The Oldest Pub in Prague
The place is called Na Slamniku and they have served beer to their customers for five centuries. Originally a pub renown for a celebration of tailors is now a place where students, cyclists, tourists or walkers go to have a beer, or some traditional meal.
Especially when a hot summer day goes to its end, the surrounding park Stromovka makes unique, timeless atmosphere. The metropolis seems so far away, yet the place is quite in the historical district of Prague, close to Prague Castle.
If it wasn’t for a car parked by the entrance, it could be year 1925. Or 1938, even when the year wasn’t very friendly towards places, the pub Na Slamniku was still opened and served beer for the future protectorate president Emil Hacha.
The history of the place goes much more far though; the ale-house stood there since 1570, under the name of Dolejsi. The first references to the name Na Slamniku was in 1766, at the time it was already a coaching inn. The owner of that time Tomas Bauer named it after tailor festivities called… Slamnik.
In the past, Bubenc was made famous by celebrations of tailor journeymen called Slamnik that used to take place the first Tuesday after Easter. That was the only day the king’s deer park, nowadays Stromovka park, was opened to the public.
The tailor journeymen celebrations consisted also of carrying a straw mattress with embodied figures of man and his girl, around which was danced. The whole ceremony always ended in Na Slamniku pub of course…
There are no similar celebrations today, but still there are always people in the place, going to chill out after a walk in Stromovka, or coming directly for exquisite meat, cold bear, and unique atmosphere.
This living piece of history is to be find in Wolkerova street.