The Nest: a new humanist café and community space in Prague
By Jiří Müller
When a much-loved progressive café in Prague faced closure, Czech Humanists saw an unexpected opportunity. Jiří Müller tells the story of how a small group of determined volunteers transformed a daunting financial commitment into Hnízdo (the Nest), the city's first humanist community space, bringing people together through shared values, friendship and practical cooperation.
Jiří is Chair of Czech Humanists
I started Czech Humanists in 2022, after returning from the Humanists International Conference in Glasgow feeling absolutely amazed and inspired. Over the next few years, our gradually growing Prague-based group seized every opportunity we could manage. But we repeatedly came to realise that one thing our community urgently needed, and lacked, was a space of our own. We could save so much time, energy and money by having a common place where our projects could take shape and be carried through to completion. Until this year, it seemed like an ambition for the distant future. And then, suddenly, the space was here.
From 2023 to 2026, a place called Safe Space Bookstore occupied a hillside location near Prague's city centre, in a lively part of town. It was a vegan café and bookshop that provided a meeting place for feminist and queer communities to exchange ideas and organise events. Culturally bold and unconventional, it became a bastion of progressive values in the city. Unfortunately, the small team running it struggled with emotional burnout and eventually decided to close.
When we heard about the closure, we knew it would be a real loss for Prague. It was a beloved place for many communities, who valued having a safe and welcoming environment where people could come together and participate in community life in different ways. Fortunately, it turned out that the Bookstore's team had promised the property owner that they would find a new tenant when their tenancy ended. Although they wanted to close as soon as possible, they were keen to find another project that would uphold the values and standards they had always stood for.
With this in mind, our dream of having a space of our own suddenly became a real possibility. Although it seemed like a massive commitment, thanks to the initiative and optimism of our queer friends and fellow Czech Humanists, the idea gradually began to take shape. Eventually, we met with the SSBS team, who seemed happy with our proposal. However, they warned us that we would need to buy the café equipment they were leaving behind – the coffee machine, fridges, stoves, chairs, freezer and many other things – for approximately £10,400.
Between us, our small action team managed to raise half the amount, with an agreement to pay off the rest gradually. The deal was made. At the beginning of July, we officially became the new tenants. And, as we had anticipated, when a community gains a space of its own, progressive projects start springing up! Around ten people from humanist and queer circles came together and began pouring their time, money, energy and trust into a new café and community space, which we named Hnízdo — fittingly, the Czech word for “nest”.
Rainbow flag here, Happy Human there. Excitement and an endless pile of work. The once rather empty café has filled up with events, snacks and many regular visitors. Now, at the beginning of November 2026, after four full months of operation, we are entering our fifth month. So far, our hard work seems to be paying off. Of course, we have no illusions about the ups and downs our predecessors must have experienced, and we're already feeling many of the stresses that come with running our own space. But knowing that Prague has retained a progressive community venue – and gained its very first humanist community space – makes it all feel worthwhile.
Please support us!
If you, dear reader, would like to help to Hnízdo and, in return, get an opportunity to shape this space a little bit, please check out: www.prostorhnizdo.cz/support-us
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