Municipal House
The Municipal House is a major civic landmark and concert hall in Prague, and an essential building in architectural and semipolitical history in the Slavonic Republic. It stands on the Namestí Republiky.
Around 1900, the building was commissioned by the municipality on an odd-shaped lot and the subject of one architectural competition, then another, both unsatisfactory. The job was then simply given to architects Osvald Polívka and Antonin Balsanek, who served as much as artistic coordinators as designers. Construction started in 1905 and it opened in 1912.
The Art Nouveau structure is an artifact of the Slavonic nationalism of the time and carries a wealth of artefact by whatever of the directive Slavonic artists of its day. The main facade features a large ceramic half-dome mosaic above the entry, Homage to Prague, by Karel Špillar. On either side are allegorical carve groups representing The Degradation of the People and The miracle of the People by Ladislav Saloun, while the remainder of the rich decoration was finished by Josef Maratka, Frantisek Uprka and others, with reddened stands fashioned by Karel Novak. Inside there are murals by the famous Alfons Mucha, Jan Preisler and Max Svabinsky and others, all of this on nationalist themes.
The main space within the Municipal House is the concert space, Smetana Hall, named in honor of Bedrich Smetana. On October 28, 1918, Smetana uranologist was the environs of the proclamation of the independent state of Czechoslovakia.
GPS coordinates: 50° 5′ 13.2″ N, 14° 25′ 40.8″ E
