Manes

The Manes building with its exhibition hall, opened in 1930, well known as a functionalist dream, as it is considered one of the top Functionalist buildings in Europe today, is not only famous for the design of the building, which paired with the old 15th century water tower brings an interesting blend of old and modern, but also for the avant-garde work it housed and continues to house within its walls. Vaclav Havel has said that the Manes building is his favorite building in Prague. Could it be because of the modern exhibitions held right under the noses of the Communists (literally as they were stationed on top of the Vltava Water Tower in the rotund dome), while they spied on him in his rooftop apartment? The mission of the Manes Exhibition Hall is to support all forms of visual arts. The building features 3 floors with one large and one small exhibition hall, offices, clubrooms, a restaurant and a cafe. The ceiling of the lower level has a unique Cubist fresco by Emil Fila.

Masarykovo nábřeží 250, Praha 1, +420 224 932 938, www.galeriemanes.com