Arkitekturens sande eldorado

Den europæiske historie har sat aftryk på landet og efterladt store arkitektoniske og kulturhistoriske perler.

Ikke mange europæiske lande kan tilbyde så meget historie samlet på et sted som Tjekkiet. Den europæiske histories forskellige tidsperioder har alle efterladt betydelige aftryk i landet. Den romanske stil, gotik, renæssance, barok, rokoko, jugendstil, funktionalisme, kubisme eller socialrealisme fra tiden under kommunisterne. Tjekkiet er århundredernes historiske smeltedigel, som er helt uden sidestykke.

Tjekkiets gyldne by

Tjekkiets hovedstad Prag må være stedet for enhver entusiast i europæisk arkitektur og historie. Udenlandske turister har i årevis spadseret over byens gotiske perle Karlsbroen, beundret Nikolajkirkens rene barokstil og den romanske Sankt Georgskirke på Prags Borg. Prag er spækket med arkitektoniske og historiske seværdigheder, og Prags enestående arkitektur gælder ikke kun de tidligere århundreder, men også det 20. og 21. århundrede. Nutiden ender ikke i de tidligere århundredes skygge. Prag bugner af moderne kunst og arkitektur. Blandt perlerne i moderne arkitektur fra det 20. århundrede hører Det dansende hus på Rašínovo Nábřeži, beligende få skridt fra et af Prags kendte galleri, Galleri Mánes. Huset ligger lige ved siden huset, hvor Tjekkiets første præsident Václav Havel boede, er bygget i årene 1992-96 og er tegnet af den slovenske arkitekt Vlado Milunic og den canadiske arkitekt Frank O. Gehry.

Brno, funktionalismens tjekkiske hovedstad

I Prag, Zlín, Ostrava, Liberec samt flere andre tjekkiske byer kan du opleve mange spændende bygninger bygget i funktionalistisk beggestil. Tjekkiets funktionalistiske hovedstad er dog uden tvivl Tjekkiets næststørste by Brno. Brno bugner med interessante funktionalistiske bygninger. Den mest interessante er utvivlsomt Vila Tugendhat. Villaen er bygget i 1930 og er den eneste tjekkiske seværdighed i moderne arkitektur, som er optaget på UNESCO listen over verdens kulturarv. Villaen er en turistmagnet, så husk at reservere besøget mindst tre måneder i forvejen. Et ægte mesterværk er også Brnos messeområde (Brněnské výstaviště), hvor der ofte afholdes messer, udstillinger og diverse kulturelle arrangementer.

Kommunismens brutalisme

Mange mennesker kan ikke lide dem. De virker klodsede og bliver ofte betegnet som et udtryk for tidens dårlige smag. Kæmpestore brutalistiske bygninger ser ikke umiddelbart specielt charmerende, men bygningerne bliver alligevel med tiden mere og mere populære og bliver opsøgt af et stigende antal besøgende. Tjekkiets brutalismeperiode er tæt forbundet med landets kommunistiske periode. De brutalistiske bygningsværker betegnes af arkitekterne dog alligevel som mere raffinerede end ikke blot som bygninger bestående af vulgær beton. Brutalistiske bygninger kan ses overalt i Tjekkiet, en af disse bl.a. i kurbyen Karlovy Vary, hvor hotel Thermal netop er blevet restaureret og hvert år danner en kulisse til byens verdenskendte filmfestival.

Mesterværkerne på landet

Træ var indtil slutningen af det 18. århundrede det mest almindelige byggemateriale på landet i Tjekkiet. Det var især nåletræ, som blev brugt til konstruktioner og fantasifulde pittoreske huse, de såkaldte “roubenky”.
Roubenky er huse, hvor trækonstruktionen kan defineres som bygget af vandrette massive træelementer i forskellige bearbejdningsstadier - fra kun groft bearbejdede træstammer til bearbejdede og pudsede bjælker eller planker. En del af disse huse kan fortsat ses i mange tjekkiske landsbyer. I de fleste tjekkiske bjergregioner vil du kunne finde mange af dem, ofte udsmykkede med pynteudskæringer i farver.

Borge og slotte

UNESCO

Historiske byer

Perfection of Old Masters and Imagination of Their Successors

Majestic castles, charming châteaux and monumental cathedrals: all of that was left behind by the previous generations and we now admire what they were able to achieve without technology and modern machines. For example, the Charles Bridge in Prague, one of the most frequently visited European landmarks, the foundation stone of which was laid by the Roman emperor himself. And what about more modern landmarks in Prague? The list changes every day. Sometimes, an old structure is complemented with a modern layer, such as the Helfštýn castle in Moravia, which breathes a new life into the building. Or all the layers of the last thousands of years of constructional progress are combined in a unique whole as at the Prague Castle. Sometimes, a brand-new building is made, perfectly complementing the surrounding development, as in the small village of Sazovice in Moravia where a new Roman Catholic church has suddenly become a natural centre of the community life. And moreover, it is winning one architectural award after another.

Dancing House and Unusual Hotel

Architecture is ever-present and even though we are not aware of it, it influences us throughout our whole life. When the appearance and functionality complement one another well, we can speak of an architectural gem. Such as the Dancing House in Prague where you can have dinner inside the textbook example of post-modern architecture. Or the television transmission at Ještěd in North Bohemia that organically finishes the peak of the Jizera Mountains. And not only that, but you can also have a delicious dinner inside the stylish and restored interiors, or even spend the night in the 1970s style! Architectural landmarks do not have to only come from the last century. For example, three hundred years ago, the Baroque ruled the European art: a dynamic, live and colourful style. At that time, architect Jan Santini Aichel designed buildings that implemented the best of the previous centuries. Thanks to Santini’s courage, his Church of St. John of Nepomuk in Žďár nad Sázavou in Vysočina is a proof that unique and progressive structures are created across the entire history.

Modern Treasures in Contrast

History has left thousands of castles, châteaux, churches, villas, lookout towers or small buildings in the Czech Republic. And what will today’s era leave to the future generations? Contemporary quality architecture is unobtrusive and rather than placing emphasis on flamboyance, it accentuates the inner person and emphasises minimalism. Only time will show what buildings the future generations will appreciate but we can still name some examples. For example, the New Church in Litomyšl that sensitively and yet in a modern way complements this historically valuable East Bohemian town. Or the extension of the Enotéka of Znojmo wines in Znojmo in South Moravia. It is incorporated in a reconstructed brewery from the nineteenth century and represents the best wines made in the region in a modern way. The revival of the Prague embankment and the implemented large round windows known as cells is also a unique architectural project. Those unused spaces have been transformed into modern architectural gems and they are winning one award after another at world shows. Architecture does not always mean a new building on a green meadow, but it is more about connecting the old one with the new.

Unusual Tours of Architectural Landmarks

Tours of historical castles and châteaux are often an integral part of a visit to any corner of the Czech Republic. And you might have had a few such visits already. So now is the time to perceive architecture in other contexts! You can go to Plzeň in the west of Bohemia where you have the opportunity to look under the hands of designer and architect Adolf Loos who was one of the first ones to create the contemporary concept of residential design and architecture at the beginning of the twentieth century. Some unique apartment interiors in Plzeň have been preserved and they are open to the public. The tours of the Functionalist Villa Tugendhat in Brno also help understand architectural principles. Its architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, is considered to be the founder of modern architecture. And the villa he built with an unlimited budget in the 1930s is the quintessence of pre-war hopes in a better world.