Lucerna Music Bar

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Lucerna Music Bar
Štěpánská, Lucerna, pasáž.jpg
Štěpánská street entrance of Lucerna Palace
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
AddressŠtěpánská 704/61
LocationPrague, Czech Republic
Coordinates50°4′52.77″N 14°25′31.57″E / 50.0813250°N 14.4254361°E / 50.0813250; 14.4254361Coordinates: 50°4′52.77″N 14°25′31.57″E / 50.0813250°N 14.4254361°E / 50.0813250; 14.4254361
OwnerHenry LoConti Sr.
TypeMusic venue
Genre(s)Various
Capacity800
Opened24 October 1995 (1995-10-24)
Website
musicbar.cz

Lucerna Music Bar is a concert club housed within Lucerna Palace,[1] located inside a pedestrian walkway, or "passage", in architectural terms, that connects Vodičkova and Štěpánská streets near historic Wenceslas Square, in the New Town (Nové mesto) area of Prague in the Czech Republic. The name Lucerna means "lantern" in Czech.[2] Lucerna Palace is an Art Nouveau/Modernist edifice built by former President Václav Havel's grandfather . Lucerna Music Bar is one of the venues within Lucerna Palace involved in the Prague International Jazz Festival and the AghaRTA Prague Jazz Festival. It was used for the Václav Havel Tribute Concert, held in the former president's honor, upon his death in 2011.[2] The venue, opened in 1995,[3] has played an important role in giving exposure to many Czech bands. Today, it holds discos on Friday and Saturday nights, and during the week, it mainly hosts live music.[4][5]

Lucerna Palace[]

Inside the Lucerna Palace galleria—Lucerna Music Bar is down the hall on the left

The building was designed by architects Stanislav Bechyně and Václav Prokop, and built by Vácslav Havel, grandfather of former president Václav Havel,[6] between 1907 and 1921. At the time, it was unique for being one of the first reinforced concrete buildings in Prague; this is described in a book by Bechyně.[7] The building is a multilevel open-air galleria that houses the Lucerna Music Bar and the , a formal concert hall, in addition to an assortment of shops, restaurants, coffee shops, and bars. Lucerna Palace has been the site of many significant events in the country's history and is considered an important private cultural centre in the city.[7] It is the home of the Prague International Jazz Festival and was the site of the Václav Havel Tribute Concert.

Cultural context[]

Lucerna Music Bar box office

In 1964, Prague's "1st International Jazz Festival" was held in the hall and the following year, Louis Armstrong performed there.[8] Until 1989, Czechoslovakia was under the rule of a Communist government.[2] Jazz musicians, artists, and intellectuals are credited with promoting the democratic ideals that shaped the Velvet Revolution, which overthrew this regime. Charter 77, a human rights manifesto, was written in response to the arrest of the band Plastic People of the Universe.[9] In 1979, Václav Havel was imprisoned for activities on behalf of the charter and the Jazz Section was targeted by the government for their work. Five members of the Jazz Section died in prison under suspicious circumstances.[9] In 1989, Communism fell in Czechoslovakia. Havel, a playwright and strong patron of the Czechoslovak music scene, became the nation's first post-communist elected president.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ Staff. Lucerna Palace. Czech Radio. Retrieved on 9 August 2012.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Hamilton, Denise (1 July 1990). "A Prague Spring for Rock 'n' Roll. Czechoslovakia's new-found freedom is followed up by a pop music explosion". Los Angeles Times. p. 3.
  3. ^ "Lucerna Music Bar slaví jedenáctiny" [Lucerna Music Bar Celebrates Eleventh Anniversary]. rozhlas.cz (in Czech). 23 September 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Lucerna 80s & 90s Video club in Prague". My Czech Experience. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  5. ^ "Lucerna Music Bar & Club". Prague Life. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  6. ^ Kašpar, Milan. "Dvě výročí stavitele Vácslava Havla". Stavebnictví3000.cz. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Staff. "Concert Halls: Lucerna Grand Hall". expats.cz. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  8. ^ "BBC Radio 4 Extra - Strictly Dance Hall, the Lucerna, Prague".
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Unger, Craig (12 May 1991). ""Going to a rock concert was a political statement. Unity was achieved by having a common enemy." Prague's Velvet Hangover After Their Revolution, Czech Artists Are Up Against the Wall". Los Angeles Times. p. 20.

External links[]

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