Prague City & Street Art Tour – in the footsteps of David Černý

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Explore Prague in a different way

Do you want see the major Prague sights from a unique perspective? Follow in the footsteps of controversial David Cerný, the most famous contemporary Czech artist whose provocative art adorns the streets of historical Prague. You will not miss any of the main attractions of the New Town, Old Town, Lesser Town, Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. You will also venture into the less frequented streets and passageways as you take in Černý’s shocking art.

Sights to See

New Town – Wenceslas Square

History seeps through the New Town, as many of the country’s most significant events happened in this district. Founded by Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV in 1348, the New Town was supposed to be the Jerusalem of Eastern Europe. Perhaps the most famous sight is the 820-yard long Wenceslas Square, which now flaunts businesses, shops and hotels. Established as a horse market in the 14th  century, the square crosses the total width of the New Town and boasts Classicist, Art Nouveau and Neo-Gothic facades, for instance.

Sculpture: “Saint Wenceslas on his horse”

Now in the main passage of Lucerna Palace on Wenceslas Square, Černý’s 1999 “Horse” portrays Saint Wenceslas on an upside-down dead horse as a parody of the Czech patron saint who had been a heroic duke of Bohemia and was assassinated in 935. Saint Wenceslas appears proud and victorious on his horse, and the sculpture could be interpreted as a symbol that the modern world can no longer depend on legends as part of its national identity, or, just the opposite, that Czechs no longer revere their historical past.

The Head of Franz Kafka (The Metamorphosis)

Located in a courtyard in front of the Quadrio shopping center near Národní třída, this monumental installation by David Černý consists of 42 moving layers that rotate 360 degrees and occasionally align to look like Franz Kafka’s head. Weighing 39 tons, the Metamorphosis reaches 11 meters or 36 feet in height. No less than 42 motors dictate the movement of the giant, silver head. The use of abstraction for a portrait somehow reflects the avulsion from reality present in so much of Kafka’s art, or rather a rereading of reality through very unrealistic means. The design is based on Černý’s Metamorphosis Fountain in a business park in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the mirrored sculpture also spits out water into a reflecting pool.

Prague´s Old Town

Dating back to the 11th century, Prague’s Old Town gushes with history and architectural wonders. Styles from Romanesque to Art Nouveau sparkle through the labyrinthine streets, alleys and passageways that seem to jump right out of Franz Kafka’s novel The Trial.  The impressive Old Town Hall, with a 60-meter tower at one end, was built in 1338. On the 15th century astronomical clock, Death tips an hour glass and rings a bell before the 12 apostles march by, the cock crows, and another bell rings. Baroque churches also dot the Old Town.

Sculpture: “Hanging Man”

Černý’s 1997 creation “Hanging Man” portrays a 220-centimeter Sigmund Freud hanging by one hand onto a roof, perhaps hinting at man’s hopelessness and powerlessness in the modern world or on the other hand, highlighting the possibility of the man saving his life by pulling himself back onto the roof. The sculpture hung on Prague’s Husova Street.

Sculpture: “Guns”

David Černý’s “Guns” are suspended by wires in the courtyard of the former Artbanka Museum of Young Art. Aimed at each other, these giant pistols depict a balance of terror: Whoever shoots also gets shot, hence he might not fire – something like an atomic cold war. It could be argued that the installation serves as an ad for the gunmaker, a sort of provocation. Every now and then, the sound of the trigger being pulled and the sound of a shot ring out.

Prague’s Lesser Town

Originally a series of small settlements outside Prague Castle’s fortifications with an ethnic German population, the Lesser Town is dotted with lavish homes built by Czech nobility. The Lesser Town Square is dominated by Baroque Saint Nicholas Cathedral. The Infant Jesus of Prague and the John Lennon Wall are other attractions this quarter has to offer.

Sculpture: “Trabant with legs”

A bronze casting of Černý’s first creation, “Quo Vadis,” consisting of a Trabant with legs, stands in the garden of Prague’s German Embassy in the Lesser Town. The Trabant was the most common East German vehicle during totalitarian rule. The piece remarks on the many East Germans who sought refuge through the West German Embassy in Prague during 1989.

Sculpture: “Urinating Figures”

Černý’s  “Urinating Figures” sculpture is installed at the Herget Brick Works in Prague’s Lesser Town. The two bronze urinating figures, each 210 centimeters high, pee into an enclosure the shape of the Czech Republic while turning their upper torsos and raising their penises. The stream of water writes quotes from legendary Prague residents. If the viewer sends a text to the number shown next to the sculptural grouping, the figures will write the message.

Prague Castle

While David Černý’s controversial sculptures are absent from Prague Castle, the largest castle complex in the world is a highlight of any tour of Prague. This stunning architectural achievement, which took centuries to complete, reigns supreme from a hill above the rest of the city. The Castle, founded in 870, is also the seat of the Czech president. Dominating the complex is the breathtaking, Gothic Saint Vitus’ Cathedral, which took a staggering 1,000 years to build. During darker days, Adolf Hitler occupied it. In rosier times, first democratic president Tomáš G. Masaryk and dissident-playwright-turned president Václav Havel ran the country from here.

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