Architecture Day: Prague - Palaces of Money

A guided walk with curator Helena Doudová through the centre of Prague's interwar commercial district along Na Příkopě street.

The route takes participants past the modern headquarters of three Czechoslovak major banks: the Živnobank by František Roith, the Eskomptní Bank (1930-1937) by Karel Jaraye, and the Průmyslová Bank (1927-1933) by Bedřich Bendlmayer. Also featured is the Neo-Renaissance double building of the Zemská banka království Českého (1894-1896 and 1908-1912) by Oswald Polívka with artistic decoration by Mikoláš Aleš and Max Švabinský, as well as the Vídeňská bankovní jednota palace (1906-1908) by Josef Zasche.

The collection is completed by three multifunctional insurance company palaces: the Koruna palace (1911-1914) with the Koruna Automat, functionally redesigned by Ladislav Machon; the "American" Insurance Company Prague palace (1925-1929) by Ludvík Kysela; and the Broadway palace (1936-1938) by Bohumír Kozák and Antonín Černý, which was among Prague's largest functionalist buildings.

The walk will also address what these buildings serve today.