Prague becomes one of the first cities to enter the world of NFT, with all proceeds to be ploughed back into the restoration of cultural heritage
Prague, 28 February 2023 – With Prague having been significantly affected by mass tourism in recent decades, its official destination management organisation, Prague City Tourism, has decided to give Prague’s visitors and well-wishers the opportunity to contribute to the care of the national cultural heritage here by becoming the owner of a non-fungible token (NFT). The proceeds will support the repair of historical monuments. More than 30 million people are part of the NFT community, up from around half a million in 2020. In the United States, for example, 29% of adults are interested in joining the NFT network.
Prague is set to be one of the world’s first metropolises to use NFTs to promote sustainable tourism. The collection called Bohemian Muse NFT is designed to appeal to everyone who wants Prague to be preserved for future generations. “100 % of the proceeds from Bohemian Muse NFT sales will be channelled directly into the care of PCT-managed cultural and national monuments,” says Jana Adamcová, vice-chair of the Prague City Tourism board, adding, “Plus, NFTs enable us to engage with a completely new and specific target group of potential visitors.”
Bohemian Muse NFT owners will also have access to a host of exclusive experiences that are not normally on offer, such as a private visit to the Petřín observation tower at sunrise, a visit to areas of the Old Town Hall or Strahov Monastery that are not usually open to the public, a private dinner, a concert in one of Prague’s Gothic towers, and a wine tasting in Gorlice Hall in Vyšehrad, where the original sculptures from Charles Bridge are housed.
"Cultural heritage is Prague‘s great strength, but it is also a commitment for us to maintain its quality and attractiveness and to develop the city’s unique values. I am very pleased that the city is coming up with innovative products that will generate funds for the restoration of historic buildings," says Jiří Pospíšil, Deputy Mayor for Culture, Tourism and Heritage Preservation.
"The Prague NFT will become a special ticket to the world of extraordinary experiences that visitors to Prague can experience beyond the tourist mainstream. The aim of this project is to cultivate Prague, both in terms of the structure of visitors and in terms of supporting local artists," adds František Cipro, Chairman of the Board of Prague City Tourism.
The Bohemian Muse NFT series portrays Prague’s bohemian soul. The Bohemian Muse symbolises the authenticity, creativity and unconventionality of bohemian Praguers, because they are the city’s true soul. According to vice-chair Jana Adamcová, this soul has been under pressure from mass tourism for the last decade, because if the people of Prague are squeezed out of the city centre, Prague will be reduced to nothing more than an open-air museum. The term “Bohemian” is also a nod to the thousand-year-old name of the original territory of the Czech Republic, which foreigners are often unaware of.
Symbolic 1,357 muses will be issued. This is a reference to the year in which Charles Bridge was built. Each one can be purchased for 100 euros, with ownership paving the way for the exclusive experiences described above.
The NFT campaign also includes a series of street art paintings depicting the Bohemian muses. These will be outside the heritage conservation zone – in the Legerova pedestrian subway in Prague 2, the Lounských underpass in Prague 4, the Malovanka underpass in Prague 6, and two underpasses in Strahov in Prague 6. The winning artists, selected by an expert committee, are Tomáš Javůrek, Jakub Bachorík, Filip Dvořák, Karolína Vintrová and Daniel Solovev. Prague City Tourism encourages tourists to discover these hidden locations and has announced a prize competition for all those who take photos with these street art works. More information on the competition can be found at prague.eu.