Festival Open House Prague will start on May 16 and will offer plenty of accompanying events
The Open House Prague Urban Architecture Festival is entering its 8th year and will take place in the traditional May period from May 16 to May 22, 2022. The festival week will bring a variety of accompanying programs - concerts, lectures, debates, exhibitions, and guided walks. On the weekend of May 21 and 22, 101 normally inaccessible buildings and spaces will be open for free. From Monday, May 16, visitors can visit the festival information center at Železná 492/18, Prague 1 - Old Town, and purchase the festival guide and other materials. Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturday to Sunday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The entire program is available at: www.openhousepraha.cz/festival-2022/
"Not even a whole year has passed since the last edition of the festival, and we are pleased that after two years of Covid, during which we had to organize the festival on alternative dates, we will meet with visitors in our favorite, traditional, spring May period, when spring draws us all outside and invites us for extraordinary experiences. Festival visitors will have the opportunity to explore 101 normally inaccessible buildings, including 26 new entries, 57 cultural monuments, and a rich accompanying program related to the anniversaries of several significant architects," says the festival director Andrea Šenkyříková.
150th Anniversary of the Birth of Jože Plečnik
The Open House Prague festival program is dedicated to commemorating the anniversaries of the births of several significant architects active in the Czech lands. One of them is the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik, who would have celebrated his 150th birthday in January. On this occasion, visitors will be able to view not only his most famous Prague building – the Church of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord in Vinohrady, but the accompanying program will also feature several events.
Jože Plečnik is an architect claimed by both Slovenians and Czechs. His art is associated with the building of a democratic state during the First Republic. Perhaps it is precisely due to his experiences in Prague that Plečnik brought many completed opinions on numerous issues to Ljubljana and left behind masterful architectural works in Ljubljana that create a recognizable city panorama and are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. From May 16 to May 30, an exhibition of Plečnik's unrealized projects in Ljubljana will be on display at Jiří z Poděbrad Square, accompanied by a lecture on Thursday, May 19, at 6:30 PM with interesting guests – curator of Plečnik's permanent exhibition at the Ljubljana National Gallery Ana Porok and Professor Vladimír Šlapeta, one of the foremost experts on Plečnik's work. "We searched for a long time for a venue for this significant event and finally decided to hold the lecture in the Collegium Maximum auditorium at the Faculty of Law at Charles University. One of the reasons is that the spaces were designed by Plečnik's close friend Jan Kotěra. It was Jan Kotěra who invited Plečnik to Prague in 1911 and opened the way for him to collaborate on the restoration of Prague Castle as the residence of the new Czechoslovak president," adds Andrea Šenkyříková. Entrance to the lecture is free upon prior registration.
Concert at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord
Attendees can look forward to a connection of music by Plečnik's contemporaries featuring compositions by Bohuslav Foerster and the impressive architecture of one of the most significant sacral monuments in the Czech Republic on Wednesday, May 18, at 8:00 PM. The concert at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord, performed by our leading chamber ensemble, the Stamic Quartet, will be opened with a brief introductory speech by architect Zdeněk Lukeš. The concert is held with the kind support of the concert partner, the Roman Catholic Parish at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Prague-Vinohrady. More information about the evening's program and ticket purchase can be found here.
Discussion on the Future of Sports Facilities
On Tuesday, May 17, at 6:00 PM, a panel discussion titled Together! Or Prague Sports will take place at the club house of the Automotive Club of the Czech Republic, addressing various topics related to the history and future of sports buildings. "We will be interested not only in the circumstances of the establishment of sports buildings, such as sokol gyms, but we will also ask how the construction of new sports facilities looks, or how old buildings can be adapted for new purposes and the demands of modern times," says the discussion moderator Michal Šedivý, who is also responsible for selecting the guests. The sokol tradition will be discussed by Kateřina Pohlová, a historian and secretary of the Education Department of the Czech Sokol Organization. The current situation will be addressed by Jakub Potůček, an art historian focusing on Czech modern architecture of the first half of the 20th century. Another panelist is Lenka Burgerová, an architect, historian, and deputy mayor of Prague 7. Entrance to the discussion is free upon prior registration, and a complete overview of discussing guests and topics can be found on the website.
Other Accompanying Programs
In addition to panel discussions, the organizers have prepared several guided walks as part of the festival's accompanying program - for example, a walk through Prague's bridges, through the Exhibition Ground of Prague, which is currently undergoing a major transformation, or exploring sculptural art in Zbraslav. During the festival weekend, children can also participate in guided tours with sheets for little architects. They can then build the house of their dreams in an open Lego workshop located in one of the open buildings – the Technology Center UMPRUM Mikulandská. To ensure the festival is truly for everyone, the organizers pay special attention to visitors with physical, visual, and hearing impairments, who will find special tours of selected buildings in the program. More about the accompanying programs here and about programs for people with disabilities on the website.
Open Buildings
On the weekend of May 21 and 22, 101 normally inaccessible buildings and spaces will open for free across 13 city districts. Among this year's new entries are, for example, the Sokol gym in Libeň and the nearby Church of St. Vojtěch in Libeň, which is one of the few sacral monuments built in the Art Nouveau style in our territory. For the very first time, the EA Hotel Juliš on Wenceslas Square, the nearby club house of the Automotive Club of the Czech Republic, or the Adria Palace designed by architect Pavel Janák, whose 140th birthday we are also commemorating this year, will also join. The cubist house Diamant and the former noble Hotel Gráf – now I. P. Pavlova 5, where visitors can also access the rooftop terrace with stunning views of the city, will be made accessible for the first time. Visitors will also learn more about the proposed revitalization of the Cibulka farmstead or about the new construction of student dormitories The Fizz Prague in Prague's Holešovice. There will be a special guided tour on Saturday, May 21, at 11 AM led by the project's architect Pavel Hnilička. People will also be able to take a look inside the historic Vlašský Hospital in Malá Strana or explore the technological background of the Central Boiler House of the General Faculty Hospital, a less-known technical structure designed by architect Karel Prager. There will also be an exhibition of paintings from the Kojoon art collection over the weekend. 200 years ago, Vojtěch Ignác Ullmann, a significant Czech architect considered a pioneer of Czech neo-Renaissance, was born. Therefore, the program also features some of his realizations, such as the Higher Girls' School on Vodičkova Street. Lovers of functionalism will be pleased with the opportunity to peek into the monumental building of the State Reform Real Gymnasium in Dejvice. Additionally, several objects in Zbraslav and Komořany will be newly opened, such as the former laundry, Hus's church, belfry, or the complex of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute.
Event Organization
Entrance to all open buildings is free, without the need for prior registration with one exception (Thun Palace). The preparations for the tours are contributed to in their free time by owners, managers, or employees from institutions and companies based in the open buildings in collaboration with hundreds of volunteers. Anyone can apply to the year-round volunteer program and thus experience the festival from a different perspective.
Information about the program can also be found in the Open House Prague 2022 Facebook event.
"Not even a whole year has passed since the last edition of the festival, and we are pleased that after two years of Covid, during which we had to organize the festival on alternative dates, we will meet with visitors in our favorite, traditional, spring May period, when spring draws us all outside and invites us for extraordinary experiences. Festival visitors will have the opportunity to explore 101 normally inaccessible buildings, including 26 new entries, 57 cultural monuments, and a rich accompanying program related to the anniversaries of several significant architects," says the festival director Andrea Šenkyříková.
150th Anniversary of the Birth of Jože Plečnik
The Open House Prague festival program is dedicated to commemorating the anniversaries of the births of several significant architects active in the Czech lands. One of them is the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik, who would have celebrated his 150th birthday in January. On this occasion, visitors will be able to view not only his most famous Prague building – the Church of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord in Vinohrady, but the accompanying program will also feature several events.
Jože Plečnik is an architect claimed by both Slovenians and Czechs. His art is associated with the building of a democratic state during the First Republic. Perhaps it is precisely due to his experiences in Prague that Plečnik brought many completed opinions on numerous issues to Ljubljana and left behind masterful architectural works in Ljubljana that create a recognizable city panorama and are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. From May 16 to May 30, an exhibition of Plečnik's unrealized projects in Ljubljana will be on display at Jiří z Poděbrad Square, accompanied by a lecture on Thursday, May 19, at 6:30 PM with interesting guests – curator of Plečnik's permanent exhibition at the Ljubljana National Gallery Ana Porok and Professor Vladimír Šlapeta, one of the foremost experts on Plečnik's work. "We searched for a long time for a venue for this significant event and finally decided to hold the lecture in the Collegium Maximum auditorium at the Faculty of Law at Charles University. One of the reasons is that the spaces were designed by Plečnik's close friend Jan Kotěra. It was Jan Kotěra who invited Plečnik to Prague in 1911 and opened the way for him to collaborate on the restoration of Prague Castle as the residence of the new Czechoslovak president," adds Andrea Šenkyříková. Entrance to the lecture is free upon prior registration.
Concert at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord
Attendees can look forward to a connection of music by Plečnik's contemporaries featuring compositions by Bohuslav Foerster and the impressive architecture of one of the most significant sacral monuments in the Czech Republic on Wednesday, May 18, at 8:00 PM. The concert at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord, performed by our leading chamber ensemble, the Stamic Quartet, will be opened with a brief introductory speech by architect Zdeněk Lukeš. The concert is held with the kind support of the concert partner, the Roman Catholic Parish at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Prague-Vinohrady. More information about the evening's program and ticket purchase can be found here.
Discussion on the Future of Sports Facilities
On Tuesday, May 17, at 6:00 PM, a panel discussion titled Together! Or Prague Sports will take place at the club house of the Automotive Club of the Czech Republic, addressing various topics related to the history and future of sports buildings. "We will be interested not only in the circumstances of the establishment of sports buildings, such as sokol gyms, but we will also ask how the construction of new sports facilities looks, or how old buildings can be adapted for new purposes and the demands of modern times," says the discussion moderator Michal Šedivý, who is also responsible for selecting the guests. The sokol tradition will be discussed by Kateřina Pohlová, a historian and secretary of the Education Department of the Czech Sokol Organization. The current situation will be addressed by Jakub Potůček, an art historian focusing on Czech modern architecture of the first half of the 20th century. Another panelist is Lenka Burgerová, an architect, historian, and deputy mayor of Prague 7. Entrance to the discussion is free upon prior registration, and a complete overview of discussing guests and topics can be found on the website.
Other Accompanying Programs
In addition to panel discussions, the organizers have prepared several guided walks as part of the festival's accompanying program - for example, a walk through Prague's bridges, through the Exhibition Ground of Prague, which is currently undergoing a major transformation, or exploring sculptural art in Zbraslav. During the festival weekend, children can also participate in guided tours with sheets for little architects. They can then build the house of their dreams in an open Lego workshop located in one of the open buildings – the Technology Center UMPRUM Mikulandská. To ensure the festival is truly for everyone, the organizers pay special attention to visitors with physical, visual, and hearing impairments, who will find special tours of selected buildings in the program. More about the accompanying programs here and about programs for people with disabilities on the website.
Open Buildings
On the weekend of May 21 and 22, 101 normally inaccessible buildings and spaces will open for free across 13 city districts. Among this year's new entries are, for example, the Sokol gym in Libeň and the nearby Church of St. Vojtěch in Libeň, which is one of the few sacral monuments built in the Art Nouveau style in our territory. For the very first time, the EA Hotel Juliš on Wenceslas Square, the nearby club house of the Automotive Club of the Czech Republic, or the Adria Palace designed by architect Pavel Janák, whose 140th birthday we are also commemorating this year, will also join. The cubist house Diamant and the former noble Hotel Gráf – now I. P. Pavlova 5, where visitors can also access the rooftop terrace with stunning views of the city, will be made accessible for the first time. Visitors will also learn more about the proposed revitalization of the Cibulka farmstead or about the new construction of student dormitories The Fizz Prague in Prague's Holešovice. There will be a special guided tour on Saturday, May 21, at 11 AM led by the project's architect Pavel Hnilička. People will also be able to take a look inside the historic Vlašský Hospital in Malá Strana or explore the technological background of the Central Boiler House of the General Faculty Hospital, a less-known technical structure designed by architect Karel Prager. There will also be an exhibition of paintings from the Kojoon art collection over the weekend. 200 years ago, Vojtěch Ignác Ullmann, a significant Czech architect considered a pioneer of Czech neo-Renaissance, was born. Therefore, the program also features some of his realizations, such as the Higher Girls' School on Vodičkova Street. Lovers of functionalism will be pleased with the opportunity to peek into the monumental building of the State Reform Real Gymnasium in Dejvice. Additionally, several objects in Zbraslav and Komořany will be newly opened, such as the former laundry, Hus's church, belfry, or the complex of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute.
Event Organization
Entrance to all open buildings is free, without the need for prior registration with one exception (Thun Palace). The preparations for the tours are contributed to in their free time by owners, managers, or employees from institutions and companies based in the open buildings in collaboration with hundreds of volunteers. Anyone can apply to the year-round volunteer program and thus experience the festival from a different perspective.
Information about the program can also be found in the Open House Prague 2022 Facebook event.
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