4AM Forum for Architecture and Media

You are cordially invited to a walk and a lecture (about) Prague's pubs with Martin Líbal, an architect who has been working since the mid-1960s at the Center for the Development of Retail Chains and Public Catering. Within this Center, as well as after the revolution in his private practice, he has designed a number of interiors and buildings, primarily bars, restaurants, wine bars, and other establishments that often came into being through the reconstruction or adaptation of the ground floors of historically valuable buildings in the center of Prague. Characteristic of Líbal's work is a sensitive integration into the original historical layouts that is not devoid of artistic interpretation with meticulously crafted architectural details, which, together with the designs of furniture, lighting, handles, and other seemingly trivial details, determines the identity of the establishment and the recognizable brand of Líbal's work. Some of the establishments have remained in almost unchanged form - and it is precisely those that we will visit!

Start: 4.10.2024 at 15:00 at Vinný bar Blatnička, Michalská 5, Prague 1
Lecture at 18:30 at Vinárna U Vávry, Šubertova 4, Prague 2

We will start our walk at the legendary Vinný bar Blatnička, established at the end of the 1960s by a cooperative, where the then-Praguers could finally enjoy bottled wine. Our journey will further lead us to the picturesque bar U Klíčů in Malá Strana, from where we will move to Vinohrady, where we will drop by the renowned Vinárna U Vávry. Along the way between the individual establishments, we will also stop at the sites of already defunct businesses and recall their significance in the life of the capital.

Those who miss the walk can wait for us at Vinárna U Vávry, where at 18:30 the lecture by Martin Líbal will take place, in which he will introduce his work, the operation of the studio where he was employed, and provide us with insight into the functioning of the heritage care of that time.

The event is part of a broader project that deals with the architecture of establishments, cafes, and businesses, their ephemerality, and explores the transformation of their current nature. The project will conclude in 2025 with the publication of a printed zine.

Project curators: Kryštof Otto Fučík, Jana Pavlová
Visual identity: Pavel Holomek
Organized by: 4AM/Forum for Architecture and Media

The event takes place with the financial support of the statutory city of Brno, the State Fund for Culture of the Czech Republic, and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.