The Five Best Murals in Prague That Aren’t The Lennon Wall

One of the most famous murals in the world, the John Lennon Wall, certainly floods Instagram feeds for Praguers and travelers, alike. The wall is a retaliation against communist rule, where expressing ideas and even listening to The Beatles were banned. The Lennonists (an artist group) combatted the oppression with free artistic expression, and the groups’ most well-known creation is The Lennon Wall. 

While some murals in Prague do not have the same political appeal, there are plenty of other famous street art pieces to marvel at or to take pictures in front of. Here are the top 5 “secret” murals in Prague.

Tesnov

Constantly changing, Tesnov is one of the legal graffiti walls in Prague. Armed with spray paint, artists constantly come to leave a mark on Prague and show off skills. Just steps from the Florence metro stop, Tesnov is a functioning parking lot, so the best time to go is early in the morning or on weekends so cars aren’t in the way.   

Vitězné Náměsti “Choose to be Happy” 

Inspired by Michelangelo’s fresco in the Sistine Chapel, Pasta Oner plays on the idea of the “divine touch” in the Vitězné Náměsti metro area. “Choose to be Happy” was created in collaboration with Prague’s Stuck in the City project, which brought pieces from artists around the globe into the capital city. Oner is a Czech author who also specializes in colorful, pop-art-esque graffiti and street art like this one. 

Bohumil Hrabal Mural at Palmovka metro station

Bohumil Hrabal is one of the most famous Czech writers—most notably known for Closely Observed Trains. After the Warsaw Pact Invasion, he was banned from writing to suppress ideas circulating. He loved cats and is a symbol of Czech identity, which is why in the pop-art-style mural features several cats. Pay homage to him and snap a picture to add some color to Instagram feeds.

MeetFactory 

The ever-famous artist, Černý, has street art littered through Prague. He is known for the upside-down-horse to the rotating Kafka head to Brownnosing at Futura Centre for Contemporary Art, the list goes on. However, there is one mural of his in Prauge at the MeetFactory. The MeetFactory is an arts and cultural hub founded by Černý in 2001 to encourage creativity between cultures and artists. The hanging red car sculptures on the building were originally displayed at Prague’s Veletržní Palác on the occasion of Černý’s win of the Jindřich Chalupecký Award. 

Escif’s “Kafka” 

Located at the corner of Hustiska and Prokopova, Escif’s “Kafka” is 15 minutes away from his birth place. The Spanish artist created this mural to show respects to the famous author, Kafka, and his heritage. The mural shows the word “pomoc,” which means “help,” behind Kafka’s half-buried face. It represents his struggles with illnesses and also represents the city’s working class as it’s in one of Prague’s most alternative districts. 

Author: Meredith Hessel