The Franz Kafka Museum in Prague, Czech Republic

Franz Kafka is an icon of the city of Prague. Kafka, a German-speaking Czech was born in the city in the late 1800s. Today he is revered as one of the most influential short story writers of the 20th century. Much of his work invokes elements of realism but also the fantastic whereby his main characters find themselves in particularly problematic and somewhat bizarre situations. Kafka’s own frustrated life as a lawyer, with nightly creative outlet, most likely served as inspiration for his stories.

So if you’re interested in the life of Kafka then a trip to the Franz Kafka Museum in Prague is highly recommended. The museum, mostly appropriate for newbies to Kafka’s works, documents his life and introduces the viewer to his writing. It gives us insight into the writer’s bizarre, imaginative world – a trip into a black and white nostalgic place, one of intrigue and curiosity.

You can find the Franz Kafka Museum on the side of the Vltava River where the Prague Castle is located. The museum is literally a couple of minutes walk from the 14th century Charles Bridge.

A very large ‘K’ for ‘Kafka’ marks the entrance to the Museum.

You’ll know you’ve reached the entrance when you see some strange, green metal moving sculptures by local artist David Cerny, who has equally produced various odd sculptures across the city (look out for the babies crawling up walls and other oddities). These sculptures, in particular, are phallic symbols urinating outside the entrance to the museum.

Unfortunately no photos are allowed inside the Franz Kafka museum itself so I cannot reproduce here what you can expect to see. However, I must admit that the museum is professionally laid out and organized albeit dimly lit (for a timeless effect of course). It is a great experience especially if you yourself like to read and perhaps even write creatively.