Prague Travel: Cold War
History at the Historic Hotel Jalta
On a somewhat cool and breezy day, bright sunshine
woke me up and I stepped out on to the balcony of
my room at the Hotel Jalta. This four-star hotel
is located on Wenceslas Square, the main square
of Prague’s New Town district. To my left,
at the top of the square, the imposing neo-classical
façade of the Czech National Museum dominated
the view while a collection of early 20th century
buildings are framing this long public space on
all other sides.
The facade of the Hotel Jalta
Around 7:30 I headed downstairs to the hotel’s
main floor to Como Ristorante, where a large buffet
breakfast was awaiting the hotel guests. A generous
spread of cheeses, cold cuts, eggs, beans, hash
browns, bacon, sausages and mushrooms was waiting,
along with various types of fruits, yoghurts and
freshly baked multi-grain breads. I was definitely
ready to dig in and fill up for a busy day of explorations
in Prague.
A colourful breakfast spread
After my scrumptious breakfast I headed to the
reception and asked if I would be able to have a
tour of the hotel facilities. I always like to learn
more about the unique places that I am staying at
and the hotel accommodated me. One of the hotel
employees took me upstairs and explained that the
Hotel Jalta was built in 1958, during the Cold War,
a time when the Czech nation was dominated by Soviet
control. Hotel Jalta was supposed to be a flagship
of the Eastern Bloc hospitality industry. Many Soviet
dignitaries and international delegates stayed at
the Hotel Jalta during the Communist years.
Breakfast in the Como Ristorante
The hotel itself was designed by Prague architect
Antonin Tenzer and was one of the most modern buildings
in Prague when it was opened. Many of the original
features such as the large corridors and metal wrought
stair railings are still completely intact. I had
a chance to see a variety of rooms, including one
of the 84 Superior Double Rooms and one of the 5
Superior De Luxe Rooms, both of which distinguished
themselves by their spaciousness.
Bar area and staircase in the Como Ristorante
The Superior Double Rooms are equipped with a queen-sized
bed; an en-suite bathroom with bathtub, shower,
hairdyer and a towel warmer; air conditioning; a
mini-bar, a safe, satellite flat-screen television,
a direct dial telephone and free wireless high-speed
Internet access. All the guest rooms have recently
been renovated and sport a warm palette of beiges,
dark browns, rusty reds and mauves. The entire hotel
was completely renovated in 2004 and now exudes
the ambience of an upscale boutique hotel.
Luxury at the Hotel Jalta
The Superior De Luxe Rooms have additional features,
starting first and foremost with the fabulous view
over Wenceslas Square, as well as a king-size bed
with a cozy sitting area and a mini-bar. Thoughtful
touches include a complimentary umbrella, high quality
L’Occitane bath cosmetics, and a welcome drink
upon arrival. Bowls with green Granny Smith apples
are positioned all over the hotel, and they are
not just a delight for the eyes, but also a welcome
healthy complimentary snack in between.
Cozy sitting area in the hotel room
The hotel also has five suites that include a bedroom
with a plush queen-sized bed as well as a separate
living room. The spacious bathroom also features
two washbasins in addition to the bathtub and the
separate shower. A fitness room is available to
hotel guests free of charge; and a business centre,
photocopying and printing services look after the
needs of the business travelers. Naturally, as a
luxury hotel, the Hotel Jalta also offers laundry
and dry-cleaning services, luggage storage, safety
deposit boxes, foreign currency exchange, parking,
24-hour room service, a concierge, limousine service
and convenient on-site massages. Multi-lingual staff
members are able to assist guests with their special
needs.
Authentic 1950s staircase
I then had a chance to see the conference facilities
which are distinguished by the natural daylight
that streams in through the large windows and doors.
A separate room in the corner accommodates an interpreter’s
booth for conferences where simultaneous interpretation
services are required.
Conference room with lots of daylight
The foyer just outside the conference room is semi-circular
and features aesthetic wood carvings that are an
original feature from the 1950s. A few steps further
is a large terrace that looks out over Wenceslas
Square. In addition to the fabulous view it is adorned
by a series of oversized stone carvings that embellish
the recently cleaned façade of the hotel.
Conference delegates sure would enjoy a little coffee
break in the foyer and on the terrace of the Hotel
Jalta.
Recently restored stone sculptures on the facade
of the Hotel Jalta
Heading down on an impressive spiral staircase
I reached the ground floor again and arrived in
the Como Restaurant which offers light Mediterranean
cuisine and an extensive wine selection. Once arrived
on the ground floor, I connected with the General
Manager of the hotel, Jan Adamek. We started talking
in the lobby, right next to the crown jewel of the
Hotel Jalta: an original 1980 painting by Andy Warhol
of Franz Kafka. Only four of these painting were
ever made. Franz Kafka is one of Prague’s
most well-known personalities, a German-speaking
Jewish writer of the early 20th century. Although
his work was never acknowledged during his lifetime,
today Franz Kafka’s writings are widely accepted
as among the most influential in Western literature.
The owners of the Hotel Jalta were able to acquire
this painting at an auction at Sotheby’s in
London.
General Manager Jan Adamek in front of the Andy
Warhol portrait of Franz Kafka
Jan also explained that the entire hotel was renovated
from top to bottom for about 3.5 million years.
Going back to the hotel’s history he indicated
that construction on the hotel was already started
in 1954, and the planned completion date was 1956,
but the hotel did not open until 1958. Last year
the hotel celebrated its 50th anniversary, and at
this occasion the entire façade of the hotel
was cleaned of the accumulated grime and soot which
restored the 1950s sculptures to full beauty. As
part of the celebrations, a 50% discount was offered
to anyone celebrating a 50th anniversary last year.
Hotel Jalta: a popular getaway destination right
on Wenceslas Square
Shedding more light on the Cold War history of
the Hotel Jalta, Jan explained that the hotel was
also equipped with a nuclear bunker that accommodated
a hospital with two operating rooms. Other rooms
were available for accommodation, administrative
offices and bathrooms, and the original ventilation
system still works. This underground facility was
completely protected from possible nuclear and other
attacks from outside, and more than 200 people could
find refuge in the underground bowels of the Hotel
Jalta.
Corridor on the fifth floor
A complete emergency plan existed and large supplies
of food and water were on hand in case a nuclear
war was to erupt. Communist officials would certainly
have sought a safe haven at the Hotel Jalta in such
an event. The underground bunker had four escapes,
two of them opened up through the pavement on Wenceslas
Square. The underground bunker at the Hotel Jalta
is a true memento to the Cold War period and Jan
Adamek added that there only two buildings like
this in all of Europe.
More facade details
Hotel Jalta was built in the so-called “Socialistic
Diagonal Style” – a strongly Russian-influenced
style of architecture. When the hotel was built,
skilled carpenters and other trades-people from
the pre-Communist period were used. All the fittings
and details were custom-made and of fantastic quality.
Hotel Jalta was long regarded as the Pearl of Prague
and important foreigners and statesmen visited it,
not knowing that all the rooms were bugged. Every
single room was equipped with secret listening devices
to spy on the foreigners and possibly glean insight
into secret western plans. This lasted all the way
up until the Velvet Revolution in 1989 and the Fall
of Communism. Even afterwards and during the renovations,
electronic listening devices were still being found
in different rooms of the Hotel Jalta.
Amazing view over Wenceslas Square from the Hotel
Jalta
From Communist showpiece to secret bunker to modern
luxury boutique hotel, the Hotel Jalta has been
a treasured fixture in the heart of Prague for more
than a half century now, and I was fortunate to
have seen the end results of this transformation.
