U ZLATÉHO TYGRA

P U B 
Interior design and the guests
Karel Hulata, inn-keeper

.... there is a story, which tells, how Mr. Herrior, the pre-war prime minister of France, visited the restaurant at the Tiger. He was accompanied by the section executive from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a regular guest of this restaurant. They ordered warm scrag of beef with bread and mustard and they joined incognito to the local society. While drinking beer, Herriot said to his partner: “Well, Mr. Malypetr, chairman of House of Representatives, is sitting over there, but I do not know the man sitting next to him”. “This is chief varnisher from the Melantrichova lane”, was the answer. Herriot was going on in conversation and then he whispered: “And over there, this is President of Administrative Court, but I do not know the next man”. But his partner did not know. A man, sitting on the right, turned to them and reported: “This is a metal-chaser and funeral-lights-maker from Karlova lane”. Herriot was surprised and asked the man: “And who are you?” The man lifted his glass and answered: “ I am porter from Skooepka lane”. And Prime Minister stated solemnly: Sirs, let me inform you, that democracy is not in France, but here!” . . . by Karel Hulata, inn-keeper

 

 

Interior of the pub

Permanent guests form 90% of all the customers. Some of them paid a visit to the restaurant as early as in 1937. Would you like to see an authentic atmosphere of this beer restaurant. Come and see!

 Interior of the pub

 

 

Hrabal´s beer restaurant “U Zlatého tygra” (At Golden Tiger)
Bohumil Hrabal was a loyal guest in the “Tiger”. He was coming here regardless to weather conditions, regardless to his mood. The only reasons for absence were his stays at the cottage in Kersko. It is true, that Hrabal paid attention to other inns in Prague as well (“U kocoura”, “U Sojku”, Plzeoský dvur”, Na Formance in Veletr?ní street, “Breálka” in Široká street, etc.), but his main residence was kept here in beer restaurant “U Zlatého tygra” in Old Town of Prague. No wonder, that he mentioned this restaurant also in his works frequently, particularly, when telling stories from a pub.

Hrabal was always a key person of the top society, a source of ideas and intristic solutions. The best personalities of his time, representatives of science and arts, were experiencing glory and fall of cultural boom in the sixties. This place was visited by many people from all countries in the world, everybody wished to speak with Hrabal and to see the place, where the events from his “too noisy loneliness” took place. Karel Kosík, philosopher, Bartošek, Kladiva and Hubl, historians, Sláva Herman, linguist, Karel Marysko and Prof Ruis, composers, Šmoranc, Vávra, Boušl, his friends from the “Libeo period”, many graphic artists including Vladimír Boudník and Ivo Treter and many others were coming to this place to see him.

Václav Havel with his wife Olga and some other dissidents were coming here sometimes. Vlasta Toešoák, ballad-singer and writer, was got stucked directly here by the State police. And regardless to Hrabal´s protests he was arrested and imprisoned. Jan Vodňanský, singer, Jiří Menzel and Jan Kačer, film directors, Krampol, Nimec, Švehlík and Kaiser, actors, were coming here to have a drink. Here “U Zlatého tygra” Hrabal also met such VIPs like President Clinton, President Havel, M. Albright, Shallikashvilli, army general, Alexander Dubeek and many others. Hrabal was distributing his “samizdats” here, i.e. the works, which were not released for distribution by the authorities, and which were copied by Hrabal and distributed to his best friends only. Further on, these books found a way to other admirers of Hrabal´s literature. All these events led to the fact, that beer restaurant “U Zlatého tygra” became a “memorial hall” of dramatic moments of the Czech culture in several past decades.

The beer restaurant “U Zlatého tygra” was also visited by some other VIPs ...

 

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