Before and after the music
An evening around Národní street
A short walk for the hour before or after a Reduta concert: the National Theatre, Café Slavia and the river end of Národní street.
Reserve your seat at Reduta ↗Why Národní is a good street for an evening
Národní follows the line of Prague's former fortifications and moat. Development began after 1781, when the moat was filled in and trees were planted. The street took its present name in 1919. Wikipedia lists the National Theatre, the Neo-Renaissance Lažanský Palace, the Topič House with its Art Nouveau façade and the Adria Palace among its buildings, so the walk between the club and the river is worth doing slowly if you arrive with time to spare.
The National Theatre
The National Theatre sits on the bank of the Vltava at Národní 2. It opened on 11 June 1881, and a fire destroyed the dome, the auditorium and the stage two months later. Public donations paid for much of the building, and a million florins were raised within 47 days of the fire. Josef Schulz led the rebuilding, and the theatre was inaugurated again on 18 November 1883. Its opera, ballet and drama companies perform there, and the building's gold-crowned dome makes it the easiest landmark on the street.
Café Slavia
Café Slavia stands on the corner of Národní and the riverside road, opposite the National Theatre. It opened in August 1884. A 1931 to 1932 Art Deco reconstruction added large windows with views of the city's panorama. Wikipedia lists writers, painters and film directors among its regulars, and says Václav Havel was part of the dissident community that met there. A coffee here before the concert, or a glass of wine after it, fits the length of the walk from the club.
The river end of the street
Národní ends at the Vltava, beside the Legion Bridge. From the embankment the National Theatre faces the river and the far bank. A walk to the water and back is a short way to spend the time before a late set, and it gives you a view of the city lights that the dark hall does not. Wear a coat, because the cloakroom will take it once you reach the club, and leave extra time for the return walk.
A look at the buildings
Wikipedia describes the Lažanský Palace, opposite the National Theatre, as a Neo-Renaissance building by Ignác Vojtěch Ullmann, finished in 1863, where Bedřich Smetana lived and worked in the 1860s. It now houses the main building of FAMU, the film school, and Café Slavia. Nearby stands the former Czech Savings Bank headquarters, also by Ullmann, now the Czech Academy of Sciences. The Máj department store dates from the 1970s, and the New Stage, finished in 1983 to Karel Prager's design, is known for its glass façade.
Timing the walk
A circuit from the club to the river and back is short, so it fits into the hour before a show without hurrying. Plan to be at the club's door at least 45 minutes before an early-evening concert, which leaves time for the free cloakroom and the Saxophone Bar. If you have more time, the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square are both a short walk from the club, according to its own site, and make a longer loop.
Getting back after a late show
Národní třída is the nearest metro and tram stop, so the way home after a late show is short. Metro line B runs through the station, between Karlovo náměstí and Můstek. If you are walking, the National Theatre at the river end gives you a bearing. Check the last metro and tram times for your own route before you go out, because they differ by line and by night.
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