The architecture this year invites you to tours of former factories

Prague - Interiors of the former Pragovka factory, the textile factory Loana in Rožnov, or the cultural house Crystal in Česká Lípa will be open for visitors in October as part of the Architecture Day festival. This is the fifth year that the festival is coming to Czech cities, with opportunities to stroll or cycle alongside architects in fifty cities this year. The program focuses particularly on insensitive demolitions of buildings in the Brussels style from the 1970s and the revitalization of housing estates. The festival starts on October 1, with the main program occurring over the first weekend of October.
    The festival is organized by the civic association KRUH and promotes interest in the urban environment, which includes quality construction. "Architecture Day brings inspiration for cities and their inhabitants. Our festival contributes to the discussion between architects, politicians, and the public about the shape and needs of our society," said festival founder Marcela Steinbachová.
    During the festival weekend, previously inaccessible sites will be opened to the public. A highlight could be a visit to the former Pragovka factory on Kolbenova Street in Prague. Once a central warehouse for the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs and later a factory for manufacturing Pragovkas, it now houses 30 studios serving dozens of painters and sculptors. The offering outside Prague includes a visit to the Loana textile factory in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm and the Crystal cultural house in Česká Lípa. "Although the citizens of the city never accepted this building, it is one of the most valuable monuments of Czechoslovak architectural creation from the previous regime," the organizers state. The Crystal was designed by architect Jiří Suchomel with a team and has been serving the public since 1990.
    Architecture Day will be launched by a lecture in Prague by Dutch architect Caroline Bos, who is behind the realization of the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam and the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart. Guided tours and excursions with architects are scheduled for the weekend of October 3 and 4, and they are always free. The festival will also include workshops for children and parents on architecture and urban space, as well as a film showcase "Film and Architecture" at the Světozor and Kino 35 cinemas in Prague. Film showcases focused on architecture have been held for several years in other parts of Europe as well. A highlight of the Czech showcase will be the Austrian films "Life in a Coffin Factory," which will showcase a housing project by a group of enthusiasts in a former coffin factory, and "Copy of Happiness," which addresses the phenomenon of copying European cities by the Chinese.