Only in Prague by Duncan J.D. Smith

122 45 Prague 1 Monuments of Corruption Prague 1 (Nové Město), the Corrupt Tour of Prague departing from Jungmannovo náměstí Metro A/B to Můstek; Tram 3, 9, 14, 24 With the Velvet Revolution and the collapse of Communism in 1989, Prague was quick to sweep away most of the trappings of the Commu- nist state, restoring the city’s hitherto dilapidated public buildings to their former glory and adapting Communist-built edifices to different usages (see nos. 4, 60 & 64). The corruption and cronyism associated with Communism, however, has continued unabated to this day. So much so that visitors to Prague can now take a guided tour of the city’s so-called ‘Monuments of Corruption’! The Corrupt Tour of Prague, which showcases the legacy of law- lessness that continues to undermine Czech society, is the brainchild of Petr Sourek. A philosopher and performance artist turned entrepre- neur, Sourek and his enthusiastic team of guides offer several alterna- tive tours of the city (www.corrupttour.com) . One of them, The Prague Crony Safari, sets out from the Fantova kavárna at the Main Station (Hlavní nádraží) (see no. 59). Handled with a canny mix of gravitas and humour, this bus tour seeks out the “natural habitats” of Prague’s most corrupt politicians and business people. Their “inconspicuous nests”, camouflaged so as to avoid un- wanted detection by predators, are observed from a discreet distance through binoculars and telephoto lenses. At the time of writing this is surely something unique in the annals of European tourism! The meeting place for another tour, billed as The Best of Prague’s Worst, is Jungmannovo náměstí (Prague 1). The itinerary, as with The Prague Crony Safari, is subject to change as new stories break in the Czech press. But whatever the route taken, there is always a tongue- in-cheek theatricality on hand, the tour guides usually flanked by ac- tors dressed as members of a SWAT team. Little wonder therefore that the local authorities keep a more watchful eye on these particular tours than on those visiting Prague’s less controversial places of interest. Typical among the various locations featured on the tours is a walled concrete villa owned by a powerful lobbyist dubbed Lord Volde- mort after the evil character in Harry Potter , a seemingly insignificant address registered by well over 500 different companies, and an elite school where it is claimed that a bag of cash can buy a degree.