Architecture Day: Prague - The Elegant Ďáblice Housing Estate

Architecture popularizer Matouš Pudil will guide participants through the Ďáblice housing estate, widely regarded as Prague's most successful. A vibrant centre, monumental panel buildings in block structure, and experimental houses with small apartments - all emerged from an architectural competition in the mid-1960s, when architects in a freer atmosphere drew inspiration from the West and could personally engage with modern trends.

Construction began shortly after the Soviet invasion, and the plans thus narrowly escaped normalization-era simplification and pressure to prioritize quantity over quality. The estate remains an architectural icon of its era - not only for its unconventional layout inspired by modernist ideas, but also for its original facades, building designs, and hidden artworks.

You will see all of this during a walk through Ďáblice's streets, parks, and hidden corners.