<translation>Department store Máj celebrates 40 years since its opening</translation>

Prague - Visiting the department stores Máj, Kotva, and Bílá labuť was a beloved ritual for both Prague residents and tourists before 1989. The multi-story buildings with escalators were an attraction during socialist Czechoslovakia. The Máj building, an architecturally and technically timeless structure in its time, has been a monument since 2006. The first customers visited the former Máj (now operating under the name My) for the first time 40 years ago, on April 21, 1975.
    The prominent building at the corner of Spálená and Národní streets was built on the site of the neo-Gothic Šlik Palace according to designs by architects Miroslav Masák, John Eisler, and Martin Rajniš from the Liberec studio SIAL, established in 1968 by Karel Hubáček, the creator of the Ještěd television tower. It was implemented by two Swedish companies - SIAB and ABV Stockholm. The façades of Máj feature the contrast of the fully glazed escalator hall with the unarticulated concrete tower of freight elevators.
    According to architectural historian Rostislav Švácha, the building responds promptly to the challenge posed to the world in 1972 by the project of the Paris museum Centre Georges Pompidou, designed by pioneers of the high-tech style, Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. In this sense, Máj was noted in foreign architectural magazines - few Czech buildings of the 20th century received such publicity. In March 2006, Švácha submitted a proposal to declare Máj a cultural monument.
    Among other reasons was the reaction to the fact that the owner of the building (Tesco Stores ČR since 1996) initially planned its demolition, followed by extensive reconstruction. The Ministry of Culture declared Máj a cultural monument in October 2006; it is considered a significant example of 1970s architecture, also in a European context, as it follows the interwar functionalism and foreshadows the high-tech style in the interior. The final verdict on the monument status was made in January 2007.
    The dispute over the monument protection of Máj (built between 1972 and 1975) stirred public discussion about whether not only historical but also significant modern buildings, which people do not yet view as monuments, deserve protection, particularly if they originate from the previous regime. The ministry's decision thus became an important precedent. Máj has always evoked emotions; some critics object to its certain aggressiveness towards the surrounding buildings.
    During its forty-year existence, the department store has changed its name five times. From the original Prior 02, it soon became Máj. In 1992, the center transitioned to the brand of the American chain K-Mart. Since 1996, it has been owned by Tesco. Originally, the department store operated under this brand, but in 2009 it was renamed to My. At the same time, it underwent extensive interior renovations.
    The department store offers customers goods over six floors on an area greater than 12,000 m². It employs over 350 people.