Baroque Prague Architecture – Style with a Twirl Even though Prague is most associated with the modern era of Art Nouveau, it’s greatest influence by far is Baroque. You don’t just see Baroque Prague, you feel it, you touch it, you hear it. Baroque was certainly a reaction to the fairly plain decorative nature of … Read More
Renaissance Prague Architecture The Prague Renaissance period saw a lot of social and technological change but it did not come with groundbreaking architectural design ideas as had been noted in the Romanesque and Gothic periods. It was more about artistic ideas and decorative styles to aesthetically improve the appearance of a building and not the … Read More
Prague Brutalism and Functionalist Architecture Prague Brutalism can also be called post-Modernism. Pretty much everything after 1897 could be grouped under the term “Modernism” even though we have different and specific names for it in many European countries. It just marks the separation of the “historic/religious” work from everything since. Brutalism is not just about … Read More
Prague Art Deco Architecture – The French Connection It should come as no surprise that “Arts Decoratifs” should become popular first in Paris but to be fair to Belgium the origin was in Brussels and as an individual art form it was simply known as “Art Deco” by 1925. Of course the style of Decorative … Read More
Prague Cubism Architecture – Not Just Cubes In chronological order, Cubism should directly follow Art Nouveau but in reality they ran side by side for 10 years or so. Prague Cubism was a very short lived era starting in 1911 and finishing in Prague in 1925 but wow it left some really original exteriors and … Read More
Prague Architecture Tour NOTE: I’ve now moved all of my tour related pages over to the dedicated website at https://www.livingpraguetours.com where you can read about me, my ethos, the range of tours that I offer, the booking process, Reviews and FAQ etc. Any links below will direct you to that site. Duration: 2 Hours (2.5 … Read More
The Friends of Czech Heritage – People Working Hard to Restore Our Culture During the Communist controlled era, many of the Czech Republic’s finest palaces, castles, chateaus, gardens and parks were either destroyed or simply left to decay. Previous owners stripped of their rights of ownership, new owners with no money and no intention of … Read More
The Prague Rudolfinum The grounds of the Rudolfinum on the Old Town side of the riverbank have not always looked so grand. Previously the site had been a nitrate bed, a riding school, a prison and a saw mill before construction started on the current building in 1875. 50 years earlier a bank called “Bohemiche … Read More
The Prague Dancing House – Fred and Ginger This building was opened in 1996 and a year later it was still a hot topic of conversation as to whether it was suitable for this location. True, all the buildings surrounding it were built between 1870 and 1890 but can anybody realistically believe that any “new” … Read More
Kutna Hora Bone Church What’s in Kutna Hora? Once the second richest town in the kingdom you’ll be surprised at the quality of the architecture for what is really just a mid-sized provincial town. You’ll be interested in the Gothic St Barbara Cathedral, the Mint and the Church of All Saints (Bone Church/Ossuary) and organised … Read More