In this post we will be discussing apartment living in the city of Prague. In the newer apartments some of the things we will be mentioning will not apply, now we will be focusing on the older apartments of Prague.
First lets start off with the outside appearance… each building in Prague is painted a different color which makes it really easy to identify your apartment in the winding streets, most are five or six stories high and are in the style of gothic, renaissance, baroque, or classicism architecture, all of which are very popular in the Czech Republic. Each apartment also has its own large courtyard wear you take can relax, barbecue, and also where you take out your trash.
The apartments in Prague are quite different from those in the U.S. Downstairs, the entrance is like any other city apartment with a intercom buzzer to get in. Most of the buildings in Prague are around 400 years old and have at least two or three steps up into the actual building, then another couple steps into the flat… Thats why if you look at the outside of the apartments in Czech, the windows of the first floor are to high to even reach.
Inside, if you do not live on the first floor your out of luck because most of these older buildings that have not been restored do not have an elevator, so you’ll have to walk up however many flights of stairs to your flat. At the bottom of the staircase and between each flight of stairs is a light switch which lights up the stairwell just long enough for you to run up the next flight and hit the next switch.
Once you reach your apartment door you’ll notice that it is tall and most likely wooden. One thing that is really special about Czech apartments is the high ceilings and beautiful doors that most of them have. The doors usually only have one super lock that is thought to be enough since you need a key to get into the actual complex.
Apartments in Prague are pretty small and don’t have many rooms but the few they do have are quite big and beautiful. The windows are double with a space in-between which some Czech people use as a refrigerator in the winter and others use as a little seat to chill and watch the streets below. If you are on the top floor, you might not have these double windows but rather a skylight style.
Bathrooms include a towel heater, that Czech people also use to dry their delicates. Another thing to note is that old Czech apartments do not have stand up showers, but rather a very big bathtub with no curtain or door and a movable shower head that you have to aim accordingly.
They seldom have closets, most people just use a standup wardrobe, and as you know if you read our blog they do not have dryers. Beneath the amazing windows is usually where Czechs have an old radiator heater that surprisingly works better than central heating.
All in all, these stunning apartments and their quirks may take a while to adjust to but once you embrace the history and differences you’ll find that anyone can enjoy apartment living in Prague.
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