Open House Prague will reopen buildings

For the fifth time, the weekend festival Open House Prague will take place in Prague, during which the doors of 80 normally inaccessible buildings and spaces will be opened. Over the weekend of May 18 and 19, 2019, people can explore architecturally significant spaces of historical palaces and representative villas for free, admire modern design office spaces, or enjoy unforgettable views of the city from the rooftops of high-rise buildings. The aim of the festival is to bring Prague architecture from various historical epochs and periods closer to a wide lay audience. "Getting to know the buildings, their architecture, and their stories is the first step to awakening interest in the city and its public space among people," says festival director Andrea Šenkyříková. More than 300 volunteers are contributing to the event's implementation, and once again this year, the festival cannot do without their help.

5 years of the festival
In the past four years, the organizers of the Open House Prague festival have made a total of 192 buildings accessible, which recorded over 185,000 visits combined. The festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year, not only from among the capital's residents but also from all over the Czech Republic and abroad. Open House is the largest architectural event in the world.

Favorites and novelties
In addition to buildings that have participated in previous years and are still quite popular among visitors (e.g., Invalidovna, hotel International, or the Central Telecommunications Building), this year 38 absolute novelties will open their doors. Visitors will be able to see the representative spaces of the Hrzánský and Lichtenštejnský palaces owned by the state, as well as the Trauttmannsdorf Palace in Hradčany, which served as a prison until the early 20th century and is currently undergoing reconstruction for the needs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. The program also includes works by leading Czech architects – the Štencův House in Old Town by Otakar Novotný, the Agricultural Enlightenment House at Náměstí Míru by Josef Gočár, and the Laichter House in Vinohrady by Jan Kotěra. People can also visit normally inaccessible spaces of some significant cultural sites – medieval cellars in the house U Kamenného zvonu, the tower and stables of the Troja Castle, the roof and technical spaces of the Veletržní Palace of the National Gallery in Prague, or the recently renovated technical monument of the Water Tower in Letná. This year's festival will offer a program featuring 39 cultural monuments.

Thematic sections
The festival organizers have also prepared two thematic sections for visitors. "In the context of the current global ecological crisis, we decided to show how architecture can contribute to the debate on ecological sustainability," says the festival director, adding: "In collaboration with the Czech Green Building Council, we created a selection of contemporary projects that represent various ways to economically use resources in construction with minimal environmental impact." The section on sustainable buildings includes, for example, the new administrative building Visionary in Holešovice, which received the international LEED Platinum certification, the highest possible rating. Additionally, the DOCK IN TWO office and commercial building, which arose in the area of the blind arms of the Vltava River in Libeň where the Libeň shipyard originally stood. This six-story green-covered building was designed to leverage the advantages of new materials and ecological technical solutions. "The Czech Green Building Council is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and I am pleased that this year’s edition of Open House Prague focuses on this topic. We would like to demonstrate that buildings can be sustainable while also being designed according to the latest architectural trends," adds Simona Kalvoda, director of the Czech Green Building Council, regarding the program selection.

A separate thematic section features buildings owned by the city that are currently seeking their future use. "Empty houses in Prague represent a significant problem. If the new political representation wants to address this issue, they must first clean up their own doorstep. It is necessary to start using all empty and dilapidated buildings owned by the city," says Petr Zeman, founder of the collaborating association Empty Houses and a current Prague politician. The world's largest stadium will open its doors to visitors. The Great Strahov Stadium was transferred to the city in 2014 after prolonged disputes and is now processing studies for its future form. The Renaissance house Pážat of the Lords of Martinic in Hradčany will be accessible for the first time, and due to significant public interest, the organizers will open the Desfours Palace in Florenc for a second time. Former town hall buildings in Old Town also have an interesting fate – some have already found their use (Prague Creative Center), while others are still waiting for their opportunity. "My effort in managing the city’s assets is to ensure that there are as few empty buildings and properties as possible and that most such properties can serve the needs of the citizens of Prague," adds Jan Chabr, councilor for the area of asset management and property shares regarding collaboration with the city of Prague.

Volunteers welcome
The festival's organization involves over 300 volunteers. Andrea Šenkyříková says: "I am pleased that we contribute to nurturing a culture of volunteering. We connect people across generations, professionally, experts with laypeople. Throughout the year, we invite our volunteers to special tours of normally inaccessible buildings or spaces that cannot be opened to a large number of people during the festival." The organizers accept applications for the volunteer program throughout the year. More information can be found at: http://openhousepraha.cz/stante-se-dobrovolnikem/

History of Open House
The concept of the festival originated in London in 1992 and has since spread to 46 cities worldwide. Six years ago, Prague also became part of the international network of Open House Worldwide and has been opening more buildings to the public since 2015. The patron of the Prague festival since its first edition has been the world-renowned architect of Czech origin Eva Jiřičná, who was one of the founders of the London Open House festival and was part of it for almost twenty years. The event is organized by the organization Open House Prague, z. ú., which, in addition to organizing the festival, is also dedicated to year-round activities, including the development of educational programs for volunteers, children, young adults, and people with disabilities.

More information about all the buildings and programs can be found by interested parties at www.openhousepraha.cz and on the Facebook event Open House Prague 2019.