History: Only a few buildings can compare with the 30-year-old Dancing House

Prague – With the Dancing House designed by Frank Gehry and Vlado Milunić at the corner of Rašínovo nábřeží and Jiráskovo náměstí in Prague, only a fraction of the new constructions in the Czech Republic over its 30-year existence can be compared. Architectural historian Richard Biegel, who heads the Institute for Art History at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University, considers the Golden Angel in Smíchov by Jean Nouvel and the Metropol Hotel on Národní třída by Marek and Štěpán Chalupové to be such examples. This emerged from his statement to ČTK. The Dancing House began trial operations 30 years ago, on June 20, 1996, and was officially opened in October of the same year.

According to Biegel, the project in Prague opened the topic of architecture by star names, the so-called star-architecture. "It should be said that it is more Gehry than Milunić. Vlado Milunić gave the house the idea of an expressive building that breaks the shackles of history. But the visual aspect, the concept of the wavy facade and windows is Gehry’s model, which he later used at the American embassy in Berlin," Biegel stated regarding the Dancing House.

Gehry, just like the later French architect Nouvel in Smíchov, engaged in a dialogue about the project in Prague. Biegel labeled Nouvel's Golden Angel as a contextual building that reflected the industrial quarter, the unique, scattered structure of Smíchov. "Golden Angel is one of the best realizations that have emerged here," said Biegel. Several evaluative bulletins from the Club for Old Prague, which Biegel also leads, assessed Nouvel's Prague realization in the context of architecture after the Velvet Revolution.

"In Prague, in my opinion, there is a similarly high-quality hotel, the Metropol by the Chalupa brothers, a very clever building," added Biegel. The hotel, created by the authors who received the Architect of the Year 2025 award last year, was built in 2006 opposite the Máj department store on Národní třída. It is a modern hotel whose facade refers to functionalism and fits into the street front. Biegel would look for other buildings comparable to the Dancing House in Litomyšl or Brno.

Later, among star architects in Prague, the famous name Zaha Hadid, originally from Iraq, was mentioned. According to Biegel, her name backed a striking office building near Prague's Masaryk Station. The Dancing House – also with offices – has, in contrast, a scale appropriate to its location, being part of a series of other buildings.

"The difference is mainly that in the 90s, great architects wanted to create in Prague, they engaged in a dialogue with the place and the city. Now big names simply serve to legitimize kitschy, flashy interventions. It is not just a case in Prague; it is happening in Bratislava and other cities, and is used all over the world," the historian stated.

The fact that the birth of the Dancing House was not at all a given was highlighted this year by an exhibition directly in it. In the first half of the 90s, proponents and opponents of the project held substantive discussions. Architect Josef Pleskot was a supporter of the construction, unlike others. "The political-social situation back then contributed a lot; now I see that it would be harder than it was then," Pleskot said at the exhibition's opening.

A few steps from the bombed-out plot on which the house was built, actress Jitka Asterová lived in the 90s. She fell in love with the Dancing House at first sight. "But there were great debates at home. My parents were disgusted and claimed that it doesn’t fit here at all," Asterová recalled. Ultimately, the story of the building played a role in her family. "When I told my dad that the inspiration was (dancers) Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, he replied: Well, then I quite like that building," Asterová added.