Celetna
Leading from the Powder Tower to Old Town Square, Celetna is a very beautiful, and busy street in Prague. This street owes it’s name to a type of bread called ‘calta’ that used to be baked here. You will find many tourists in Celetna because it connects important historical locations and it is the first segment of the famous Royal Route, the way the Bohemian kings followed during their coronation parade. Many of it’s beautiful buildings have a special place in Prague’s culture and history. Franz Kafka lived here during his childhood, during his youth and also worked in this street for some time. Celetna is the street where Prague’s first cubist building was built. It is the House At The Black Madonna ( Dům U Černé Matky Boží) (No. 34). The House at the Black Madonna was designed by Czech architect Josef Gočár and was completed in 1912. Today it houses a cubism museum and a café.
At the Golden Angel (u Zlatého Anděla) (No.29) used to be a hotel where important personalities such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart resided. Now it is a hotel and restaurant.
Some houses in Celetna, like other ancient streets in Prague (see Nerudova) have beautiful house symbols above their doors. Among the nicest are the Golden Angel, the Red Eagle:
… and “At the White Peacock”” (No.10):
Franz Kafka lived at no. 2, the Sixt House for a short time during his childhood. Now it is a souvenir shop. You can see the entrance to the Sixt House in the photo below, on the left.
Franz Kafka also lived on the other side of the road, at no. 3, the house ‘At the Tree Kings (dům U Tří králů)’. He lived there for eleven years with his family. During that period he began writing his first stories.
The ‘Divadlo v Celetna‘, in the Manhart House, at no. 17, is a very popular theater among locals.
In the photo below you can see, on the right side, the 18th century facade of the Caretto-Millesimo Palace (No.13).
Another beautiful building in Celetna is the Hrzán Palace, at no. 12. It is the work of, Giovanni Battista Aliprandi, an Italian architect who was very active in Prague and Bohemia in the 18th Century.
The House At the Vulture (U Supa) (no. 22) hosts one of the most ancient pubs in Prague:
