During times of economic crisis, travel destinations scramble for the global tourist dollar, enticing visitors with unique and rare opportunities. During the communist era, most eastern bloc countries were plagued by oppression and anti-west propaganda while the party elite lavished in opulence as citizens struggled for bread and basics.
The Czech Republic and the city of Prague, as part of the former soviet bloc, are now capitalizing on what was left by this painful part of their past. Throughout the eastern bloc, remnants of the cold war and the soviet war machine abound. Immediately following the collapse of communism, the efforts of the residents to erase or transform the legacy of their communist past are now been promoted as an alternative for those seeking a niche travel experience.
Like the Berlin wall of Germany, remnants of communist era have burnt a scar in the psyche of the older Prague residents. Exploring and discovering a part of the past that is both unique and real provides for an understanding of the culture of the people of Prague and the Czech republic, once called Czechoslovakia.
The uneasy relationship with their communist past still exists; the wounds still fresh for those that remember. I was told of the restrictions for travel, speech and personal expression but also the unfettered joy at the disintegration of the oppressive ideology. During communist rule it was illegal to own apartments in the city, and living space was limited to 18 square meters per person (193 square feet), which was based on the number of family members in an apartment. To put it in perspective, that would be like a couple trying to live in a small studio apartment with a Murphy bed.
The history of Prague dates to the Middle Ages. In the center of Prague and what is called “Old Town”, it can seem more like a visit to Disneyland or a make believe fairy tale movie set locale because of the ornate medieval buildings fabulously preserved.
Not far from the center square, a vast subterranean system was built by the communist regime as bomb shelters and command posts for military generals and party elite during the cold war. The locked gates and doorways that hid the chilling reality of nuclear war between 2 ideologies, is now open for business. Abandoned radio rooms, shelters and storage rooms, survive as a testament to when nuclear war was thought to be survivable by either hiding under your wooden desk at school or locking yourself in these underground bunkers for several years, only to emerge and repopulate the world when the dust settled.
Above ground, standing foreboding against the city skyline and topped by a pinnacle with a large illuminated star, was the vacation hotel for the communist party elite, named the “Hotel International”, now the Crowne Plaza. The hotel is 88 meters high, topped with a 10-meter spire and a large1.5-meter star. The star, once glazed in red ruby glass and equipped with internal lighting so it would glow in the dark during the communist regime, reminded the residents of Prague of the communist party’s ever-watchful eye and unwavering rule. Maintenance on the star would only be done at night so that the disappearance of the star would not lead to any speculations about the strength of the communist party.
The hotel, built in 1952, was originally intended to serve as a non-public luxury hotel for Soviet advisors and prominent military ranks. The building was designed by the Military Building Design Institute and based on a University of Moscow building in true Stalinist fashion. As it turned out, the army would not be able to use such the abundant accommodation space. It was therefore decided that the building would become a luxury hotel for all the party elite.
Although from the outside, the Hotel International would have the standard square soviet brutalism architecture, the inside was palatial. The building is adorned with glistening brass fittings, stained glass, wide staircases, embossed ceiling panels, opulent crystal chandeliers and tiles mosaics depicting happy field workers with baskets over-flowing with fruit from their hard work. As part of the design and construction was a fallout shelter which marks the cold war mentality of the 1950’s.
The hotels main ballroom hosted the annual Old Prague Balls, which used to be reserved for the citizens of Prague, at least those influential enough to be invited. At the time, these were so popular that the party would often go on for days. To showcase the communists fun loving side, there was a TV series hosted at the hotel called “The Circus Humberto”, where tigers, snakes and bears would be paraded and do tricks for the audience.
After the fall of communism, the capitalists arrived. The hotel has changed its name twice since 1989. First it was bought by the hotel chain Holiday Inn and now the Crowne Plaza. With capitalism, the color red was replaced with gold and the star atop the hotel now glistens gold in the afternoon sun. The top floor still houses a small roof top lounge where the couches and furniture is from the 1950’s, preserved in its original new condition. The unimpeded city view is as impressive as the tile mosaic of the voluptuous wavy haired woman atop the ornate spiral staircase leading to the lounge, now called the “Sky Lounge”.
The hotel was designated an official heritage site and the mosaics, brass works and ornate finishing’s mostly preserved. The 250 hotel rooms, updated with the latest amenities, now boast 8 conference rooms and a taste of the communist party past. The party elites fallout shelter, which could accommodate 600 people, is currently used as a staff clothes room. Throngs of tourists now check in to the Crowne Plaza as suitcases line the ornate lobby, dine at the “Harvest” Restaurant and enjoy a drink in the Armstrong Bar, where Louis Armstrong visited in 1964.
For the residents of Prague, The Hotel Crowne Plaza it will remain as the Hotel International. Its provocatively decorated appearance also instigated numerous spiteful nicknames, from the mildest being Lomonosov University (Moscow State University) or “The Barracks”. All over Eastern Europe, remnants of communism remain and are gaining popularity and an increased curiosity.
All I can say is, if visiting Prague, join the party and visit your local communist attraction.