Franz Kafka Museum

What an interesting and thoughtful store. Great unique items. We especially loved to viewing card postcards for the grandchildren.

No soy fanática de visitar museos cuando viajo a una ciudad. Mis museos son las ciudades per se.
Pero como considero a Kafka uno de mis escritores favoritos y Praga respira situaciones y ambientes kafkescos, decidí darle una oportunidad y no defraudó.
De lejos es uno de los lugares mas raros e interesantes que he visitado.
Hay muchas situaciones con sonidos, instalaciones, imágenes que los tengo fijados en mi mente.
La escalera con luces rojas y que termina con un espejo de cuerpo entero fue muy surreal y asustante. Aun siento escalofríos de solo recordarla.
Es interesante, raro, oscuro, lleno de la esencia de Kafka. Hay una Kafka shop justo en frente del museo. Los posters son lindisimos.
Las estatuas verdes haciendo pis sobre una fuente con la forma de República Checa resultan insignia de la ciudad.
Recomendadisimo si se es fanático del escritor o de las cosas raritas y spookies.
Btw, es prohibido sacar fotos en el interior del museo.

So, I kept imagining a Better experience to honor this amazing writer, but the surreal sounds and the ambling walk and random art experiences weren’t it. On the other hand, a couple of months later, I can still recall with clarity the red staircase, the loopy film — maybe the surreality of Kafka truly does deserve this equally surreal museum?
Its part memorabilia — from books, to letters to his sick-​certificates, everything the museum can find is here in a random pattern, and maybe Kafka, with his randomness of the city and modern life would appreciate that?
I dont know — in equally parts I hated this museum and loved it, perhaps a bit like Kafka, himself?

The museum is great if you like to discuss with a friend the human condition, history, political science, and Kafka’s insights. The presentation is sobering and respectful to the subject. You can draw opinions from it which helps show the importance of him as a writer and helps explain ideologies of Bohemia.

Lets be real. Kafka is kind of hot. A hot-​creepy guy who you *may* find watching you sleep. I never got to read his books in school but dem eyesz drew me in and I learned some interesting facts about his life and work.
The museum is a bit spooky but there is nothing that’s really scary. It’s still super fun to walk ahead of your friend, pop out behind a dark wall, and scare the crap out of her :)
If you aren’t into checking out the museum, the pissing fountain is a fun attraction. I had NO IDEA it actually moved which made the subject matter more comical. The reason why this fountain is disrespectful is because the basin is shaped like the Czech Republic. Imagine this kind of art in the USA!
Kafka thou…

Not for the weak of heart, much like Kafka’s writing, the curator of this testament to the brilliance of Kafka really understands the themes of alienation that run through Franz’s books and builds an experience which leaves the visitor with an underlying feeling of uneasiness. Comprised of moments in Kafka’s life, excerpts from his letters, and a look into the mind of the man himself, this is an absolute must for any literature fans. However, don’t be surprised if by the end you have an almost irrational fear you will some how be trapped to walk through the slight creepy and unsettling rooms for eternity.

So I walked passed here many times before I decided to go in. I had even just visited the courtyard and took photo’s of the statues of the two men peeing which I found funny, Ive heard some say it was rude and offensive but not me. Im not sure what it stands for or what thought its supposed to provoke but ???
Kafka was Czech but some are Czech German as is my heritage and many if not all of his books are in German. The one’s I’ve found anyway. I have seen many people’s comments mentioning they could not read anything here but if you have some German you will be fine I would say. Its really about his relationship with his father and to be honest he comes across as a spoiled brat.
The museum is on my favourite street and walking distance from Malostranska subway and also the Charles Bridge on the other side. If you come from the Charles Bridge direction you will pass the Shakespeare & Sons bookstore, on your right so you will know you are on the right path.
Entry is 200 kn. and you must buy your ticket in the gift shop opposite. There is also a coffee shop to the left of museum which I have not been into as I just presumed it was going to be overpriced and targeting tourists.
The museum is on the banks of the river so its in a great location.

Probably the whole reason I came to Prague in the first place. Kafka is one of my favourite writers. He was Jewish, living in the area of Prague that spoke German at the time. So fair warning, if you come here mostly everything will be in German, rather than Czech. However, there are lots of signs explaining what everything is that is in English. Knowing German just helps to understand things deeper.
The museum is full of artefacts from his life, starting from his childhood to his death. There are loads of pictures of buildings that were important to him in his life, such as where his father worked and the houses Kafka lived in. This in itself is great because it allows you to see how Prague looked then.
The museum itself is very Kafkaesque, very dark and minimalist. If you are visually impaired, you might have trouble reading the signs and texts, but otherwise it is not so dark that you cannot see.
There are also interactive elements too, such as visual art (video screens, etc.) that can be used to deepen the experience. I definitely recommend checking it out, and possibly visiting the gift shop to pick up a Kafka memorabilia or two.

O Museu de Franz Kafka apresenta, de forma interativa, a vida e obra do mais famoso literato da República Tcheca. O autor de «A Metamorfose» e «O Processo» ganhou um espaço à sensacional, em um museu com uma grande coleção de diários e as primeiras edições originais de obras famosas do escritor. Por ali nós encontramos também uma loja onde é possível encontrar os livros do autor em diversas línguas, pôsteres, camisetas e outros gifts. Se é fã de literatura, pode ir tranquilo! :)

Prague is known for many things: beautifully preserved sites, cheap beer, intoxicating absinth and (intoxicating?) women.
Pardon me for being ignorant, but I didn’t know who Franz Kafka was until I came to Prague. But now, everytime I think of Prague, that will include Fraz Kafka.
He was a German writer born into a Jewish family in Prague (that in itself is already interesting!) who became a lawyer but in his spare time wrote novels and short stories. Well, we wouldn’t have a museum dedicated to his works if he really concentrated on practicing law.
The museum is laid out typically as you would expect: with a focus on his life, works and how he influeced 20^th century writers. What’s interesting to note is, if you’ve read Kafka’s works (I recommend «Die Verwandlung» or The Metamorphosis to start) the museum reflects that: very dark with minimal lighting. There are also sections where music and visual art installations are used to add to the experience.
Don’t miss the fountain outside the museum. This is the work of David Cerny, a famous controversial Czech sculptor. You’ll see two men pissing on a puddle, which is incidentally, shaped like the Czech Republic.