The city of Warsaw extends into two unequal parts on both sides of the Vistula river. Even though most of the tourist attractions are located on the left bank, in the so called Royal Route- the prestigious historic walk in Warsaw Trakt Królewski – and the trendy shops of Nowy Swiat. But beyond the Royal Castle, the Wilanów Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier we find a modern city, wanting to reinvent itself.

Prague: the bohemian district of Warsaw

On the right bank of the Vistula, right after crossing the historic zoo, it is located the neighborhood of Prague, a place that has successfully reinvented itself like no other in Warsaw and where now come to live young artists that have boosted the area with art galleries and craft shops. Its walls, once gray, are now full of murals and paintings that give a different color to the district.
Prague is now one of the most active cultural centers in town and with the mostt exciting nightlife scene beyond fashions and conventional trends. A place where creativity arises from the most unexpected corner.

Come up to the number 14 in Otwocka street, where is located the artistic, gastronomic and leisure center Centrum Artystyczne Fabryka Trzciny; certainly one of the most vibrant parts of the city.

The pianist in Warsaw

The Polish director Roman Polanski perfectly recreated the city occupied by the Germans in his film The Pianist, which recreates the memories of the pianist Szpilman, played by actor Adrian Brody. It was precisely the Prague neighborhood the chosen one for the filming of some scenes due to the abundance of original buildings of the time, who set the perfect city’s set for that time. Other scenes were shot in and around the city, and in the Military Academy in Warsaw, where  the Umschlagplatz’s scene happens , when the family of Szpilman along with other Jews are tucked to death in a freight train that will take them to the concentration camp.

Close to Centrum  metro station, we can find the area where the Ghetto was located during the German occupation and some few remains of the wall that formed the Warsaw Ghetto’s boundary, in the streets and Zlota Sienna.

On the trail of Chopin

Warsaw is the city of composer Frédéric Chopin, so following  ”the avenue of musical banks” that indicate the main points related to the great musician is  a fun way to discover it ; 15 black  interactive banks that were installed in 2010, coinciding with the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth.

These banks will guide you through the most emblematic places of his life like his home in Warsaw in the Czapski Palace and the Church of the Holy Cross where you will find his heart  in a box . To facilitate the route there is a QR code that will take you directly to a web audio guide in several languages. In addition, the banks have a button that, when pressed, releases fragments of some of his compositions.

The Cluster Waste

Gnojna Góra (the cluster waste) is the peculiar name of the main viewpoint of the city. Here was indeed, from the Middle Ages until the late eighteenth century, the municipal rubbish dump but as the city began to expand this area was too central to such use. From here, you have the best views over the river, district of Prague or the Cathedral of St. Michael.

Discover its cuisine

Of course! One of the best and most enjoyable ways to know a city is starting from its cuisine. Try the bigosz – Poland’s national dish which is prepared with boiled cabbage and sausages-, the pierogy -the cooked dumplings so common in Polish gastronomy-, the varszcz – a soup made of beet very usual  in almost all Eastern European cuisine – and the various recipes using mushrooms.

Why not take a trip to Warsaw? Have a look at our flights here!

Prague is a monumental city, with great historic buildings that bring unique, elegant and refined atmosphere to the city. But a contemporary artist got to the city to turn upside down its classic harmony with some of his weird work.

Born in Prague, David Černý is a controversial, irreverent and disturbing artist who loves to provoke the audiences. And he does so! His sculptures, with a remarkable social criticism, against power and authority, disturbed some of his audiences.

David Černý started his career as a provoking artist when, along with his colleagues at the arts school, painted in bright pink a tank from the soviets at the garden of the German Embassy -a monument to Czechoslovakia liberation in 1945-. Černý was arrested for his colourful attack but now this tank is exposed at the Military Museum in Lešany, 20 kilometers away from Prague, ad a freedom symbol.

His work is all around the city where this artist was born. There are many, but this is a little route to the most shocking and remarkable work.

Quo Vadis?

His first work, Quo Vadis?, was located at the German Embassy in Prague (Vlašská 19, Malá Strana). In Quo Vadis? Černý reinterprets Trabant, the most common car at East Germany, putting legs instead of wheels. It’s a tribute to over 3.000 Germans from the East who invaded the garden of this embassy on summer 1989, short after the fall of the wall.

The dead horse in Saint Wenceslaus

We already said that Černý’s work is the opposite to the classicism of this city. Thus, the dead horse of Saint Wenceslaus is a good example of that, oppositely to the classic stature located in the square of the same name. Saint Wenceslaus is, indeed, a symbol to the national Czech identity, and saint patron of Bohemia.
The version by Černý of this statue is pretty close to the original, at Lucerna avenue, but the horse is upside down, death and with its tongue out.

Viselec

You should pay attention when passing by the centric street of Husava, at Staré Mesto. Actually, you should look at the sky if you don’t wanna miss it. Above, you’ll see the hanging stature, a human figure that looks a lot like Sigmund Freud.
As with most of the work by Černý, it’s open to interpretations and the artist was never willing to reveal the actual meanings.

Piss

Located by Franz Kafka Museum, at Cihelná 2b, 118. These are two figures that move thanks to an electric mechanism who are peeing in a small pool with the same shape as the Czech Republic as they write quotes, from famous local authors, with the effluent.
Next to this sculpture there is a phone number where you can send SMS suggesting your own quote to be written by this peculiar sculpture.

Miminka babies

About 216 meters high, Žižkov is the telecommunications tower in Prague and the highest building in Czech Republic. Right here, David Černý located his disturbing work of ten dark babies who climb the building while crawling.
This sculpture can be seen also from the park at Kampa island, near Charles bridge.

Klaus & Knizak

At Futura Art Gallery (Holečkova 789/49), you should go by the stairs to find two great figures that are the bottom half of a human body to put your head by the hole on their bum. Inside, a satirical video is projected featuring the former president of the Czech Republic until 2013, Václav Klaus, and the artist Milán Knížák, feeding each other while the song "We are the Champions" is played.
This is a critic to the Czech politics and also to the voyeur viewer who just observers their actions without taking part.

Shark

In 2005, this work was presented for the Bienal in Prague, but it was forbidden in other exhibitions in Belgium or Poland. This piece presents Saddam Hussein’s image captive, on his underwear and bound hand and foot, immersed in a tank of formaldehyde. The work is signed by Mahoma and was presented one year before Hussein was killed, in 2006.

Quo Vadis? by VitVit | Pink tank by Hynek Moravec| Miminka by Evrik| Piss by UkillaJJ

So you feel like visiting Prague, do you? Book your flights here!

Costumes, parades, music and colour are at the heart of all carnivals, but every city has its owns customs and traditions. Today we would like to invite you to travel and discover what the carnival is like across Europe.

Beer is unquestionably one of the Czech Republic’s star performers. There, the valued elixir is more than sacred. Czechs love beer and are actually the world’s largest consumers per capita, putting back an average of 137 litres a year. The country boasts an endless array of brands, churned out either by large breweries or small family concerns. The latest trend is to blend different flavours in order to generate a bigger selection. Here, beer is a veritable institution, and a fad which is fast catching on is to bathe in the frothy gold liquid.

Following is a rundown of the best places to enjoy pivo (“beer”, in Czech).

Prague

Our beer route through the Czech Republic starts in the capital. Prague’s most famous beer is Staropramen, made at a brewery in the Smíchov district, which is well worth the visit. The brewery, which opened in 1869, includes sections with exhibits from that historic period.

The city’s most celebrated restaurant and beergarden is U Fleků, located in the historical centre. Once inside its huge interior, we recommend you pick up the menu and order some typical Czech dishes to go with your beer.

The best Pilsner Urquell is probably to be found in the Pivnice U Hrochů (“Hippo Beergarden”) on Thunovská Street, where the brew comes with an inch of head. Some claim that to test whether a beer has been poured properly, you should place a euro coin on top. If it floats, the beer has been served correctly. Another beer centre is the restaurant U Bansethů (Táborská Street 4). Opposite is a small brewery, the Sousedský pivovar Bašta, where you can also taste the beverage. If, however, you prefer to go for the more avant-garde flavours, make sure you head to the Nota Bene bar at Mikovcova Street 4, Prague 2.

However, beer does not exist solely for consumption, as attested by the Beer spa Bernard, located near the City Hall and the Powder Tower. Here you will enjoy a unique experience consisting of a soothing, curative beer bath. Needless to say, the spa session includes knocking back a Bernard beer.

Southern Bohemia

Our next stop takes us to southern Bohemia and the pretty town of České Budějovice. There stands another of the Czech Republic’s emblematic breweries – where Budvar beer is produced – known the world over as Budweiser Budvar. On our tour of the brewery they showed how the beverage was brewed by the traditional method, and how it is done nowadays. The visit also includes a tasting session of their famous pale lager.

Near České Budějovice lies the medieval jewel of Český Krumlov and the Village Golf Hotel Svachův Dvůr (Svachova Lhotka 1, Mirkovice). The hotel complex boasts its own small brewery, the Glokner, where they produce a Czech lager that is adapted to the different seasons – in summer, it is brewed “light”, whereas in winter it turns out somewhat “heavier” and more full-bodied. And, to round off your enjoyment of this beverage, the hotel offers its guests baths in their own beer.

Western Bohemia

North-west of Český Krumlov lies the city of Plzeň (Pilsen), the cradle of Czech beer. Discover the jealously guarded secrets of this beer city in this other post at My Vueling City. An hour’s drive away is a small town called Chodová Planá, known for its beer spa, the first of its kind in the Czech Republic. The spa offers the combined curative properties of a local mineral water known as Ilsano, Chodovar beer, hops and active beer yeast. And, if you’re a beer spa enthusiast, there is also a splendid spa town called Karlovy Vary.

Central Bohemia

We made our last stop at Žatec. This region, the country’s leading hops producer, is where the universally known Pilsner Urquell is brewed. It is clearly the best area for producing lagers. Here you can also visit the Žatecký pivovar brewery.

By now you must be quite thirsty, and not exactly for water! Get going and arrange your trip to Prague – check out our flights here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Czech Tourism