Art Nouveau in Prague: a walking guide

The façade you walk past every day is probably hiding a bird, a face or a woman with flowing hair, somewhere up on the third storey. Most people never look. This route fixes that in about three hours, with coffee stops wherever you like.

What to look for

Art Nouveau in Prague, secese in Czech (from "secession"), peaked between about 1895 and 1910. Its signs are curving lines, plant forms, decorative ironwork, stained glass, mosaics and sculpture built into the building. Architects worked with sculptors and painters, so the best buildings feel designed as a whole. Our guide to Alphonse Mucha and Czech Art Nouveau covers the artist who gave the style its poster image.

Start at the main station

The historic hall of Praha hlavní nádraží was designed by Josef Fanta and built in the first decade of the twentieth century. It survives beside a modern concourse. Look at the domed entrance hall, the sculptural details and the ironwork. Arriving travellers often miss it because they come in through the newer hall.

Up to Wenceslas Square

From the station, walk towards Wenceslas Square. The upper part has several Art Nouveau buildings among later styles, including the Peterka House with its curved gable and decorated façade, and others with carved figures and floral stonework. Look at the top storeys, not the shop fronts.

The building at the very top is a different story. Our guide to the National Museum covers its nineteenth-century neo-Renaissance style, and the contrast is instructive.

The Jubilee Synagogue

A short detour from the station takes you to the Jubilee Synagogue (Jubilejní synagoga) on Jeruzalémská street. Its façade combines a Moorish style with Art Nouveau elements, and the interior is richly decorated. It is a working synagogue of the Jewish Community of Prague and visits are limited to certain days, so check first.

The Municipal House

The Municipal House (Obecní dům), beside the Powder Tower on Náměstí Republiky, is Prague's great Art Nouveau civic building. It opened in 1912 and is full of mosaics, stained glass, sculpture and painting by leading Czech artists of the time, Mucha among them. Look at the mosaic above the entrance. Our guide to the Municipal House and Smetana Hall explains how to see inside, by tour or concert.

Along the way

The streets between these stops, around Náměstí Republiky and in the Old Town, hold smaller examples: apartment houses with curved balconies, painted decoration and corner sculptures. Keep your head up and ignore the shops. A building with a name and a date carved into it is probably from this period.

Practical notes

The route is mostly flat and takes two to three hours at an easy pace. Public interiors have their own hours and tickets. The station and the Municipal House have public areas you can enter without a ticket, depending on events. Exteriors are free at any time.

Cobbles and tram tracks call for sturdy shoes. If you tire, the metro stops at Muzeum, Můstek and Náměstí Republiky link the route, and our beginner's transport guide explains tickets.

Do this today

Take the metro to Hlavní nádraží, walk through the old hall, go up Wenceslas Square with your head tilted back and finish at the Municipal House with a coffee. Count the faces you hadn't noticed before.