MuseumChick | Danee Gilmartin

On my recent trip to Prague with friends and Mr. MuseumChick we got a chance to see the dark side of the Czech Republic’s capital. Prague is known for its haunting tales, spirits and medieval architecture, so we took a creepy midnight ghost tour of Prague Castle and the old town area where the guide recounted ghost legends, stories of murder and a dark past with a backdrop of narrow cobblestone streets and eerie buildings.

Nightime at Prague Castle

(Below) Prague reflection in the water  River

With this setting it’s easy to see where Franz Kafka got his inspiration for his dark, disturbing and isolation-themed novels. Kafka, a Prague native who was born in 1883, lived and wrote his novels in Prague. Some of his famous novels include The Metamorphosis, The Trial and The Castle written during the early 20th century. On the Prague River, or as it’s known there, the Vltava is the Kafka Museum. You can’t miss the big “K” in front or the funny peeing man statue (it even moves, watch out!)

The Kafka Museum was surprisingly modern inside its typical old Prague building. The collection’s presentation was innovative and started with a timeline and underwater photos to create some effect of which I’m not sure what the point was, but looked interesting anyway. Towards the back they showed a video of a photo montage of Prague in the time of Kafka and had ringing phones that you can pick up to hear audio blurbs of Kafka’s stories. (I wasn’t actually allowed to take pictures in the museum but I snuck a few in anyway). Even though he is mostly famous for his novels, Kafka was also an artist. His drawings reflect the same troubled and struggling theme of his novels with his minimalist drawings of contorted figures. After walking through the exhibit I was inspired to read some of Kafka’s writing, so I decided to check out the gift shop to possibly pick up a novel. I read a short blurb on the dust jacket and decided to buy a coaster instead. Yes, I assume his novels are worth reading and are very interesting but if I plan on sleeping the next few nights I think I’m going to stick with Jane Austen. Overall, the museum definitely gives a complete history of Kafka’s life and helps you understand his troubling feelings and inspirations for his dark and disturbing stories. Now, I finally understand the metaphor “Kafka dreams”, usually meaning perturbing dreams or reoccurring nightmares. (Think- a nightmare where gum is stuck to your shoes, you can’t run and an ex-boyfriend is chasing you).

After being sobered in the Kafka museum we moved on to the dreamy and romantic style art of Alphonse Mucha at the Mucha Museum. Mucha is another claim to fame for Prague. They have many of his works around the city and the museum houses his famous Art Nouveau decorative prints and paintings. When visiting the museum, I learned that Mucha was popular in Czech Republic but more so in Paris because of his work done with the famous Parisian actress, Sarah Bernhardt. He created the poster for her renowned play, Gismonda and then worked with her for many more years to come. Some of the work at the Mucha Museum that was particularly interesting was Mucha’s “Seasons” (1896) series and “The Times of the Day” (1899) series of prints that express the changing of seasons and times of day through romantically posed women in flowing sheer dresses.

Mucha’s Parisian Posters

3 of 4 of Mucha’s “The Times of the Day” Series

We saw more of Mucha’s work throughout Prague at the Municipal Building (Obecni Dum) where Mucha created the murals above the entrance and on the inside ceilings of the main auditorium. The building is also a great example of Art Nouveau architecture.

Mucha’s mural on the top