Poor Prague

The Prague that you do not know. Poor Prague. Do you know where to find Fišpanka, Bílý hrad (White Castle), or Arizona? What services were provided by the Kandelábr Hotel, who was the father of the poor, and what was life in makeshift colonies like? A city is formed not only by the residences of sovereigns, palaces of the nobles, sumptuous burgher houses, and grandiose religious architecture. The poor equally contribute to cities and their atmosphere. Poverty also has important ethical and aesthetical dimensions as well as far-reaching social effects.

The publication Poor Prague gives several perspectives on poverty in the city during the 19th and mainly the first half of the 20th century. Historic picture materials, especially photographs and prints, demonstrate the survival strategies of the destitute, depict the vanished places linked with poverty, and introduce institutions for care of the poor and social care as they were formed since Joseph II’s era.