Štěpánská: New Urban Representation Between Commerce and Residence

Štěpánská Street was originally a quiet residential connection between Ječná and Václav Square. However, in the 1930s it was transformed beyond recognition by the pressure of the city centre, growing automobile traffic, and the strengthening of the business class – traditional buildings began to be replaced by modern apartment buildings, commercial and administrative structures.

Architects such as Josef Havlíček, Eugen Rosenberg, Bohumír Kozák, and Jaroslav Vančura designed buildings here that combined commercial ground floors, office layouts, and comfortable residential spaces – often with elaborate shop windows, passages, or halls. The architecture of these buildings combines late functionalism with an emphasis on representation, quality materials, and artistic culture.

The walk is prepared by the Modernist Prague platform, which consists of architectural historian Adam Štěch and architect Jan Bureš. The route will lead through this lesser-known modernist quarter and offer a cross-section of architecture from the late 1930s; stops include buildings by Eugen Rosenberg, Josef Havlíček, Bohumír Kozák, Stiv Vacek, Jaroslav Vančura, Martin Reiner, Gustav Paul, Vít Obrtel, and others.

Meeting point: in front of the building Štěpánská 622/36 (Štěpánská Passage, Swim business), Prague 1 – New Town. Route: Prague 1 and 2 – New Town. Duration: 2.5 hours.