Municipal House (Prague)
The Municipal House (Obecní dům) is a representative building of the City of Prague on Republic Square, built in 1906–1911 to a design by the architects Antonín Balšánek and Osvald Polívka.[1][2] On the upper floor it is connected to the neighbouring Powder Tower, and together they form a national cultural monument.[1]*
King's Court
Around 1380 King Wenceslas IV had the King's Court built on the site of the Municipal House. Six Bohemian rulers resided here. The last was Vladislaus Jagiellon, who moved the royal seat back to Prague Castle.[3] The Royal Route started from the King's Court.[4] In the 17th century the site housed the archbishop's seminary, and in 1776 the building was converted into barracks.[3]
Construction
The Czechs of Prague sought their own cultural and social centre as a counterpart to the German Casino. In 1901 the Měšťanská beseda society proposed the building.[3] On 5 January 1903 the municipal council decided to announce a competition, and on 14 August 1903 the city council commissioned the design from Antonín Balšánek and Osvald Polívka.[1] The building has four outer wings and a fifth inner wing containing the concert hall. It is covered by mansard roofs and glass domes.[1] Artists who worked on its decoration include Ladislav Šaloun, Josef Václav Myslbek, Jan Preisler and Alfons Mucha.[1] Above the main entrance is the mosaic Homage to Prague designed by Karel Špillar.[5]
Events
On 6 January 1918 the Epiphany Declaration was adopted here. In April 1918 Alois Jirásek read the National Oath in Smetana Hall.[3] On 28 October 1918 the law establishing independent Czechoslovakia was adopted in Grégr Hall.[3] The government and parliament of the new state held their first sessions in the Municipal House.[2] During the Velvet Revolution in 1989 talks between the Civic Forum led by Václav Havel and the Adamec government took place in its salons.[3] In the mid-1990s the building was reconstructed.[3]
Heritage protection
The Heritage Catalogue of the National Heritage Institute lists the Municipal House as a cultural monument since 1958. Together with the Powder Tower it forms the national cultural monument Municipal House of the City of Prague with the Powder Tower.[1]
Sources
* 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.