Prague – Painting a Brick for a good cause
Just outside the Museum of Communism in Prague you’ll come across a wall of brightly-colored bricks. The Beneficial Brick Initiative is a charity fundraiser created to help mentally handicapped people better integrate into society. For a donation of 150 Kč (about $8 US) you can paint a brick with your choice of colors and add it anywhere you want on the pile of stacked bricks.
It is a fascinating collection of bricks, and even if you don’t participate you should check it out. Most contributors paint cartoon characters with inspirational messages and wishes for peace. Others paint the flag of their country. A little girl next to us (who spoke perfect English) was from Iran and proudly drew her flag (you can see it at the bottom left of the image above). It was interesting to see how many countries are represented. We decided to leave a little momento of our website and spent about an hour painting both sides of our brick. I think we got our money’s worth with all the paint we used up .
.
.
.
Besides being a lot of fun, it was a chance to help others while adding a bit of color to the street.
Location: Na příkopě 10, a short walk from the Můstek metro station.
Update: The Museum of Communism in Prague has moved to V Celnici 1031/4, 118 00 Nové Město (not far from the previous address). But the The Beneficial Brick Initiative is still at the same address (Na příkopě 10, just next to Wenceslas Square).
Related: 3 Days in Prague
Related: Unusual things to see and do in Prague
Ps. If you find our blog helpful, please consider using our links to book your flights, hotels, tours, and car rentals. Have a look at our Travel Resources page.
what a unique idea ! I love your brick, great job!
Thanks Freya!
I totally photoshopped a photo like that once! I can’t resist taking a picture in those things. What a cool thing to be a part of!
I thought it was a great photo of Lissette and didn’t want a blank window next to her 🙂
What an interesting colorful idea!
What a colorful fundraiser. Looks like a lot of fun!!
Yes, it was! Thanks for the comment Val.