Hlahol building, Art Nouveau cultural center in New Town, Prague, Czech Republic

The Hlahol building consists of two row houses, one on Masarykovo nábřeží and one on Vojtěšská street, joined by a concert hall in the courtyard. The hall is covered by a glazed pitched roof, not a dome. The river facade is purely Art Nouveau, with a ceramic mosaic of a phoenix above the right entrance and a gable painting of Music by K. L. Klusáček.

The Prague singing society Hlahol, founded in January 1861, first performed as a 120-member male choir at the funeral of Václav Hanka. After several rented premises, donations from members and supporters allowed it to buy a plot between the embankment and Vojtěšská street in 1903. The foundation stone was laid on 19 June 1904 under builder Čeněk Gregor, following designs by committee member František Schlaffer, later completed by Josef Fanta. The choir rehearsed in the finished building on 18 September 1905, and it opened officially on 4–5 November 1905.

The name Hlahol refers to the medieval Glagolitic script, and the choir adopted it at its founding in 1861. The concert hall holds a large allegorical lunette, Píseň (Song), painted by Alfons Mucha in 1921 and mounted on the side wall in 1934. A gallery with paintings by K. L. Klusáček adjoins the hall, and the first-floor museum keeps the choir's original banner by Josef Mánes.

The building stands in a block between Masarykovo nábřeží and Vojtěšská street; the concert hall is reached through the courtyard between the two street houses. The first-floor museum displays the original Hlahol banner by Josef Mánes and the trowel and mallet used at the 1904 foundation-stone laying. The hall is used for concerts and rehearsals, so check opening times before visiting.

The large lunette painting Song, painted by Alfons Mucha in 1921, was mounted on the side wall of the concert hall in 1934. The first-floor museum keeps the choir's original banner by Josef Mánes and the trowel and mallet used to lay the foundation stone in 1904.