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Industrial Palace (Prague)

The Industrial Palace (Průmyslový palác) is an exhibition building at the Prague Exhibition Grounds. It was built for the Jubilee Exhibition of 1891 and combines traditional architecture with a prefabricated steel structure.[1] According to the National Heritage Institute, it was the central pavilion of that exhibition.[3]*

Construction

The palace was designed by architect Bedřich Münzberger. The structural design of the central section was by engineer František Prášil of the First Czech-Moravian Machine Factory in Prague.[1] Construction took ten months and involved 450 workers.[2] The steel frame itself was erected by 150 fitters in five months.[1] It was the first use of a prefabricated iron structure in architecture in the Czech lands.[2]

The building consists of a central hall with two side wings joined to it at right angles. The top of the main tower is 51 metres high.[1] The side façades hold figural windows with allegories of Industry and Science based on cartoons by Mikoláš Aleš.[1] Josef Fanta altered the interiors in 1907, and in 1952–1954 the palace was reconstructed to a design by Pavel Smetana.[1]

Fire and restoration

On 16 October 2008 a fire destroyed the left wing of the palace. The central hall and the right wing survived.[5] Restoration began in January 2022.[1] The work was awarded to a consortium led by Metrostav DIZ together with Avers and Syner; the contract price was about CZK 2.64 billion and completion was planned within three years.[4] The total cost eventually reached about CZK 3 billion.[2]

The central hall and right wing were repaired and a new left wing was built.[1] Unlike the original, the new wing has a full basement. The ceiling of the central hall, 2,737 m² in area, is made of 1,232 boards in 77 bays, and more than 2,300 m² of stained glass was restored.[2]

Reopening in 2026

The palace reopened after reconstruction on 24 September 2026. It is intended mainly for exhibitions, trade fairs, congresses and large conferences.[2]

Sources

  1. Výstaviště Praha
  2. ČT24 — 2026-09-24
  3. Národní památkový ústav — 2026-07-21
  4. Pražský deník — 2022-02-01
  5. TZB-info — 2017-12-27

* The sources are collected and the preliminary text of this entry is drafted with artificial intelligence, on the instruction of the editorial staff; the entry has not yet been verified by an editor — report a mistake.