Bohemian Rhapsody

Classical music lovers have it easy in the city of 100 spires. But fans of alternative culture have far fewer options, despite Prague's freewheeling, bohemian reputation. Luckily, they can always find refuge in the Zizkov quarter's Palac Akropolis — an edgy, independent club featuring international music, multimedia projects and experimental theater.

Recent shows have included a Romanian Gypsy brass band, the British punk band Toy Dolls and a Peking opera performance.

When the shows end, DJs spin in Akropolis' basement bars. There is also a restaurant, a café and a picture gallery. But there is another reason to visit the club: Frantisek Skala, an eccentric Czech salvage artist, designed the club's labyrinthine interiors. A perfectionist who rarely exhibits, Skala spent five years outfitting Akropolis with his eclectic vision that examines the mystery in ordinary objects and spaces.

The restaurant, with its aquamarine walls and two cases displaying Skala's fantastic mechanical constructions, has the feel of tropical-sea shallows. The downstairs performance hall's orange stucco walls sprout giant polypores and bear soft bas-reliefs of such things as a nymph and an ear, evoking a dream sequence. And if you look hard enough inside one of the bars, you may even spot a palm-sized wall opening that reveals a secret crypt. Now that's underground. tel: (420-2) 96 330 911; www.palacakropolis.cz