This year’s Open House Prague to highlight urban transformation through sites such as Bubny Station and the Savarin riding hall
This weekend, more than 100 usually inaccessible buildings and spaces across Prague will open to the public free of charge as part of the Open House festival, whose theme this year explores the link between historic preservation and urban development. I spoke with the festival’s Michaela Pánková and first asked her about some of this year’s highlights linked to the main theme.
“The festival features several buildings that are currently undergoing renovation as well as changes in function. One of the stories is, for example, Prague-Bubny railway station, which will become a centre for memory and dialogue, connecting the site’s historical legacy with the vision of a future neighbourhood and becoming a museum of Holocaust history.
„Another is the Savarin riding hall, which is part of a large Baroque complex in the centre of Prague, and visitors will be able to see the building just before reconstruction. These are buildings that are currently undergoing transformation into new public spaces.”
“There are also several buildings that have already been reconstructed, but now serve a totally new purpose, such as Braník Brewery, which is now home to a dance art centre and various institutions.
“There are also other technical sites, for example Pragovka, which is becoming a new art district. There are also former industrial sites, such as Areál Podkovářská.”
One of this year’s highlights is the former Strojimport building in the Vinohrady district, which is opening as part of this year’s tribute to architect Zdeněk Kuna, marking 100 years since his birth. What makes this building such an important example of late modernist architecture?
“The design of the former Strojimport headquarters was inspired by Western high-rise buildings, such as the Seagram Building in New York City. It is located on Vinohradská Avenue and has a unique construction featuring a reinforced concrete core and a steel frame.
“At the time, the interiors of the building were highly representative and were typically designed in collaboration with renowned artists such as Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, whose works visitors can still find inside.”
The festival is also marking several other major architectural anniversaries this year. What are some of the other buildings or architects you are highlighting in the programme?
“One of the biggest highlights of this year’s festival is the former Post Office Palace located on Wenceslas Square. It was designed by the architect František Roith, whose 150th birth anniversary we are also commemorating this year.
“It is a monumental neoclassical building with beautiful representative interiors, which originally served as a banking office. Soon, however, it will become the new home of Prague City Hall, which will move there from the Škoda Palace.”
Open House Prague always gives people a chance to discover places normally closed to the public. Is there one building in this year’s programme that you think visitors will find especially surprising?
“It is hard to pick just one building from such a large programme of more than 100 buildings, because every visitor has a different taste. The most sought-after sites are usually the historical palaces in the historic part of Prague, such as Lobkowicz Palace, which we think will be one of this year’s biggest highlights.
“It is now the seat of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, and visitors will have the opportunity to see not only the interiors, but also the beautiful garden with the sculpture Quo Vadis by David Černý, featuring the famous Trabant car.”
