CZECH REPUBLIC – Prague, Ministry of Transportation // Casino Royale (2006)
A ministry doubles for a museum, well. But vis-à-vis to the building is an area just across the busy historical centre – that offers you a whole new view on modern Prague.
Why Bond was here
James Bond (Daniel Craig) is on a mission to dry out the money funds of crime financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). Le Chiffre plays the stock market on shares of airplane manufacturer Skyfleet and wants to blow up a Skyfleet prototype at Miami International Airport. He hires a terrorist, the exchange of the explosive device is to happen at a “Body Worlds” exhibition – a display of preserved human bodies. The Czech Ministry of Transport in Prague doubles for the “Body Worlds” museum.
A Miami museum – in Prague
How you gonna get there
The Ministry of Transport – or Ministerstvo dopravy – is north of the old city center directly at the banks of Vltava river. Closest stations are the metro hub Florenc and tram stop Těšnov. But one can also easily walk from the nearby city center. Also just some meters to the East: the futuristic Danube House, where the opening scene of Casino Royale had been filmed.
Good to know
There is not much to do – as the museum from the movie is just a bureaucratic ministry in reality. But there is a lot to see nearby. Use the chance to take a nice stroll along the river banks – or uphill to the nearby Vitkov Monument, where the museum interiors had been filmed.
Even better: the Letna district just north of the river. It’s a new hot spot for young designer and artists and gives you the idea of a modern Prague off the commercial path. In Letna, you will find beer gardens and gallerys between old Soviet style buildings and Bohemian houses. It’s the perfect inner-city escape.
Prague is packed throughout the year. So exploring the upcoming eastern parts Žižkov and Karlín is always a good idea to escape the touristic areas. And of course the Letna district – that we explored by accident when crossing Hlávkův bridge.
© 2015 Huntingbond (1,3), © 2006 United Artists Corporation and Danjaq, LLC (2)