Architecture for All: Open House Prague 2021 commemorates the 150th anniversary of the birth of Jan Kotěra

The seventh year of the Open House Prague festival will take place this year from August 2 to 8, 2021. In addition to a number of accompanying events, 80 normally inaccessible buildings and other spaces will be open to visitors on the last weekend days, the list of which is published on the festival's website. Entry to all buildings is free without the need for prior registration.

“Architecture for Everyone” – this is the motto of the event, whose organizers strive to ensure that building tours are accessible to the general public, including families with children and people with visual and hearing impairments. This year’s festival is being held in the spirit of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the famous Czech architect Jan Kotěra. “I am pleased that we have managed to include several of Kotěra's well-known Prague buildings in the program. In addition to the Laichter House in Vinohrady and the Trmal Villa in Strašnice, we will also invite visitors to the Vršovice Waterworks in Michle, whose opening within the framework of the Open House Prague festival we have been striving for many years,” says festival director Andrea Šenkyříková. Accompanying events for this anniversary will continue even after the festival ends. Among others, notable architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš will participate. “Jan Kotěra (1871–1923, ed. note) is regarded as the founder of Czech modern architecture. He graduated from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts under Professor Otto Wagner. He was not only an architect, designer, and urban planner, but also engaged in scenography and taught at the Prague UMPRUM and AVU, where he promoted modern trends in architecture. His key works in the modern style include the museum in Hradec Králové, the Laichter House, the Mozarteum, and his own villa in Prague, as well as the National House in Prostějov. It is little known that he was also one of the few Czech architects who executed projects abroad,” specifies Zdeněk Lukeš.

Laichter House

On Chopin Street in the Royal Vinohrady, one of the key buildings of Prague's architectural modernism was constructed between 1908 and 1910. The house was designed by Jan Kotěra for the owner of the publishing house Jan Laichter, a close friend of T. G. Masaryk. The dominant element of the building is a centrally positioned bay window topped with a balcony. The facade is covered with various types of textured plaster and exposed brickwork. In the front part of the raised ground floor, the publishing office spaces were originally connected to a large family apartment via a staircase hall, decorated with ornamental painting by František Kysela and carved owls, symbols of wisdom and education, which refer to the life mission of the house's owner. The second and third floors were reserved for rental apartments with a separate entrance from the facade. In 1937, a fourth floor was added, respecting the original concept of the facade's division. In the courtyard behind the house, there is a small garden with a water feature, also designed by Jan Kotěra. “The house was designed as a headquarters for the publishing house, and its form had to adapt to that purpose. All rooms were designed to meet the needs and operation of the publishing house – from the moment a book is conceived, through the scriptorium and editors' rooms to typesetting, all connected by elevators to the warehouses, which included a book storage system imported all the way from Strasbourg,” adds Štěpán Lars Laichter, co-owner of the house and the great-great-grandson of Jan Laichter. This year, festival visitors can not only visit the interior of the villa and garden but also attend a special evening event with dance and an evening tour, which will take place on August 4 as part of the accompanying program of the Open House Prague 2021 festival. The evening will begin with a dance performance "Turning Point" by choreographer Michal Záhora, which will take place in the park in front of the Laichter House. Three short dance pieces will touch on current issues of a united Europe, its history, and present. This will be followed by a tour of the house with its co-owner Štěpán Lars Laichter. The atmosphere of this unique evening will be complemented by a concert by Chalupski.

Trmal Villa: modernism, secession, and folklore

The picturesque villa district in Strašnice hides more than one architectural treasure. One such treasure is the Trmal Villa, built for the family of the prominent educator and school inspector František Trmal. The building is an example of top-notch villa architecture from the early 20th century and is among the first villas and houses that Jan Kotěra designed in Prague. The family wanted to create a comfortable modern residence on the then-periphery of the metropolis, but did not want to give up the charm and typical elements of the countryside. The architect thus combined English modernity, secessionist geometry, and Slavic folk tradition in the design of the house and garden, resulting in a rural residence with details of folk architecture, such as painted gables with folkloric ornaments and folk sayings or carved posts. The impression of English architecture is completed by the high roof, conical chimneys, the suggestion of half-timbered walls, and the layout of the house – divided into representative rooms on the ground floor, a private part upstairs, and a two-story stair hall as the central element of the house. Currently, the house is home to the agency and publishing house Foibos Books, which operates Kotěra's Center for Architecture here and specializes in the presentation and promotion of architectural heritage. On Sunday, August 8, there will also be a guided tour for children at the Trmal Villa, which will amusingly and interactively reveal more about the building and architecture.

Vršovice Waterworks in Michle

The waterworks complex, built between 1906 and 1907, consists of a tower and ground water reservoir, a pumping station, and a residential building. The Vršovice Water Tower was for many years a prominent landmark in Prague's Michle district. The building is made of exposed brick with fine decor around the windows on the top floor, topped by a water reservoir shaped like a chalice with a geometrically segmented shell. It features simple elegance, which was originally accentuated by a row of poplars along the access road. Above the entrance to the tower is the coat of arms of the town of Vršovice. The posts on either side of the staircase are capped with decorative pyramidal turrets, and the impression of the tower's strength is enhanced by a base made of stone masonry. All objects in the area were executed with attention to detail and in harmonious colors. Here, Kotěra elevated simplicity and functionality to an expressive medium. The Vršovice waterworks was connected to the Prague water supply system only in 1927. The water catchment wells in Braník were located in a flood zone, and after floods, the water from them became contaminated. Therefore, the Vršovice water supply system is probably the first water supply system in Czechoslovakia where the water was chlorinated. The tower water reservoir operated until 1975; today, only the underground reservoir serves its purpose. In 2016, the entire monument-protected complex underwent reconstruction. On Sunday, August 8, there will also be a tour at the Vršovice Waterworks for individuals with hearing impairments, which will be interpreted into Czech sign language with simultaneous transcription.

Buildings by Kotěra's Students

Jan Kotěra was not only a significant architect but also an educator. Among his students were Max Gerstl, Josef Gočár, Vilém Kvasnička, and Otakar Novotný, and some of their buildings will be free to visit during this year's Open House Prague festival over the weekend of August 7 and 8. These include the ARA Palace, Zenger's transformation station / Kunsthalle Prague, the Agricultural Education House, the Štenc House, and the studio of the sculptor Jan Laud on Libeň Island.

Ride on a Historical Tram

Part of the accompanying program of Open House Prague is a ride on a historical tram, designed by Jan Kotěra. The ride will take place in the company of renowned architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš, who will provide expert commentary. Rides will not only occur during the festival but also in the coming months until the end of 2021. Information about new dates will be available at: https://www.openhousepraha.cz/kalendar-akci/.

Open House Prague, whose media partner includes the magazine INTRO among others, is part of the international network of festivals Open House Worldwide, which take place in 50 cities around the world. Thanks to the involvement of hundreds of volunteers who help with opening buildings, Open House Prague is not only a cultural celebration of the city but also a unique event with community and social outreach. Recruitment of volunteers for this year's edition has already begun. Interested parties can sign up through this link.