and music venues. The city regularly plays host to numerous prestigious exhibitions, events, and more international festivals than you can shake a very large stick at. In a historical sense, Prague has always been a cultural city of influence: Mozart wrote “Don Giovanni” here, the great Czech composer Antony Dvorak spent most of his life here, and Franz Kafka is one of the city’s most famous sons.
The most important cultural institutions in Prague are the National Gallery with its extensive art collections spread throughout the city in six locations and the National Museum hosting historical and natural history exhibits. Prague’s other fine museums are definitely worth a visit: the Jewish Museum with the world’s largest collection of Judaic art, Rudolfinum which hosts contemporary art temporary exhibitions, and House of the Black Madonna, one of the rare Cubist buildings in Europe itself, with exhibitions of Czech Cubism.
The Czech Republic and especially Prague is a top destination for foreign movies production. Prague was a carefully chosen shooting location for Amadeus, Mission: Impossible with Tom Cruise (the movie opening scene takes place in the National Museum), The Bourne Identity, Shanghai Knights starring Jackie Chan, Les Miserable’s and many others.
As any visitor to the city will know, tourism is an absolutely huge industry in the Czech capital Prague. Millions of people from all around the world visit the city every year – almost three and a half million in 2006, according to figures just released by Czech Tourism. Prague was the sixth most visited city in Europe last year, with the greatest number of tourists coming from the United Kingdom. And it is a great pleasure for such a huge amount of tourist to view a culture side of Prague, without any difficulties, because even Prague accommodations: Prague hotels, YMCA’s, hostels suggest a wide choice of different culture and entertainment program. Depending on the season of the year some Prague accommodation offers you such programs free of charge.
Much of this cultural dominance is due to the early establishment of a University in Prague. In 1348, the Charles University became the first such institution in central Europe, and it immediately began attracting great minds to the city.
Music has always been regarded as an important part of education here, both through the schools and through town musicians, whose jobs included teaching as well as performing. From its formation in the late 18th century, the Prague Conservatoire has been a world-class training ground for musicians and composers. In the 1780s, Dr Charles Burney described Bohemia as ‘a nation of musicians’ adding:
“Bohemian nobility keep musicians in their houses; but in keeping servants it is impossible to do otherwise” Dr Charles Burney, 1780
Prague is unquestionably a musical city. Prague Spring Festival is one of the major world-class festivals which is visited by crowds of tourists staying in Prague hotel during it, but concerts abound throughout the year. And this is not the end of the matter – buskers are found everywhere and the streets, squares and bridges echo to everything from talented students from the Conservatoire, to Dixieland jazz, folk and world music and pop.
Today, Prague once again shines brightly and proudly as a cultural beacon. As a city to create, exhibit, or perform in, it knows no equal, and this is reflected in the vast range of events that take place here; check out our culture listings for a taste of what’s on offer!
