European Heritage Days opens closed doors in Prague and the Czech Republic

Some buildings will be open across Prague and the rest of the Czech Republic as part of European Heritage Days, held September 7–15. This year’s theme is Sights and Entertainment (Památky a zábava). Most will be open for free, but some will have a nominal entrance fee.

Prague will have 33
locations participating, and 20 special events. Nationwide, there are
804 locations and 295 events, with the opening ceremony being held in
Litomysl in the Pardubice region.

The venues in Prague
will be spread out, including museums, religious venues, and
architectural curiosities.

New Town Hall in
Prague 2 will host several events, ranging from live concerts to
children’s theater. Access to the top of the tower and other
exhibitions including the former apartment of the tower keeper is at
a discount for the entire week. Some parts of the complex, such as an
escape room, will be open but with no discount.

Žofín Palace in
Prague 1 will be open September 8 for free so people can see the
elaborately decorated interiors, with stucco, wall paintings and
decorative staircases. The building dates to 1884. Also in Prague 1,
Thurn-Taxis Palace is open September 7–8. It has baroque features
mixed in with details from later renovations.

Prague 8 has a large number of places on this year’s list. Grab Villa is open on September 14. It was built in 1921 by Dr Hugo Grab. It’s turbulent history includes a large fire, Nazi occupation, and damage in the May 1945 Prague Uprising. Now it is owned by the Health Ministry.

Participating
museums across the city include the Lapidarium on September 7–8,
Letohrádek Hvězda on September 7, the Czech Police Museum on
September 14–15, and Kobylisy Shooting Range (a World War II
execution site) on September 14.

The National
Technical Museum on September 7 and Josef Sudek Studio on September
7–8 both will have reduced admission.

The Old Sewer System
(Stará čistírna) in Prague 7–Bubeneč will be open September 14
at regular price but with special special events including access to
the chimney if weather cooperates.

A dozen churches,
chapels, and other places of worship are open, showcasing Baroque to
modern architecture. Perhaps the most unusual of these is the
cave-like Chapel of St Elijah in Prague 1’s Vojanovy sady on
September 7–8, with rarely seen ceiling paintings on the inside.
Other unusual sights include the wooden Art Nouveau–style Church of
St Vojtěch in Prague 8, open September 14, and the modern (from
1971) Church of Jacob’s Ladder in Prague 8 on September 14.

A few off spots are
hard to categorize. Part of the city’s historical town walls near
Strahov, a viewpoint in a former guardhouse in Petřín, and a newly
remodeled building entryway on Skořepka Street will all also be
open.