Prague cafes closed due to COVID-19 have been turned into window art galleries

Prague's cafes and art galleries have been closed to visitors for the past few months, but a new concept is bringing the two together -- and providing passersby with a little culture as they walk down the city's streets.

PechaKucha Night Prague's Window Gallery has outfitted 10 popular cafes across central Prague with artwork from 24 local artists.

The concept gives artists a place to display their work as well as bringing more attention to local cafes, which are still open for take-away business. While some Prague restaurants have been able to adapt to the current measures through delivery and takeaway service, the absence of social coffee culture has really hurt the city's cafes.

The artwork includes pieces by painters, sculptors, designers, and other artists. Each piece has a QR code that can be scanned for more information about the work and its author.

"Before we could meet live again at the Prague's next PechaKucha Night, we felt the need to do something," PechaKucha organizer Jana Kostelecká writes in a press release.

"Therefore, we used the empty windows of Prague cafes, which are now forced to operate in limited fashion, and turned them into exhibition space."

Prague cafes participating in the Window Gallery project include:

Most of the venues are in central Prague locations through Vinohrady, Žižkov, New Town, and Holešovice, and could make for an inspiring walk through the city over the upcoming wave of warm weather during the next couple weeks.

Browsing the artwork also makes for a good excuse to grab a coffee or another treat from some of Prague's top cafes. Each piece of artwork can also be purchased.

PechaKucha, which translates to "chit-chat" in Japanese, is a storytelling format in which a presenter shows 20 slides and discusses each for 20 seconds. Invented in Tokyo in 2003, the idea soon spread to Europe.

PechaKucha Night Prague has been held regularly since 2007, but not during the past year due to anti-COVID-19 measures in the Czech Republic. The new Window Gallery project gives artists who took part in the event an alternative avenue.

The Window Gallery project will run through March 11. A map of the participating venues can be found at this link.