A Tour Of Prague For Fans Of Franz Kafka

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This museum dedicated to the writer and his work is a must-visit for anyone with an interest in Kafka. The unusual and sometimes dark exhibitions, which include Kafka paraphernalia such as first editions, original manuscripts, photographs and letters as well as audio-visual pieces and 3D exhibits, examine his life and how he was influenced by the city of Prague. The eerie atmosphere of this museum evokes the surrealist nature of his writing and provides context for the other locations you’ll visit.

3. Commemorate Kafka at the Statue of Franz Kafka

Architectural Landmark

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Prague’s monument to its most famous resident can be found in the Jewish Quarter, an area where Kafka lived for most of his life. The piece, created by sculptor Jaroslav Rona, depicts an empty suit carrying a smaller man (who is meant to portray the writer) on his shoulders. It’s inspired by Kafka’s short story Description of a Struggle in which the narrator rides on the back of a character known as ‘the acquaintance’, travelling through a surrealist, imaginary landscape.

4. Come face to face with the Head of Franz Kafka

Architectural Landmark

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Kafka’s legacy, and the surrealist nature of his work, has forever influenced the city of Prague and the artists who work there. Contemporary Czech artist David Černý, whose fantastical, satirical sculptures and public artworks have sometimes garnered controversy, honours the writer and the mark Kafka left on the city with this piece. The Head of Franz Kafka is a kinetic sculpture, made up of 42 rotating panels. Watch the face of Kafka shifting and changing as it gazes out over Prague.

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5. Sip a coffee in Kafka’s meeting place, Café Louvre

Cafe, Restaurant, Czech, Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free

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This café, opened in 1902, may be filled with tourists now but it was once the favourite haunt of the Prague cultural elite, including Franz Kafka. He would come here to write, discuss philosophy, and meet with his friend Max Brod. Brod was Kafka’s closest confident, and would eventually go on to publish much of Kafka’s work after the writer’s death. Other famous visitors to Café Louvre throughout the years include Albert Einstein and Czech playwright Karel Čapek.

6. Pay your respects at Kafka’s grave

Cemetery

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Kafka came from a Jewish family and spent most of his life in or close to the Jewish Quarter of Prague. When he died in a sanatorium near Vienna in 1924, aged just 40, his body was brought back and buried in the New Jewish Cemetery in Prague. There are signposts throughout the cemetery directing visitors towards Kafka’s final resting place, which is marked with a simple white stone. It also bears the name of his parents, and buried close by are his sisters who died in WWII. Fans of Kafka often make a pilgrimage here on 3 June, the date of his death, to pay their respects to Prague’s most famous writer.

Source link : https://theculturetrip.com/europe/czech-republic/articles/a-tour-of-prague-for-fans-of-franz-kafka

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Publish date : 2020-05-19 07:00:00

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