<p>130 years ago, the architect Antonín Pfeiffer was born.</p>

Prague - Architect and designer Antonín Pfeiffer, born on June 1, 1879, in Plzeň, is among other things the author of one of the most lucrative and vibrant corners of Prague - the Art Nouveau Crown Palace on Wenceslas Square. The construction of this luxurious corporate headquarters, which was built from 1912 to 1914, was commissioned by the First Czech General Insurance Company for life insurance, later known as Crown.
    Pfeiffer designed the opulent five-story reinforced concrete palace with a tower-like corner topped with a stylized crown and sculptures. Its ground floor featured a glass rectangular passage with exits to the square and the street. With his design of a modern urban palace in the style of geometric Art Nouveau, he outperformed even his teacher, the renowned architect Jan Kotěra, in the competition for this building. Unfortunately, nothing remains of its original use - among other things, it once housed baths with an octagonal pool, a cubist cinema, and a renowned dining automat.
    In addition to the Crown, Pfeiffer also designed the interior of the Paris Hotel in Prague or participated in the construction of the Jan Hus monument in the Old Town Square. He died on September 27, 1938, at the age of 59 in Prague.