Lucerna Palace and music bar

The Lucerna Palace was the first arcade building in Prague, and to this day, it attracts crowds of people seeking culture. It houses a cinema, a theater hall, cafes, and since the end of the 20th century, the Lucerna Music Bar, hidden in the basement of the building. This grand palace was built by the builder and entrepreneur Václav Havel, the grandfather of the first Czech president. The reinforced concrete structure reflects elements of late Art Nouveau and emerging modernism. The glass facade facing Vodičkova Street, consisting of large windows with slender parapet strips made of artificial stone, is likely the work of architect Osvald Polívka, whose design of the double bay windows may have inspired the palace’s name. A real lantern hangs at both entrances to the arcade, and since 2000, its interior has been complemented by David Černý’s sculpture called “Saint Wenceslas.” The entire palace is richly articulated, and it even features a paternoster elevator.