Modern Prague
Times change and me too. I am Prague, i am the historical city, full of nice buildings of different architectual styles and slowly I’m getting a new coat. I’m sure that contemporary architecture suites me well, so I’m not afraid of super modern buildings which arise in my centre. Big changes started in the 19th century when I expanded widely and got many new districts. People moved to my premises in large numbers which caused a great building boom. The urban development was very fast those days. Unfortunately some historical buildings had to give their place to the new ones, and these determine my outlook today.
Could you imagine my embankment today without the Dancing House? Neither me. As far as I remember, the site of Dancing House was originally occupied by a house in the Neo-renaissance style from the end of the 19th century. That house was destroyed during american bombing in 1945. The House was designed by Croatian-Czech architekt Vlado Milunic in co-operation with the world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. The construction started in 1994 and the house was finished in 1996. The building is an example of deconstructivist architecture, with an unusual shape. In the 1996 it gained a prestigious award from the American magazine Times „The design of the year“. It is an absolutely unique building.
Dancing House is not the only one modern architectural pearl of the city. There are more representatives of this style such as Nouvel’s Golden Angel. This is an office complex which was built around eight years ago in Smíchov and was designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel. Another such example is the Television Toner in Žižkov, which is a uniquely-designed tower built in between 1985 and 1992. It stands high above the city's traditional skyline from its position on top of a hill. Its observation decks are situated at 93 metres, so its visitors can admire the fascinating panorama of Prague. A few years ago, artist David Černý added a modern twist with the placement of several baby-like figures crawling up the structure.
There is an interesting new administrative building in Karlín called Danube, which is shaped like a steam-boat and lies right by the Vltava river. This was designed by the well-known architects Kohn-Pederson-Fox. For lovers or glass and steel style I can offer many other buildings such as Charles Square Center, BB Centre, Palace Euro, Tower City Holešovice, Museum Kampa or orangery in the Prague Castle area. With such examples of the current architecture cropping up I‘m slowly getting a different look and dimension.
