Experts and the public criticize the design of the reconstruction of the Máj department store in Prague

Prague – Experts among architects and heritage conservationists are criticizing the reconstruction of the interiors of the Máj department store in Prague, which was officially opened to the public today. Even before the opening, negative comments emerged based on photographs shared on social media, likening the new interiors of Máj to a casino, circus, or Las Vegas. The reconstruction cost 4.5 billion crowns.

The previous placement of two movable butterflies by artist David Černý, with a fuselage mimicking a Spitfire fighter plane on the façade of Máj, has already sparked critical responses. Prague heritage conservationists granted the installation of the sculptures on Máj for one year. In recent weeks, some experts have criticized the installation.

"If the butterflies were on the edge of kitsch, then the appearance of the interiors is something that wouldn't surprise me in the 90s. But now it leaves one speechless. The most paradoxical thing is that the building has the status of a cultural monument. If anything similar were proposed for an older building, it would never be approved," said Richard Biegel, chairman of the Club for Old Prague, to ČTK today.

The architects were inspired by the design of the Centre Georges Pompidou museum in Paris when creating Máj. In this sense, Máj was also well-received in foreign architectural magazines. The Ministry of Culture declared Máj a cultural monument in October 2006 as an important example of 1970s architecture, linking to interwar functionalism and foreshadowing the high-tech style in its interior.

"It was the various exposed pipes, ventilation systems, and so on," noted architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš regarding features that are now suppressed in the interior. According to Lukeš, the interiors are terrible, calling them a contradiction and almost a mockery of the original architecture of the building.

Brothers Václav and Martin Klán, owners of Amadeus Real Estate, which has owned the building since 2019, stated that each floor in Máj National has been adapted to different forms of use. "It had to be built in such a way that each concept for a given floor had its own specific face. It is several different concepts that come together in an ideal concept," said Václav Klán.

"Only structural elements and some surfaces inside are protected as a heritage site, which remain intact. An attribute of entertainment centers often tends to be boundless eclecticism and a deliberate balance on the edge of kitsch. A good interior should serve its purpose as well as possible. Whether it does, will be decided this time by the people of Prague," said Petr Tschakert, director of the Institute of Housing Design, to ČTK.

Andrea Holasová from the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) communicated that the NPÚ does not assess new interiors unless their installation is associated with inappropriate interventions in the tangible fabric of the monument. Marek Vácha from the Institute of Planning and Development of the City of Prague stated that the institute cannot evaluate the interiors because it is a matter of taste.

The first basement level houses a Tesco store. The first and second floors are occupied by restaurants and cafes, as well as, for example, a flower shop, various accessories, and drugstores. A recreation center has been created on the third and fourth floors, while a children's amusement park called Lvíčkov is situated on the fifth floor. The sixth floor is dedicated to a historical exhibition titled Back in Time, and on the seventh floor, fans of superheroes and comics can visit the store Heroes Park.

Architect Lukeš believes it is a temporary matter. "The problem with department stores is that people have stopped going to the upper levels. It usually ends up with stores remaining on the ground floor and a commercially successful food store in the basement. Then, alternative uses are sought for the upper floors. In the case of Máj, there was talk of offices and apartments, then the investor opted for a solution that I do not attribute much longevity to. They will then look for other uses for the interior," Lukeš stated.

The department store was built on the site of the neo-Gothic Šlik Palace according to the design of Miroslav Masák, John Eisler, and Martin Rajniš from the Liberec studio SIAL. Máj opened to customers on April 21, 1975.