A pub in Prague is as common a sight as, for example, a currency exchange office in Moscow. In each of them you will be served a glass of excellent dark or light Czech-brewed beer. The most famous brands are Pilsner Urquell, Krušovice, Budweiser and Staropramen.
But Prague has one special pub, known all over the world and quite different from all similar establishments in the city. "At the Chalice" is, both outside and inside, a completely ordinary pub, where they serve the same beer that flows by the barrel in all the other establishments. However, several mentions by the leading Czech writer Jaroslav Hasek in his immortal novel "The Adventures of the Good Soldier Svejk During the Second World War" brought "At the Chalice" the status of a cult establishment of Prague. The main character of the novel, Soldier Svejk, invariably visited this very pub, and always at 6 o'clock in the evening. The name of this establishment, lifted from the pages of the book, is now known all over the world, and that is precisely why the pub "At the Chalice" has become a true Mecca for tourists.
However, cult status comes at a price - beer here costs at least twice as much, and national dishes - the same dumplings or meat - will also cost you a pretty penny.
National Czech music plays here almost continuously, and the walls of the establishment are covered with signatures left by tourists from all over the world. If you make the effort, you can even find the autographs of Vaclav Havel and Jacques Chirac.
