National Gallery Prague, Modern art museum in Prague, Czech Republic
The National Gallery Prague is a state-owned gallery whose collections are not held in one building but shown across several historic structures in Prague, the largest being the Trade Fair Palace in Holešovice, Prague's largest Functionalist building, begun in 1925. Its long grey concrete and stone facade has horizontal bands of dark rectangular windows above taller recessed ground-floor openings and a plain parapet.
The building was constructed between 1925 and 1928 as a venue for trade fairs and large exhibitions of industrial products. A fire in 1974 led to its closure and later transformation into an exhibition space for the art collection.
The gallery's name refers to the whole institution, not to one building: since 2018 it has been called Národní galerie Praha, and its works are shown across several historic structures in Prague. The Trade Fair Palace in Holešovice holds the largest share, with 19th- to 21st-century art, and since 2012 Alfons Mucha's Slav Epic has hung here. The international holdings include gifts from the collection of art historian Vincenc Kramář.
The gallery's sites are separate historic buildings across Prague, so check which one holds the collection you want before setting out; the Trade Fair Palace in Holešovice holds the modern and contemporary art. Its exhibition halls are reached by lifts and stairs, and the building is large enough that a single visit rarely covers everything.
The southern exhibition hall reaches a height of about 15 meters (49 feet), a remnant of the original design intended for large machinery and heavy industrial goods. Today this open space provides paintings and sculptures with a wide setting and natural light from above.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,097 contributors worldwide.
