Prague Noir - The Seven Day Challenge

I'm not a big fan of the fads that hit Facebook from time to time but when I was nominated to do the Black and White 7 Day Photographic Challenge it appealed to me mainly because I was in the right place at the right time. In Prague. If I'd been at home in the UK I wouldn't have given it another thought.

I was quite pleased with the results so I decided to share them here and include some comments about each photo.

My first photo was taken from my bedroom window which looks out over Anenské náměstí. This little square, just off Smetanovo nábřeží, is only a few hundred metres from the Charles Bridge. It is often used for film shoots, especially in the evenings, and crews can be seen hard a work for several hours during the afternoon just for a few seconds of footage. 

The one-way street leading to the square, Anenská, can get a little noisy in the evenings as partygoers head back into the depths of the Old Town from the Karlovy lázně nightclub, the biggest in Central Europe spreading over five floors (but not my cup of tea I'm afraid!).

The square is also home to a small theatre (Divadlo Na zábradlí) but the largest building is the Palác Pachtů z Rájova. Now reconstructed, it is the site of the former Dominican Convent of St Anne, for whom the square is named.

The Charles Bridge marks the point where Smetanovo nábřeží morphs into Křižovnická. The name is derived from the Order of Knights of the Cross who lived in the former Monastery of the Crossroads. Until 1342 the Knights collected the tolls due from crossing the old Judith Bridge, which was the predecessor of the Charles Bridge. The new name has been in use since 1870, before which it was known as Granátová.

The street is one of the busiest in Prague both for pedestrians and traffic, although this was shot at lunch time in November after a rain storm so it's uncharacteristically quiet.

The dome in the background belongs to the Church of St Francis, which marks the entry point to the Charles Bridge. The building on the left is the Klementinum which now houses the National Library.


In the far distance in the background, you can just make out the short tunnel under the buildings of Křižovnické náměstí. This arcade runs next to the tunnel, underneath the Karlovy lázně nightclub.

This photo was taken late at night before the shutters went down and once again, belies how busy this place is during the day. To get down the two hundred metre arcade really requires you to barge your way through (as politely as possible, of course!)

Don't be conned into purchasing anything down here - it's probably the most expensive place in Prague to buy the tacky souvenirs on sale. Even the bottled water will cost considerably more here than anywhere else, and under no circumstance use the money changers down here unless you really enjoy throwing your hard earned cash away!


No seven day challenge for me in Prague would be complete without this view of the castle taken from the Karlovy lázně tram stop on Smetanovo nábřeží.

I have dozens of similar shots, all taken from the same place over the course of four years, which I've made into a time lapse film showing the view through the seasons (I'll post it on YouTube at some stage in the future).

On this particular occasion I was lucky enough to get a star struck seagull to pose for me. Behind the seagull, at the end of the wooden icebreaker, is the Smetana Museum. The building was converted from an old waterworks to a museum to commemorate the composer Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884), often referred to as the father of Czech music. He became deaf in his older years, and never heard his symphonic poems Má Vlast (My Country).



In this next photo, we're back in Křižovnické náměstí, looking out across the Charles Bridge towards Malá Strana (the Lesser Town).

The 'love lock' craze has hit Prague in a big way as you can see and padlocks have been appearing all over national monuments. They cause huge problems for the authorities with the weight causing damage. Staff are employed to remove the locks from the bridge each week. In 2006, they filled five boxes of locks with each box weighing in at around 50kg


My penultimate photo is from the entrance hall of the Municipal Library in Mariánské náměstí. This column of over 8000 books is called Idiom and was created by the Slovakian artist Matej Krén. The shot was taken through a small aperture in the column, which inside appears as an infinte or bottomless pit thanks to mirrors placed at the top and bottom of the assembly.

Perhaps not the best of subjects for a black and white picture which doesn't really do it justice. I'll publish a better one another time. I did have a back-up photo - also an indoor shot, but everyone knows that a glass of Pilsner Urquell looks much better in colour!

My final photo of the challenge was taken from another popular place down on the river bank, not far from the Malá Strana side of Manesuv Most, on Cihelná. This time we're looking back towards the Charles Bridge and some of the places from the other photos in the collection. If you're a bit nervous about swans snapping at you or if you are just reluctant to get guano all over your shoes, there are benches up on the bank where you can watch the birds without getting too involved.

You can feed the birds, but please take note of the signs telling you what is an isn't suitable. Just because the animals eat it, doesn't mean it's good for them - often quite the opposite, and rotting food will have other adverse effects on the local environment, especially the water.




I hope you've enjoyed this little photographic journey - my special thanks to my friend and former colleague, Olivier, for nominating me. I'm thinking about another challenge for another time - if you've got any suggestions, let me know!