Main Train Station (Hlavní nádraží)

The Art Nouveau complex of Prague's main train station was designed by Josef Fanta, as visitors are reminded by the posh Fanta's Café (Fantova kavárna) upstairs. The station opened in 1909 as the Franz Josef Station, was later renamed to Wilson Station, and today is generally referred to as the Main Station. The easiest way to get there is to take line C of the metro to Hlavní nádraží.

The building with its cupola-shaped, richly decorated lobby, statues, wrought-iron elements, and steel and glass construction above the tracks is  a  valuable  work  of  Czech  architecture.  The train station is set to enter its second century with a major facelift. In 2002, the complex was leased to the Italian company Grandi Stazioni who is to invest over 650 million Czech Crowns ($25 million) into a complete renovation of the premises. The work began in December 2006 and Prague's Hlavní nádraží should be turned into a "train station of the future" by 2010.