Prague MTLG – 2018 update

Prague MTLG – 2018 update

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Prague – the Golden City, the heart of Europe, the historic, cultural and touristic hub with 1.3 million inhabitants and 6 times as many tourists, who stroll through this city for an injection of something new, something old and a lot for the soul. The Czech capital has for many years been one of Europe’s most visited cities, attracting tourists from all over the world.

INTRO 2018

The long walk through this historic city is a walk by an endless number of concert halls, museums, galleries, movie theatres and clubs all underlined with astonishing architecture that boasts the rich history. Many historic special venues are available to rent for your event. There are more than a few which will trigger your imagination and make it possible to organize a unique and memorable event. To name a few: the Palace Žofín, Convent of St Agnes of Bohemia (provided by Golem Catering), Prague Castle, the Museum of Czech Music, Rudolfinum Concert Hall, the Municipal Hall. Whilst Prague proudly builds its reputation on its history, it has also developed modern venues – the O2 Universum, O2 arena, the Cubex centre, and the Prague Convention Centre are the options for those who are searching for a modern venue. Or for events that need a more cool set-up, Prague is the home of one of the biggest Hard Rock Cafes, that is located in a UNESCO heritage building.

When looking for the perfect venue for your next event, don’t forget to take a moment to sit on a bench in one of the shady parks hidden among the enormous buildings with the souls of past centuries, and spend a moment in peace, away from the busy streets crowded with tourists in this city that seems to never sleep.

A must do in Prague is a relaxing boat cruise down the Vltava river. A cruise to the Devil’s Channel will make you feel for a moment as if you are in Venice. And after the ride you can treat your culinary desires in the floating Marina Ristorante, offering great Italian food and a charming view of Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge. Another good option for more demanding tastes is Mlýnec Restaurant, literally under the Charles Bridge, a modern interior with a modern fusion of unexpected tastes.

Besides the cultural and historic jewels that Prague boasts, there is one more thing typical for Prague. And that is beer. Dlouhá Street is a must visit street, known for pubs of all sorts. Beer lovers should visit the Prague Beer Museum Gastro Pub where they can try a fine selection of over 30 of the best regional craft beers on tap from the whole country.

WHAT'S HOT 2018

The city is famous for its many international festivals, among which the biggest one with 70 years of tradition, famous for its quality multi-genre programme, is the Prague Spring. 

The end of the summer is reserved for the annual festival “Letní Letná”. A very special festival that is attended by around 325.000 visitors hosts the big names of the international circus scene. It has become a solid platform presenting the work of Czech contemporary circus and theatre companies to the general public.

The SIGNAL Festival – the Festival of Lights is the largest cultural event in the Czech Republic whose unique integration of art, city space, and modern technology has drawn over 2 million attendees to Prague in the five years of its existence. The festival brings visually attractive works together with complex installations of international quality, and the concept appeals both to professionals and the lay public.

After ten years, the biggest floorball event in the world, the men’s World Floorball Championship, is coming back to the Czech Republic.
At the end of October the Prague International Design Festival “Designblok” will be held. Designblok Festival is the largest selection of design and fashion shows in Central Europe. This year’s, the 19thin a row, will attract more than 50,000 visitors of all ages from the Czech Republic and abroad.

  • One of Prague’s most famous sites is Prague Castle, that was constructed in the 9th century. The castle buildings represent virtually every architectural style of the last millennium and is a truly astonishing monument. It attracts over 1.8 million visitors every year, and is according to the Guinness Book of Records the largest ancient castle in the world, occupying an area of almost 70,000 square metres (750,000 square feet), about 570 metres (1,870 feet) in length and an average of about 130 metres (430 feet) wide.
  • Besides the world’s biggest castle, Prague also has one of the narrowest streets in the world. You can find it near the Charles Bridge and the Kafka Museum. Its width is a mere 50cm. That is the reason that a traffic light has been installed to regulate the flow of people.
  • The Czechs are the #1 beer drinking nation in the world, consuming the most beer per capita (160 litres or 43 gallons). They have been drinking beer since at least 900 A.D.

BEST INCENTIVE IDEA

If you have ever had a secret desire to make a graffiti you can do that legally in Prague. The John Lennon Wall in Malá Strana, opposite the French Embassy is one of Prague’s coolest places to visit and a perfect and picturesque place to take a memory photo from the Czech capital. It also has an interesting historical background.

After 1948 the wall of the compound of the Knights of Malta was mainly used for protests against the communist takeover. In the 1960s it became known as the “Crying Wall” and was still a wall dedicated to protests with lyrics and art, and was regularly painted over by the authorities.

On the day of John Lennon’s murder on 8 December 1980, it naturally became the place for the outpouring of grief and protests against his death. Almost overnight it became covered with paintings of Lennon’s face and quotes from his songs and was renamed the John Lennon Wall. Instantly, this colorful mess became a symbol of freedom of speech, rebellion, and desire for peace. At that time, Central and Eastern Europe was ruled by totalitarian regimes, which was just the opposite of Lennon’s philosophy and state of mind. In fact, just listening to Beatles in those days was a ticket to jail. So the pacifists and the graffiti artists started a war with the Czech police. The police painted the wall over in white many times, but after a night or two, it was once again covered with slogans, quotes, lyrics and portraits of Lennon and anti-communist slogans. And all of that continued until 1989, when the Velvet Revolution put an end to communist rule in Czechoslovakia. After 1990 the Kings of Malta actually gave their permission for the graffiti to continue. And not even the great flood in 2002, which made the wall collapse (and was quickly repaired), could stop the tradition.

Today painting on the John Lennon Wall is also an incentive option offered by some of the PCO’s in Prague. For more information contact AIM Group, Prague office.

PERFECT GIFT

If you want to bring a really special, valuable and “forever” gift from Prague, than a piece of jewellery or a gift item made of garnet is the perfect choice.

Today the Granát, d.u.v Turnov is considered as undoubtedly the biggest processor and manufacturer of original jewelry with Bohemian garnets. It uses the latest production techniques for the creation and production of new jewelry designs as well as great use of the Turnov goldsmiths’ handiwork. Granát Turnov is a leading developer of this art in exhibitions and sets the pace of design and final shape of the jewelry. The biggest collection in the world of historical pieces with Bohemian garnets belongs to the National Museum in Prague; smaller collections can be seen in the Art-Industrial Museum in Prague and in the Moravian Gallery in Brno. The complete collections are also in the professional Jewellers’ School in Turnov and in the Museum of the Bohemian Paradise.

Photo credit: Turnov Granat
Photo credit: Granat

BEST KEPT SECRET

Špejle is a special place with a sense of humour, a great interior, and delicious food. To explain, a špejle is a wooden skewer, mostly used for shish kebabs, but in this bistro, they have found lots of uses for it. The bistro’s concept is based on that of the traditional Czech open-faced sandwich (chlebíček). You can get warm, cold, sweet and savory, cheese, prosciutto – all served on a skewer. The skewer is the design, the gimmick, and even the bill – you pay by the number of skewers you collect. To drink they offer homemade fruit drinks, cocktails, beer specialties, and a nice selection of wines, including sparkling wines. They are the proud owners of one of the biggest gin & tonic selections in Prague.

The skewer nibblets are eaten by hand – therefore a number of wash basins can be found throughout the bistro.

Photo credit: www.spejle.eu

VOICES OF PRAGUE

WHO TO CONTACT

Prague Convention Bureau, z.s.
Rytířská 398/26,
110 00 Prague
Czech Republic

E: www.pragueconvention.cz
W: www.pragueconvention.cz

RESULTS OF MTLG 2018
We visited Prague in June 2018. Prague participates in the MTLG 2018 destination evaluation. The results for this year have just been published.

Read more!

From the desk of: Ajda Borak

SOURCEKONGRES MAGAZINE
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A long time congress tourism addict, Gorazd has many years' experience in creating, planning and organizing large congress projects in cooperation with some of the most respected institutions in the region. He is an accomplished advisor for marketing success in corporate events and congress centers and the owner of Toleranca marketing agency. Gorazd has established himself as the founder and editor of Kongres Magazine and the co-creator of Conventa Trade Show.

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