At the very heart of Mozart, Hasek and Mucha's city...
Prague is the birthplace of three of the world's outstanding writers: Rilke, Kafka and Hasek. The latter, whose masterpiece, The Good Soldier Schweik, is often likened to a 20th century Don Quichote, was born in 1883 in Skolska Street, on the exact spot where one of the two buildings that make up the Best Western Premier Hotel Majestic Plaza now stands. Hasek was a regular patron of Prague's many breweries and in particular of U Kalicha at Number 12 Na Bojisti Street, very close to the hotel. His ingenuous hero, whose sense of humour and mockery won over the Czech people, is a central figure of Prague's soul. The city, which boasts over 550 towers, possesses an extraordinarily rich heritage. The Best Western Premier Hotel Majestic Plaza stands just a few yards from Wenceslas Square, the true heart of Prague and where its inhabitants share their joy (victory in the World Ice Hockey Championships), their anger (against the Communist regime), their sorrows (Jan Palach's immolation), their happiness and their music. Music is a particularly prominent feature of life in Prague. The Marriage of Figaro was acclaimed here so fervently that Mozart signed the contract that enabled him to create and triumphantly stage Don Giovanni at the Stavovske Divadlo, one of the most beautiful theatres of Central Europe and also just a stone's throw from Wenceslas Square and the hotel.
The Best Western Premier Hotel Majestic Plaza is fully in tune with the Czech capital, adding its own inimitable contribution. Its architects opted for a Biedermaier style in one of the two buildings and an Art Deco spirit in the other. The hotel stands out, in a city that is nonetheless incredibly rich architecturally, by its distinctive decorative choices and by the creative use of noble materials, in particular marble and copper. Formerly used only on the most prestigious edifices, such as cathedral roofs, shimmering copper adds a singularly elegant touch to the facades and rooftops of the Best Western Premier Hotel Majestic Plaza. The marble in the communal areas exquisitely mixes two to five different shades, to such an extent, that many of the city's photographers come here for fashion shoots.
Asmera, the hotel's restaurant pays tribute to Czech culture not only by its menu, but also by the murals that depict the Art Nouveau style of which the Prague artist Mucha was one of the most emblematic proponents. After rising to fame in Paris designing the posters for the great actress of the era, Sarah Bernhardt, Mucha returned to Prague to work on his masterpiece, the Slav Epic (as well as on the first postage stamp and bank note of the new state).
The hotel's basement has been converted into a nightclub of particularly daring design that is greatly appreciated by the city's fun-loving youth. A youth that used to express its quest for freedom by graffiti in homage to the murdered singer on the so-called John Lennon Wall, which the police removed the same day.
The elegant paved courtyard that separates the hotel's two buildings is decked in flowerbeds and lawns and lined by red copper railings that create a quite unique ambience.
The guestrooms are tastefully furnished in echo of the establishment's communal areas. The upstairs' rooms command fine views of some of Prague's most spectacular symbols, the Castle, Saint Vitus Cathedral and Petrin Tower that rises amidst the trees of the castle's parkland. If you listen carefully, you might be able to hear the astronomical clock that rings each hour of the day just a few minutes away from the hotel. It was built in 1410, at a time when the accurate measurement of time was far from commonplace, to the point that, according to legend, the clockmaker was blinded to prevent him from ever reproducing his masterpiece elsewhere!
| Best Western Premier Hotel Majestic Plaza |
| Stepanska 33, Prague, CZ, Prague, Czech Republic - 110 00 |
| Phone: +420 22 14 86 10 0 Fax: +420 22 14 86 48 6 |
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