The Kotva department store is a striking building by the Machonin夫妻

Prague - The Prague department store Kotva opened its doors to the first customers on February 10, 1975, and soldiers from a nearby barracks had to hold back the crowds curious about the merchandise on offer. The powerful of the time did not miss the ceremonial moment either; the ribbon was cut by the head of the Prague KSČ organization, Antonín Kapek, assisted by the Minister of Trade. However, there was no space for the authors of the today-acclaimed striking building, Vera and Vladimir Machonin, who were out of favor during normalization.

Kotva was built as an example of a luxurious Czechoslovak department store. At the time of its opening, it was the fifth largest department store in Europe, with a sales area of 22,160 square meters, capable of serving up to 75,000 customers daily, thanks to its 2,000 employees.

Kotva, located in the midst of historic buildings, is characterized by its facade and specific layout composed of hexagons. These geometric shapes allowed architects Machonin to cope with the spatial limitations of the gap in the northern corner of the Republic Square and thus offer the largest possible sales area despite the relatively small plot. The department store, ordered by the Prior company in the 1960s, fits quite well into the surrounding buildings thanks to the solution employed.

The architectural design of the department store came from a domestic environment, but the construction work was entrusted to the Swedish firm Sial (the Swedes also built Máj). Following an archaeological survey, which revealed remnants of a settlement belonging to the royal municipal court at the site of the future Kotva, construction of the foundations began in April 1972, including a place for a new feature - a large-capacity underground garage. The construction progressed incredibly quickly for its time, with the department store being completed in less than 30 months.

In the second half of the 1960s, before normalization powers prevented them from further free creation, Vera and Vladimir Machonin designed other interesting buildings alongside Kotva, which were not always received positively by the public or professionals. Evaluations most diverge in the case of the Thermal Hotel in Karlovy Vary; the Machonins also designed the massive building of the embassy in East Berlin and the former House of Housing Culture at the Budějovická metro station.

The Kotva department store is generally received positively, with architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš even ranking it at the top of the list of socialist architecture in the Czech Republic years ago. However, it took many years for Kotva to officially become a monument (unlike the nearby Máj, which received protection in 2006). After several rounds of decision-making, the work of the Machonins was added to the list of cultural monuments in 2019.

Recently, Kotva has been facing competition from more modern shopping centers. Its operation has been complicated in the past by disputes over shares, which became the subject of police investigations and court cases. In March 2005, Kotva was purchased by the Irish company Markland, which began renovations, but plans were disrupted by the economic crisis. In 2016, it became the property of the Prague Property Management (PSN) of billionaire Václav Skala, who sold it to Generali Real Estate in 2020.

Currently, since last February, Kotva has been closed for reconstruction. It will last for two years. Luxury stores will be created on the lower floors, and offices will be on the upper floors. The area around Kotva will also be transformed, for example, the current entrance to the grocery store will disappear. On the seventh floor, there will be a restaurant with a terrace. "Our goal is to create a social and shopping center that will host hundreds of the most sought-after global fashion and lifestyle brands," said Generali spokesman Lorenzo Simoncelli in the summer of 2023 for LN.