The birth house of Františka Plamínková (The Black brewery)

Františka Plamínková, a politician, journalist, teacher, senator, and fighter for women’s equality, was born in 1875 in the house “U Tří vlaštovek.” This significant and often overlooked pioneer of emancipation advocated throughout her life for the abolition of mandatory celibacy for female teachers, the acquisition of women’s suffrage, and the establishment of the Women’s National Council, of which she remained the chairwoman until the end of her life. In 1938, she wrote an open critical letter to Adolf Hitler, for which she eventually paid a price. In 1942, after previous imprisonment and persecution by the Gestapo, on June 30th of the same year, she was shot at the Kobyliska shooting range. The mentioned house, “U Tří vlaštovek,” is no longer found on Charles Square, as it gave way to the construction of a modern functionalist palace designed by architect Karel Kotase. The sternly designed facade of this six-story colossus is mainly clad in travertine.