Design

Czech It Out

Signs of Prague, Czech Republic

Published

7 years ago

January 10, 2017

Jeff Russ Signs of the Times January 2017 Issue

Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, is the fourth most-visited city in Europe (behind London, Paris and Rome) for good reason. The beautiful terra cotta rooflines and elegant bridges crossing the Vltava River give the city an enduring grandeur. The low-for-Europe prices also give US visitors a real bargain holiday. For example, a gourmet dinner for eight, with drinks and desssert, can be had for under $100.

Closed to westerners until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, the once soot-black skyline has blossomed with restaurants, nightclubs, cafés . . . and signs. Once perfunctory and functional, the signs of Prague are now both time-less and quaint.

Despite decades of repression, the Prague sign-scene has caught up to other European cities, and in some ways surpassed them, with a distinct charm all its own. Not quite Vegas or Times Square just yet, but that’s OK.

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