The Birthplace of Františka Plamínková
The seven-storey functionalist building was constructed in 1932–1933. A restaurant and a diner were originally operated on the ground floor. It was preceded by the House at the Golden Lion a.k.a. Černý pivovar (Black Brewery – named for its dark façade). The brewery dated back to the 14th century and was owned by the Náprstek family in the 1800s. The neighbouring House at the Three Swallows was the birthplace of Františka Plamínková. Both structures were demolished/rebuilt into the current building in the 1930s.
Františka Plamínková
Františka Plamínková (1875–1942) was a Czech politician of the National Socialist Party, parliamentarian, journalist, teacher, feminist, and organizer of the Czechoslovak and international women’s movements. She became one of the key figures in the history of women’s emancipation. She joined the Women’s National Council, an umbrella organization for women’s associations to coordinate feminist activities, where she collaborated with Milada Horáková, among others. Františka Plamínková also helped abolish female teachers’ celibacy (in 1919) and introduce women’s suffrage (in 1920).
She developed a great deal of social conscience and considered herself a democrat and humanist. During the Suden Crisis of 1938, she wrote an open letter to Adolf Hitler denouncing attacks against President Edvard Beneš. Later, she was arrested and imprisoned in the Terezín Ghetto. In the violent aftermath of the Reinhard Heydrich assassination, she refused to denounce the act of resistance. She was imprisoned and executed by the Nazi regime on 30 June 1942. She was not buried.
Several plaques her honour have been installed in Prague: at the building of the Czech Senate (Valdštejnské náměstí), at the building of the Ministry of Regional Development (Staroměstské náměstí 930/7), where she lived in 1914–1939, and elsewhere. Her name is inscribed in the Monument to the Anti-Fascist Resistance at the former Kobylisy Firing Range, where she was executed. An award in the name of Františka Plamínková is presented annually by the Sdruženy Association in Brno. There is a Františka Plamínková Street (near the prison where she was on death row) and a school named after her, both in Prague.
