The jubilee tenth year of the open buildings festival Open House Prague will take place this year from May 13 to 19, 2024. While a rich accompanying program will be prepared in the week of May 13, on the weekend of May 18 and 19, the festival will make 115 buildings and spaces accessible for free throughout the capital city. The list of open buildings is published on www.openhousepraha.cz/festival-2024/.
Check out the festival one promopotwhich reveals some festival news.
„Open House Prague will allow the public to see the buildings associated with important Czech architects whose life anniversaries we are commemorating this year – for example Josef Fuchs, Oldřich Tyl, Adolf Benš, Josef Fanta, Jan Gillar, Karel Hubáček and others. At the same time, it will address the topic of accessibility and openness of the city to all groups of residents,says festival director Klára Veselá.
Buildings and anniversaries – Fuchs, Tyl, Benš, Fanta, Hubáček
During the festival weekend, several functionalist gems will be opened, reminiscent of important Czechoslovak architects. The first is the building the former restaurant of the Štvanice winter stadium from Josef Fuchs (*130 years old). The stadium has served several times in the past as the venue for the World Hockey Championship, and after 1959 it was used as a skating venue for the public. However, its condition gradually fell into disrepair and in 2011 it was demolished, despite its monument protection. Only the building of the cafe, where the club is located today, was spared Fuchs2.
Visitors will also be able to look into the technical facilities or the roof terrace Fair Market Palaceone of the architects’ realizations Josef Fuchs and Oldřich Tyl (*140 years old). At the time of its creation, this eight-story constructivist building, the largest of its kind in the world, was among the absolute pinnacle of modern architecture. In addition to the exhibition spaces, there was a cinema, a restaurant and a café on the roof terrace. In 1974, i.e. before 50 years, however, the palace was destroyed by a huge fire. After long discussions, it was decided to restore this exceptional building for the needs of the National Gallery. In the list of buildings there is one more inconspicuous realization by the architect Oldřich Tyl – Garages Under Slovany in New Town. At the time of their greatest glory, the garages offered first-class service for the cars of their wealthy clientele, and some details from their rich equipment have been preserved to this day.
„In connection with this year’s anniversaries, in cooperation with Zdenek Lukeš, we have prepared a lecture dedicated to the work of Oldřich Tyl and Josef Fuchs as part of the accompanying program on Tuesday, May 14 from 6 p.m., which will take place in the non-traditional premises of the Fuchs2 club. The building of the former restaurant by the busy main road is the last memento of the once famous and now demolished winter stadium on the island of Štvanice, where sports history was written. The lecture will introduce not only the history of the place, but people will also have the opportunity to see how the space has come to life in recent years with alternative culture and art installations,” says Andrea Šenkyříková, creative director of the festival.
During the weekend, those interested will have a look at Elementary schools and kindergartens Bíláreferred to as a small jewel of Czechoslovak functionalism, which he brought to his very young author to Jan Gillar (*120 years old) international recognition. The school complex was completed ninety years ago on the model of Dutch and German open-air schools, its foundation was a reinforced concrete skeleton. Emphasis was placed on maximizing the area of classrooms, their natural lighting and connection with the surrounding greenery.
Representatives of Czech functionalism also include buildings from Adolf Benš (*140 years old) like a building Electric companies Prague – Bubenská 1 a Terminal 4 already Václav Havel Airport.
This year’s 70 years since the death of Josef Fanta will commemorate the festival by making the Neo-Renaissance building accessible Hlávka’s student dormitorieswhich was inaugurated before 120 years. Its facade is decorated with sgraffito with motifs of students, national emblems and the St. Wenceslas eagle. After several years of reconstruction, breathtaking art nouveau spaces will be opened in the north wing of the Fanta building Main station. The government lounge on the 1st platform, where Emperor Francis Joseph I or President TG Masaryk spent time waiting for the train, will also be available for viewing. The building is also reminiscent of Fant’s work Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Czech Republic with an iconic glass dome that people will be able to climb into during the festival.
This year’s last jubilant Karel Hubáček (*100 let) reminds of an unconventional art space Divadla DISK with a submarine-shaped roof. Visitors will be able to see not only the theater facilities, but also the intricate underground passages, the history of which dates back to ancient medieval times. Karel Hubáček also participated with his architectural studio SIAL in the reconstruction of the already mentioned Fair Market Palace.
The Open House Prague Festival will offer in the program more than 35 novelties the territory 13 city districts. One of them is, for example, a pompous one Palace of the First Czech Insurance Bank on the Smetana embankment in the style of floral art nouveau, which it inhabits today Goethe-Institut. Few would have guessed that a sauna that is still functional is hidden in these magnificent premises, which was built here in the 1970s, when the Embassy of the German Democratic Republic was located in the building. The sauna will be open for viewing during the festival weekend, as well as the lavish and well-kept interiors. The foyer of the building will also belong to the exhibition Photo album of the Kafka familywhich will offer many previously unpublished photos from the life of the family Franz Kafkaand will remind you of this year’s 100 years since his death.
Another news item is Palace of Škoda Races, the current seat of the City Hall of the City of Prague, which was created according to the design of the prominent Czech architect Pavel Janák. As part of the festival, representative Škoda lounges with extraordinary art and craft interior decoration and restored period furniture will be on display.
The spectacular Neo-Renaissance building will also be exceptionally open to visitors Old Town Markets in Rytířská street. It was created according to the design of Jindřich Fialka, the architect of the water tower on Letná. Last time there were shops and a supermarket here. The entire building was subsequently closed in 2020 as part of plans for a total renovation with the aim of restoring its original function. However, a year later, the city council abandoned it, and since then this historical monument in the city center is still waiting for its restoration.
It is part of this year’s program Municipal Insurance Palace on the Old Town Square, where today the Ministry for Regional Development of the Czech Republic is located. The author of the design of this art nouveau building, Osvald Polívka, invited the biggest names of the art scene of the time to collaborate, and thanks to this, we can still admire the sculptural works of Bohuslav Schnirch or Ladislav Šaloun here today. Picturesque atrium and grounds Václav Havel Libraries made accessible by classicists The Deym’s Palace, in which Karel Schwarzenberg, whose family owns the palace, also had an apartment after 1989. Close to the busy Republic Square will also open Town housetoday the headquarters House of foreign cooperation, which is an important late classicist monument. This year, for the first time, the festival also managed to gain access to the cubist private space villas Na Libušinceone of a trio of unique residential buildings on the Rašín embankment, designed by the prominent Czech architect Emil Králíček, who is also the author of the iconic cubist lamp on Jungmann Square.
For the first time, several buildings within the framework will join the festival program area of Prague Castle. It will be possible to visit, for example Presidential residence. It was originally designed by the architect Pavel Janák for Edvard Beneš, but he did not see it completed, so the house was only used by communist presidents. Since 1989, the house has hardly been inhabited and was mostly used as a background for press conferences or meetings. In recent years, however, it has undergone extensive renovations, during which care was taken to preserve Janák’s original elements. Another extraordinary object in the Royal Garden will also be open to visitors – New orangery from Eva Jiřičná, patron of the festival. The construction of this high-tech building made of glass and steel was initiated by the wife of the president, Olga Havlová. The operation of the greenhouse and the care of heat-loving plants are ensured by a number of automatic systems, and two small fountains are part of the greenhouse – the first by the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik and the second by Otto Rothmayer. It will then be the last open building at Prague Castle Lobkowicz Palace, which elegantly mixes Renaissance and Baroque building elements. Today, the palace is the only privately owned part of Prague Castle that serves as a museum with the valuable collection of the Lobkowicz family, which is considered the largest and oldest private art collection in the Czech Republic.
One of the largest modern archive sites in the world in Prague’s Chodovec this year will celebrate 30 years since its opening and on that occasion those interested will be able to take a look inside its interior. They will be made available National Archives a State regional archive in Prague. The building is dominated by three tall storage blocks with striking colored ceramic cladding, which tower over the surrounding buildings. Visitors can visit the local library, but also the local cinema, research rooms, depositories and disinfection line for archives.
For the first time, the monumental three-wings will also be made available historical building National Archives located on Milady Horáková street in Dejvice, which today houses the headquarters, the library and the 1st department of the archive. During the festival tour, it will be possible to look into the former apartment of the director of the archive, and a facsimile of the so-called Golden bulls of Sicilyissued on September 26, 1212 in Basel, which is a document of paramount importance for the Czech monarchs and the Czech lands.
Accessibility and inclusion
Even this year, the organizers are trying break down barriers and open the city to everyone. Accessibility is one of the main themes and will be interwoven across the entire program – in both form and form special tours for visitors with visual impairments, the deaf and children, debates on the accessibility of the city, a workshop dedicated to the physical accessibility of buildings or the interactive city game Open Senses. This is being prepared by students in cooperation with Open House Prague for the festival weekend Department of arts management, University of Economics and its goal will be to experience firsthand what challenges people with various forms of handicap have to face on a daily basis when moving around the city. The inclusive program can be implemented thanks to involvement in the project Open House Europe with the support of the European Union.
Volunteers
The Open House Prague festival is a community event. Buildings will open due to engagement hundreds of volunteers* nothingbut also owners, administrators of buildings and employees of the companies located in them. Log in and help with the implementation or coordination of the operation, anyone who is tempted to take a look behind the scenes of the preparations for the event. The ambassador of the volunteer program is a presenter, model, former spokesperson of the Minister for Human Rights and National Minorities and a volunteer Lejla Abbasová. look at recruitment video.
Info center
From May 13 will open on the premises Campus Hybernská (Hybernská 998/4, Prague 1) festival info center and will offer the possibility of purchase Festival guide, limited edition merchandise and other materials. Opening hours: Mon–Fri 10 am–6 pm, Sat–Sun 9 am–7 pm.
Practical information
Most buildings (and spaces) are open on both weekend days from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, but there are exceptions. People can find specific opening times and other information (e.g. about accessibility) at www.openhousepraha.cz/festival-2024. Entrance to the buildings is free without the need for prior registration. Tours will be conducted continuously or at pre-announced times (blind, deaf, children or AJ). People will be able to find out information about current operations in open buildings in the new one festival appwhich will be available for download for both Android and iOS in early May.
Michaela Pánková, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You must have Javascript enabled to view it., 724 213 136
DOWNLOAD POSTER
