Photographing Prague Architecture 1848-1921

Prague is a city known worldwide for its beauty, especially with a mix of various historical layers of architectural development. As many old paintings, engravings and drawings show, Prague has changed remarkably over the centuries. Photographs taken 100 years ago depict familiar places with unfamiliar appearances and thus show very clearly the transformations the city has undergone. It is this period that is illuminated in a current exhibition, "Photographing Prague Architecture 1848-1921," in Old Town Hall.

The exhibition is book-ended by two dates: 1848 and 1922. In 1848, the first documented photo of Prague was taken, showing the St. Wenceslas Mass on the Horse Market (today's Wenceslas Square) that took place just before the uprising against the ruling Habsburg monarchy June 12. The year 1922 is when the so-called Greater Prague was formed by joining separate suburbs and outskirts to the city's historical core.

As this may suggest, the current exhibition is only the beginning of a larger project. Two more exhibitions are to follow, according to Scheufler.