Pařížská Street – Prague’s Parisian Showcase

From ghetto-clearance to luxury

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Prague’s central districts underwent a radical rebuild, encompassing the former Jewish ghetto – Josefov and the western part of the New Town. The main stimulus was the unsanitary infrastructure, but another significant driver was the wish to create a representative, world-class historical city centre.

‘Paris Street’ didn’t get its name by chance, for it was inspired by the world-renowned Parisian Champs-Élysées. Prague’s version was never to be a full-blown copy of the famous Parisian boulevard. As well as lacking the necessary funding, the project met with resistance from the public and the professional community. Some of the Jewish Town’s historical architectural gems have been preserved and now create a unique juxtaposition, set among the showy façades of apartment buildings and highbrow shops of luxury goods.

Pearls of Prague architecture

The majestic Paris Street starts on the Old Town Square and heads north towards the Vltava River and Čechův bridge, flanked on both sides by mature trees. The mix of architectural styles here is of the highest workmanship and quite breath-taking – with house frontages featuring decorative elements in Art Nouveau, neo-Baroque and Historicist styles. Of course, Paris Street has always attracted celebrities – the corner house right at the beginning of the street from the Old Town Square end, and one of the oldest, known as Schier’s house, was at one time home to the writer Franz Kafka. Other well-known Prague artists have also had their studios in various houses along here.

As you approach Čechův bridge, the architecture becomes more daring, and with every extra metre you get more scope to admire modern architectural trends at their best. The Brutalist building of the InterContinental Hotel dating from the 1970s closes off Paris Street right by the Vltava River. The Hotel building, together with the Karel Pražák Department Store and the surrounding area is currently undergoing extensive reconstruction, after which Paris Street will acquire an emblematic entrance gate from the Čechův bridge end.

The façade of Koulův dům, Pařížská 1, Prague-Old Town | Author Jiří Matějček, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

The matchless mix of old Jewish Town heritage buildings and the magnificent architecture of the New World as well as the 21st century modern buildings give the street an unmistakable charm and atmosphere. While walking along the showy street, the visitor can be quite taken aback by the oldest still serving synagogue in Europe which is also the oldest preserved heritage site of old Josefov – the 13th century Old-New Synagogue. Other treasures of Jewish culture, the Pinkas and Maisel Synagogues in the adjoining streets and the adjacent Old Jewish Cemetery, patiently await your visit. Also worth a mention is the first Art Nouveau house by Celestýn Klouček and Karel Novák, the neo-Baroque building by Jan Koula or the Merkur house by Jan Vejrych.

Art behind the shop windows

The world’s luxury brands would be hard pressed to find a better venue in Prague for their stores. Paris Street has found favour with the most famous fashion houses – Hermés, Versace, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Céline, Rolex, Ferragamo… The illustrious French traditional brand Hermés was the first to open its luxury boutique here in 1997. Soon to follow was the equally upmarket French brand Louis Vuitton, with the most prestigious brands joining them in quick succession. 

Even if shopping isn’t your ‘joie de vivre’ you’d still be well advised to at least take a longer look at some store-fronts. Take for example the shop window of Nespresso, where the acclaimed Czech design studio Olgoj Chorchoj has paid a tribute to Prague metro station décor with an arrangement of recycled coffee capsules. The window displays of many other shops are small-scale works of art in their own right. Just like the whole of Paris Street.