On the Edge of the Old and New Town

On the Edge of the Old and New Town: Grand Palaces and Unknown apartment buildings

The modernist production of the 1930s in Prague was far from limited to the newly expanding districts, but also penetrated into the very center of the metropolis, where it became closely connected with various historical layers of Prague.

This walk will focus on the modernist production of Czech architects in the wider center of Prague from Florence to the Old Town. From Florence, the participants of the walk will head towards Na Poříčí and, after seeing the Bílá Labuť department store, they will head to Petrské náměstí, where they will explore lesser-known examples of apartment buildings from the late 1930s. They will then cross Revoluční Street and pay attention to several apartment buildings integrated into the historical layers of the Old Town around Dlouhá Street.

The Modernist Prague platform – led by architectural historian Adam Štěch and architect Jan Bureš – invites participants to take a walk along this elegant avenue, which is not only a showcase of 20th-century architectural styles, but also a testament to social change, the transformation of economic elites, and the cultural life of interwar Prague.

Buildings: Public buildings, multifunctional projects and apartment buildings by František Stalmach, Martin Reiner, Václav Pilc, Josef Hrubý and Josef Kittrich, Bohumír Kozák, Otto Zucker, František Zelenka, Friedrich Lehmann, Ladislav Fragner, Jaroslav Vančura, Erwin Katona or Karel and Otto Kohn

Practical information:

• Meeting point: Ke Štvanice 371/4, 186 00 Karlín (Kino Atlas na Florenci)
• Venue: Prague 1 – Nové Město, Prague 8 – Karlín
• Duration: 2, 5 h