The angle from the far bank
Stand across at Jirásek Bridge to actually see the two towers lean; from too close, the building loses its motion.
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In a row of sober stone buildings along the Vltava stands one that appears to sway: two towers pressed together, one a curving glass form like a woman in a dress, the other straight and solid like the man holding her. Designed by Frank Gehry with Vlado Milunić and completed in 1996, it was nicknamed "Fred and Ginger" after the American dancing duo before the official name — the Dancing House — settled. The plot had stood empty since the Second World War, when a bombing raid destroyed the original building and left a gap in the riverfront for half a century. When the new design was proposed, Prague split between admirers and objectors — many saw it as an intruder in a Gothic and Baroque city. Today it is among the most photographed 20th-century buildings in central Europe, and has appeared on a commemorative Czech coin. It is offices and a small hotel, not a museum. What a visitor can do: photograph it from the opposite embankment near Jirásek Bridge, or go up to the roof, where a bar and restaurant open onto the castle and the river — roof access usually costs a token fee credited against your order.
Stand across at Jirásek Bridge to actually see the two towers lean; from too close, the building loses its motion.
An open view over the river bend, Prague Castle and the New Town roofs — the best elevated view on this bank.
The curving metal mesh above the glass tower — a detail missed by anyone who only looks from street level.
The riverside path in front is one of Prague's calmest at sunset, and leads north towards the National Theatre.
Jiráskovo náměstí 1981/6, Prague 2, on the Vltava embankment
Ss. Cyril and Methodius CathedralThe Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius is a quiet Baroque Orthodox church i3 minutes walk4.9
Charles SquarePrague's largest square and among the largest in Europe by area, laid out by Emp5 minutes walk4.4
Head of Franz KafkaOn a small plaza outside a shopping centre near Národní třída stands a mirrored 10 minutes walk4.6
Antonín Dvořák MuseumA museum devoted to the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák, in a small eighteenth-cen12 minutes walk4.6
Kingdom of RailwaysThe largest model railway in the Czech Republic, in Smíchov south-west of Prague12 minutes walk4.6On a tight schedule, outside is genuinely enough — the building is a visual experience from the street. But if you want an elevated view of the river and castle without tower queues, the roof terrace is an excellent option.
Because the curving glass tower suggests a woman in a swirling dress and the straight tower beside it her partner holding her waist — after the dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The nickname is popular; the official name is the Dancing House.
Ss Cyril and Methodius Cathedral is ten minutes on foot, Charles Square seven, and the National Theatre twelve along the same embankment.
The pavement in front is wide, level and fine for strollers, and the visit is short and undemanding. The roof is a bar and restaurant, so check its policy on children before going up in the evening.