Lose yourself daydreaming at the sight of houses blossoming in Art Nouveau style. Pop into the only cubist café on the planet. Discover the world's unique Czech rendition of Art Deco. Be enchanted by the purity of functionalism, during whose era Czechoslovak architecture was among the world's top. Form your own opinion about the controversial architecture of the communist period. Go against the tide of time and let the story of Prague during the Czechoslovak era be told through architecture.
Art Nouveau Prague
Smooth curves and lines reminiscent of floating smoke, natural motifs, sensual ornaments, elegance. This is the charming Art Nouveau style that dominated Prague architecture at the beginning of the 20th century.
Cubist and Rondocubist Prague
Cubism brought revolution to the world of art before the First World War. The deconstruction of objects into simple geometric shapes, which disrupts the overall impression, also disrupted traditional artistic practices. When this pre-war avant-garde style reached Prague from Paris, it resulted in a unique combination: cubism and architecture.
EXPLORE PRAGUE’S CUBISM AND RONDOCUBISMFuncionalist Prague
The replacement of Art Nouveau with Modernist art after the First World War saw the application of a new style marked by flat roofs, clean line and well-lit interiors: Functionalism. This style, where technical intentions and purpose go hand-in-hand with art, found wide application in buildings of all types and sizes.
Prague's Controversial Buildings: Socialist Realism and Brutalism
The Communist regime did not only turn the political scene upside down in the 1950s, it also fundamentally influenced arts and architecture. Thus the socialist realism, also known as Stalin's Baroque, came from the Soviet Union. In Prague, you can find entire districts built in this style. You must see the International Hotel - a reduced copy of Moscow skyscrapers.
However, Moscow was not the only source of inspiration under the communist dictatorship. In the 1960s, the borders opened up a little and young architects drew inspiration from the Western style in vogue at the time – Brutalism. The buildings are massive and typically built from concrete, glass, and steel.
