ABACTA RESIDENCE

ABACTA RESIDENCE - Accommodation in Prague

ABACTA RESIDENCE is situated in the very historical center of the city of Prague, at a prestigious address of the Kralovské Vinohrady ( the King's Vineyards). The Rimska Street N° 45 is at the proximity of Namesti Miru (the Peace Square) at about five minutes walk down the Vinohrady Avenue to reach the National Museum and the statue of St. Wenceslas in the Wenceslas Square and at exactly ten minutes walk from the Smetana Theatre or the Principal Railway Station.

Namesti Miru, being a crossway of the city traffic, all the means of city transport are available there. The underground, trams and buses are there to take you quickly to the nooks and cranies of the city of Prague.

THEATRE

Next door the hotel reception, there is a theatre called "U Hasicu" ( At the Firemen's) where the most popular Czech actors perform. Not far from the hotel, in 38, Rimska Street, there is the Vinohrady Theatre, famous not only for its magnificent Art Nouveau architecture, dating from the early 20's, but also for the best Czech theatre and film stars, one of them being Dagmar Havlova-Veskrnova, actress and wife of the ex-president of the Czech Republic - Vaclav Havel.

HISTORY

The name of Kralovske Vinohrady (The King's Vineyards) dates back to the 14th century, when the vineyards were founded here thanks to the King Charles IV's privilege in 1358. The vineyards were a flourishing affair, supplying the king's court by wine until the outbreak of the 30 Years War in 1618-1648, when they suffered abandon and were gradually colonized by urban inhabitants. At the beginning of the 19th century the Kralovske Vinohrady (The King's Vineyards) reached their prosperity again thanks to colonel Wimmer, a land-owner who planted the place by beautiful orchards and public gardens famous all over the country. The Kralovske Vinohrady (The King's Vineyards) were accorded a status of an independent municipality in 1864 and, in 1879 they were proclaimed an independent royal city with the attribution of a coat of arms. Vivid building activities enlarged the town. Most of its architecture dates from the 19th- 20th century embracing the Gothic, Neo Renaissance, Art Nouveau and Functionalism Styles, giving a special, inimitable elegance to this city area, which is stressed by the artistic atmosphere, created by the existing theatres, an opera house, a lot of galleries, a historical cinema " Bio Illusion" and a lot of " creative" pubs and cafés hidden in the numerous streets and corners of the Kralovske Vinohrady (The King's Vineyards).

ARCHITECTURE

The architecture of the Kralovske Vinohrady (The King's Vineyards) is dominated by three monuments situated in Namesti Miru (the Peace Place) within the hotel reach. They are: The St. Ludmila's Cathedral, the Vinohrady Theatre and Narodni Dum ( the National House).

NARODNI DUM (the National House) is a monumental Neo Renaissance building constructed in 1894-1896 by a Czech architect Antonin Turek. It is decorated by statues and paintings of many famous Czech artists. It has always been a cultural and educational centre with a public library, a reading room, a theatre, a main hall used as a ballroom or a meeting place, a conservatory room, a place with different educational clubs, a restaurant and a café.

THE CATHOLIC ST. LUDMILA'S CATHEDRALE is a Neo Gothic basilica built in 1888-1893 by the architect Josef Mocker. The building has a shape of a isosceles cross with a 50 m long aisle. The two front towers are 60 m high. Most famous Prague artists of that time participated at the inside decoration. It is visited by a great number of both home and foreign visitors. Lately, it has been a centre of a Hollywood film production. A part of "The Illusionist" with the famous actor, Edward Norton in the principal role, has been filmed there.

THE VINOHRADY THEATRE was built in1905-1907 in the style Art Nouveau by the project of Alois Censky. The front part is dominated by two columns with the statues of Opera and Theatre by Milan Havlicek. Its rich original inner decoration, which reflects the glorious solemn atmosphere, has been preserved.