The Czech literature hiden in the Little Villa in Bubeneč
How it all began
The story of the building itself starts in the first third of the 20th Century. It is a residential building with a garden by an unknown architect, expensively reconstructed by Tomáš Šantavý. In 2006, the National Literature Memorial (Památník Národního Písemnictví - PNP) acquired the building, and moved the offices of its collection presentation and digitalisation office to the site (1st floor).
The other parts of the building serve to organise various social and cultural events. The main objective is to organise lectures, exhibitions and programs concerning current topics from the world of literature. The discussions involve the actual authors, and the debates concern writers themselves. It is a genuine paradise for those who consider literature to be luxury on paper. Will you be tempted?
Ladislav Mňaček’s luxurious study
The ground floor is dedicated to the most striking of Czechoslovak authors and journalists, who actively participated in the Communist revolution in 1948 as a reporter. Yet in the 1950s he became a critic and had to emigrate. He returned to the Czechoslovakia only after 1989. Readers gained awareness of his work with the books Smrt si říká Engelchen, Jak chutná noc and Opožděné reportáže.
The small villa is easily accessible via metro, bus or tram, and offers visitors a glimpse of the luxurious depository and a stroll through the adjacent garden, relaxation in a quiet and green corner. So come on by!
PNP in brief
The National Literature Memorial serves as a museum and was established as a workplace for scientific research. Its aim is to collect, acquire, preserve, register and scientifically process collections of a museum character, specifically a collection of documents on the development of literature and literary culture in the Bohemian lands. The PNP also includes Letohrádek Hvězda, Petschke Villa, where the future headquarters of the PNP will be located, the Central Depository in Litoměřice and the luxurious Small Villa mentioned above.
