• Get in
• Do
• Buy
• Eat
• Drink
• Sleep
• Contact

The West of Prague is to the west of the Castle district and is made up of three numbered districts: Praha 5, Praha 6 and Praha 13.

[edit] Get in

Use Metro line A, station Dejvická, to get to Praha 6. Use Metro line B, station Anděl, to get to Praha 5, and station Zličín, to get to Praha 13. There is a direct bus line from both Dejvická and Zličín to Ruzyně International Airport.

[edit] See

[edit] Hvezda Summer Palace

Star-shaped and white, rising out of its meadow like a porcelain figurine, this small summer palace is located near one of the most infamous sites in Czech history. There is a small museum inside dedicated to the 18th-c nationalist writer Alois Jirasek, best known for his collection of Czech fairy tales, available as Old Czech Legends in the U.S. Hvezda's shape is unusual, but this area is known for being near Bila Hora.

[edit] Villa Müller

The Müller Villa is a luxurious villa designed by the influential Austrian and Czechoslovak architect Adolf Loos, the author of the essay "Ornament and Crime". The villa was built in the years 1928-1930, at the same time as the famous Mies Van der Rohe's Tugendhat Villa in Brno. Adolf Loos considered Müller Villa to be his most beautiful house and it is also the building where he most perfectly embodied the ideas of his 'Raumplan'. The villa, including its interiors, has been renovated and restored to its original 1930 appearance in the late 1990's. Now, the Müller Villa is one of the most authentic and best preserved of Adolf Loos' works.

It is possible to visit the Müller Villa by guided tour which has to be booked in advance by telephone (+420 224 312 012) or through the official pages. Basic admission fee is 300 CZK + 100 CZK for an English language guide. The Villa is located near the tram station Ořechovka (lines 1, 2, 18), street Nad Hradním vodojemem 14, čp. 642, Praha 6 - Střešovice. GPS coordinates: 50°5'33"N, 14°22'42"E

[edit] Bila Hora

Bila Hora, or "White Mountain" is where the eponymous Battle of White Mountain took place between Habsburg forces and the Czech nobility on 8 November 1620, as part of the Thirty Years War. During the early fifteenth century's Hussite rebellions, most of the Czech people abandoned the Catholic church and followed the Protestant teachings of Jan Hus and similar preachers. Despite the Czech lands' annexation by the very Catholic Austrian Habsburg family, the Czech nobility remained Protestant. When Emperor Ferdinand II violated an agreement signed by his predecessor which codified the mainly-Protestant nobility's rights, they got angry. Two Protestant churches were forcibly closed/destroyed on orders of the Bishop of Prague (Ferdinand's right-hand man), the nobility decided they'd had quite enough, and gathered at the Castle en masse. Count Thurn, the ringleader, and his assistants entered the Castle, where they were harassed by two Catholic members of Ferdinand's advisory council. In the best Czech tradition (this has happened more than once. The words 'defenestration' and 'Prague' are inextricably linked in history), Count Thurn and his friends threw the council members out a window. In a remarkably ironic twist of fate, they landed in a pile of manure and survived. What next? From a smelly pair of court lackeys to war?

[edit] Do

[edit] Buy

• Nový Smíchov, Ředitelství Plzeňská 8, 150 00 Praha 5, +420 251 101 061, (fax: +420 251 101 060), [1]. Prague's biggest shopping centre with plenty of choice among its wide array of shops. The Andél tram station is just outside the door.

[edit] Eat

• Austria - A italian(non austrian) restaurant serving delicious dishes between 100CK and 400CK with most being around 150CK(Sept, 2006). In Prague 5, on the corner of V Botanice and Stefanikova.

[edit] Drink

[edit] Sleep

• Arpacay Hostel Prague, Radlicka 76, Praha 5, tel. +420 251 552 297, prague@arpacayhostel.com, [2]. Facilities include a kitchen, laundry and personal lockers. There's also a roof top terrace overlooking the city. Free breakfast, linens and internet access are included. There's no curfew. Dorms from 300Kč per person per night, singles/doubles/triples from 590Kč/430Kč/390Kč respectively. Add another 100Kč or so per night during peak season.
• Riverside Prague, Janáčkovo nábřeží 15, Prague 5, tel. +420 234 705 155, info@riversideprague.com, [3]. A luxurious hotel with outstanding service right on the banks of the Vltava. Rates vary by season and room type and there are many package deals available but expect to pay from 5250Kč for a double room per night.
• Botel Admirál, Hořejší nábřeží, Praha 5, tel. +420 257 321 302, info@admiral-botel.cz, [4]. Located between Vysehrad and Palacky Bridge on the Vltava river, this boat hotel has a nightclub, restaurant and terrace big enough for 85 guests to enjoy the view across the waters to the city. Admiral has singles, doubles and apartments that can sleep up to four people for 2030Kč/2160Kč/3770Kč during low season, rising to 3220Kč/3380Kč/5830Kč during holiday periods.

[edit] Contact