After sleeping in (and consequently missing breakfast), we headed to Kunsthalle for the day. Kunsthalle is German for temporary exhibits in an art gallery- which is exactly what this institute is. Founded by two art loving Praguers, this place acts as a cafe, bistro, design shop, and art gallery. They feature international and local artists, and attempt to showcase about 6 to 7 different exhibitions a year. They focus on tourists, but also appeal to local art lovers of Prague.

During our trip to Kunsthalle we spoke with the director of the building and the architect who helped design the space. This building was originally a transformer station. After years of iterative design, the space is remodeled and modern. However, maintaining the original facade and many different historic aspects of the building was important to the architects when designing this project. Different machinery and cranes were incorporating into the new design of the building. Even the new floors integrated pieces of copper from the building’s past.

I really enjoyed this visit as the women we spoke to were smart, determined, and overall very inspiring. The way they were able to create such an amazing art and community space while preserving some of the Prague history of the building is something I have always been interested in.

The day at Kunsthalle continued with a Pitt reunion! Years ago, Pitt offered a business program that allowed students from Prague to come to Pittsburgh and study at our campus! The director of Kunsthalle was one of these students, and organized more of them to come and join us in the evening at the Kunsthalle cafe. Here, everyone talked and socialized and networked over some delicious food (I was starving).

After we left Kunsthalle, we headed to the Charles Bridge to see some performances along the river. It was some sort of holiday, though I am not sure exactly which. We ate some gelato and pizza, and listened to the orchestra perform. We headed to our local bar for a cocktail and then went to bed!