Spaceship Enterprise - exhibition at the Prostora Gallery

The Building of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Berlin is being presented for the first time in Prague
The spaceship, a significant brutalist building of the Czech embassy in Berlin designed by the Machonins, is moving to Prague. The Prostora Gallery will showcase the depositary of this building in the upcoming exhibition: archival materials, original furnishings, and authentic objects that are part of the embassy, as well as contemporary artworks that reinterpret the building.
The opening will take place on Wednesday, February 4, at 6 PM.
The exhibition Spaceship Enterprise will introduce a little-known yet significant icon of brutalist architecture to the Czech public – the building of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Berlin, a masterpiece of the couple Věra and Vladimír Machonin. Upon its completion in 1978, it earned the nickname "Enterprise" – a spaceship that landed in no man's land, near the Berlin Wall. Currently, the building is awaiting reconstruction, and visitors to the Prostora Gallery have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the objects located in the building, as well as archival documents and works by contemporary artists who reinterpret this structure. The exhibition includes original designer pieces of furniture and lighting, tapestries, and artworks and films dedicated to the building by both Czech and international authors and artists.
The building still remains almost in its original form. According to German architectural historian Felix Torkar, it is "unique for its striking and cohesive design, which is evident in both the main volumes of the structure and the smallest details, which have also been preserved in almost unchanged form as in a true time capsule." The structure itself, unlike the Thermal Hotel or the Kotva department store, is little known to the Czech public because by the time of its completion, the Machonins were already facing professional adversity from the normalizing nomenclature, so the building was neither published nor exhibited. Today, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Berlin ranks among the recognized examples of high-quality late modern architecture and is one of the most distinctive buildings in central Berlin.

Věra Machoninová (1928) and Vladimír Machonin (1920–1990) are among the most significant Czech architects of the second half of the 20th century. They shaped the face of Czech cities with their design of the Thermal Hotel festival in Karlovy Vary (1964–1977), the Kotva department store (1969–1975), and the House of Housing Culture (1968–1981) in Prague. The building of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Berlin (1970/1972–1978) became their last joint realization. Recognition of the Machonins' work has been occurring retroactively since 1990. Věra Machoninová received the Grand Prix Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Czech Architects' Association (2006), the Honor from the Czech Chamber of Architects (2014), and the Ministry of Culture Award for her contributions to architecture (2017).
Currently, the building is preparing for extensive reconstruction, providing visitors with a unique chance to admire the original designer objects from the Berlin building in Prague, for example, from ceramist Alena Kroupová, who would celebrate her one-hundredth birthday in 2026, or textile artist Věra Drnková-Zářecká. Original objects and archival materials are presented in confrontation with contemporary artistic perspectives. Architectural photographers Simon Schnepp and Morgane Renou capture the building's furnishings, chairs, lamps, and artworks in a series of carefully composed photographs of the Czech Embassy in Berlin (2021–2022), often in staged situations. Textile artist Karla Kislingerová addresses the question of state representation and national identity in her tapestry series Where is My Home (2023). The ideological reference of the building and its significance for the present (and even the future) is also explored by director Greta Stocklassa in her short film Raumschiff Enterprise (2025). Conversely, the physical forms and geometric impact of the building's architecture have been subject to painterly scrutiny by Markus Huemer and Vladimír Houdek, whose subtle collages revolve around the "view" of architecture. Students from the Faculty of Architecture at CTU also focused on the building, and their model of the embassy will also be exhibited.
Prostora is a gallery in the center of Vinohrady, founded by architect Marcela Steinbachová, the founder of the studio Skupina, the KRUH association, and the director of its activities (lecture series on architecture, Architecture Day festival, and Film and Architecture festival, publishing activities). Since June 2023, Prostora has been located in former telephone exchanges at Blanická Street 9, above Náměstí Míru, on the first floor, and represents the tenth collection of visual artists. Prostora has focused in the past and present year on showcasing collections of contemporary artistic personalities.

Spaceship Enterprise
Opening on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at 6 PM
The exhibition will last from February 5 to March 6, 2026

Opening hours
Wednesday–Friday: 2:00 PM–6:00 PM
By prior arrangement also Saturday: 2:00 PM–6:00 PM
Or upon request (closed on public holidays)

Recommended admission: 80 CZK, reduced 50 CZK
Curators of the exhibition: Helena Huber-Doudová, Simona Binko, Marcela Steinbachová (Prostora Gallery)
Graphic design: Petr Babák, Martin Ponec (Laboratory), www.laboratory.cz
Architecture: Skupina, Marcela Steinbachová, Pavel Směták
Project partners: National Gallery in Prague, Czech Center Berlin, Embassy of the Czech Republic in Berlin, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
Partners for the Prague exhibition presentation: Architecture Day and Film and Architecture festival, Czech Centers, Faculty of Architecture CTU