Prague is not to be summed up with its mythical Castle, the Charles Bridge and the astronomical clock. Thanks to its inhabitants, the city dusts and decompresses its districts. Head towards the Náplavka quays along the river Vltava. Yesterday abandoned, they now welcome the unavoidable Saturday morning farmers market launched by the group of citizens Archetyp in 2010. Soon, it became the rendezvous of all Prague. Reappropriating the banks, the inhabitants were followed by tourists. Phenomenal success. So much so that today it is difficult to move among the stands! Unless you prefer to sunbathe in the afternoon on the houseboat at the Kayak Beach Bar, play a volleyball game on the sand or go on an adventure on the Vltava aboard a kayak, A stand up paddle. Be careful, the bar is high: one of the founders of this bar is none other than Vavrinec Hradilek, silver medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games in slalom canoeing kayak!
In just a few short years, the Náplavka platforms have been transformed by the pragmatists. One can regret the spirit of the beginnings when the boats and barges were not yet to touch. It then floated a sympathetic and underground spirit, largely inspired by the Bajkazyl bar and bicycle garage which launched its first shows and concerts under the stars. "At the time, in 2012, it was innovative," explains Ondrej Kobza, who was in the early workings of this atypical place. This cultural agitator is unparalleled in transforming public spaces, often neglected by the political authorities, into welcoming places. At the head of two arty establishments, Café v Lese and Café Neustadt, he set up pianos in the streets (and even a piano on the water!), Chess tables or loudspeakers Poetry in public spaces (which, moreover, crossed the Atlantic to New York). "Our goal," he says, "is an invitation to exchange but also to inspiration.
We encourage people to take action. The strength of Ondrej is to show the city differently, even to inhabit it differently. This free electron probably does more for the city than the town hall itself. Ondrej, for example, organized for the people of Prague the discovery of the courtyards of the historic center, which was buried under the tourists. These actions are far from innocent. The notion of "public space" has changed a lot in recent years. And how could it be otherwise after forty years of communism? These spaces did not invite exchange - fear, perhaps, to be listened to. Then, in the race towards capitalism, they were long forgotten. They come back on the carpet of the city. On Malštranské námestí, near the Castle, Ondrej runs the cultural café in a six-meter tall tree sculpture designed by the Czech artist František Skála. It sells drinks and conducts cultural activities instead of parking. His great current project is to transform the roof of the Palazzo Lucerna into a rooftop. This historic and sublime building, erected by the grandfather of President Václav Havel, should one day welcome a community garden and a cafe - much later.
It is as if nature invites itself very timidly in town and overflows of the parks nevertheless numerous. Thus, a corner of greenery grew on the mineral piazzetta of the National Theater. 938 pots of plants were placed to form a plant labyrinth full of poetry and ephemeral (until August 3) by the architect Juráš Lasovský. The French etnobotanist Julien Antih, who initiated the project, explains: "By using this space of passage, our ambition is to get people to think about medicinal plants. "After many trips back to Prague since 2009, Julien moved there in 2015 where he worked for a major pharmaceutical group. Next to it, he created Haenke to educate the general public on medicinal plants through artistic, musical or design events. And it works ! "I saw people stop," he said, "sit on the chairs, make selfies and even, some, knit! Many came to talk to us afterwards. This questions and invites exchanges. ". A nice bet for this sad place that gets excited at the market of designers - next event on August 5 and 6.
The younger generation seems timidly (re) to take the keys of the city. If the center is saturated, then it invests other places like the duo Lukáš Ždárský and Jakub Zajíc. These cheerful shoppers move the invisible borders of Prague by creating outlying but friendly places that you come from far to enjoy. After their sports club - bar Radlická kulturní sportovna (now closed) in Smíchov district, they have opened the café Kavárna co hledá jméno in Andel, near the famous Staropramen brewery which is open to visitors. The entrance, via an open air car park, is hardly inviting. However, the place evokes a house in the woods with its logs ready to feed the stoves for the winter. A parenthesis in the city where they come, it is said, only for breakfast and eggs Benedicte. The parenthesis is also in the in time because the place is ephemeral and should close in September.
We are investing abandoned and empty places for a limited time, advances Lukáš Ždárský in a smile to be damned, outside the city center which has become a place for tourists. We do a lot of work without having long contracts. "Exception, perhaps, for the new project Vnitroblok, once again off-center but on the arty road, a few stops by tram DOX Contemporary Art Center and many designers workshops. This café, housed in an old 19th century factory, is also a concept store full of local designers and a dance hall where yoga is performed. Behind the factory, the duo intends to revive an entire street of former workshops with restaurants, florist and "clinic" for sneakers.