Mirror Labyrinth

The labyrinth at the top of Petřín Hill was built as the Czech Tourist Club’s pavilion during the Prague Jubilee Exhibition in 1891. It originally stood near the corner of the Industrial Palace at Prague’s Výstaviště exhibition grounds, but was later was relocated to Petřín Hill. The wooden building was completely refurbished in 1975.

Dioramic Picture

A mirror labyrinth leading to a dioramic picture was installed in the right section of the building in place of a panorama of diapositive slides. The picture depicts a memorable scene from 1648, when Swedish forces attempted to seize the Old Town via Charles Bridge, only to meet resistance from students and teachers from a Jesuit college, who managed to defend the city successfully. The elaborate combination of a three-dimensional foreground with a flat painting of the Hradčany district creating a real-life impression, is the work of the brothers Adolf and Karel Liebscher as well as Vojtěch Bartoněk. It seems that the Petřín labyrinth was inspired by the Prater in Vienna.

Hall of Smiles

The second room, known as the Hall of Smiles, was furnished in 1911 with various convex and concave mirrors, which humorously distort people’s reflections. The labyrinth has 31 ordinary and 14 twisted mirrors.

Charles Bridge Hostel is only few minutes from the mirror labyrinth, stay with us!