Festival Open House Prague will open 73 buildings on a rescheduled date

Prague - The program of the Open House Prague festival, scheduled for September 1 to 6, will offer tours of 73 typically inaccessible buildings and spaces. The event will include a supplementary program consisting of guided walks and discussions about urban architecture. The festival, held in ten city districts, will also open an information center for visitors in the Radost building in Žižkov. Michaela Pánková informed CTK about this today on behalf of the organizers.

The motto of this year's festival is "Architecture for Everyone." "In this year marked by the pandemic, we will meet with visitors in the rescheduled September term. We are pleased that most of the originally agreed partners from the buildings have decided to participate again,” said festival director Andrea Šenkyříková.

This year, fans of technical or residential buildings will also find something of interest. The program will showcase renovations and award-winning new constructions, designed with consideration for aesthetics as well as the quality of the internal environment. Visitors will enjoy Prague from terrace and rooftop spaces and will also be able to explore ancient undergrounds. One of the novelties of the event will be the former Palace of Culture, now the Congress Center Prague.

"We continue to monitor the current information about the status of the coronavirus epidemic and will adjust the operation and hygiene conditions in the buildings accordingly," Šenkyříková stated.

In addition to buildings, the organizers this year have also focused on presenting the history and plans for the restoration of significant areas owned by the city. Typically inaccessible spaces of the former slaughterhouse exchange, underground refrigeration units, and a water tower built at the end of the 19th century will be opened in the Prague Market area. The exhibition grounds will offer a tour of the technical facilities of the Small Sports Hall, swimming pool, or Spiral Theatre. Modifications to technical facilities created by architects for their own use include the Braasi Factory workshop in Holešovice and the Machine House offices in Karlín. The Nuselský Brewery also has a rich industrial past, with renovations currently being prepared.

Among new constructions, the festival will showcase projects such as the Prachnerova residential housing, nominated for the Czech Architecture Award, and the ČSOB Campus in Radlice, which is an example of sustainable architecture. This year’s program will also include design administrative spaces. The agency DDB Prague, whose spaces have received the 21st Century Offices award, will open its headquarters, for example.

Public attention is also drawn to objects managed and operated by active civic associations or individuals. These include places such as Kasárna Karlín, Jatka78, Pragovka, and others. The festival program also includes objects where multifunctional civic use is planned for the future, such as the former railway inn Krenovka in Žižkov or the Orionka tram depot. The entire festival program can be found at www.openhousepraha.cz.