This Saturday, the former restaurant Praha Expo 58 will open to the public

Opportunity to visit the building of the former restaurant Prague Expo 58 throughout the day or guided tours at specific times, as well as special retro-newtro DJ sets by Radio 1 on the terrace of the building - all this will take place this Saturday, May 31, 2008, as part of the accompanying program of the exhibition "Brussels Dream." On the terrace of the former Prague Expo 58 restaurant, Stanislav Zima, Filip Týc, and Petr Metelka, along with special guest Ivo Pospíšil, will present their sets. "Our hosts have prepared special retro-newtro sets featuring both old and new artists, all styled to reflect the era," introduces the Saturday program director of Radio 1, Saša Michailidis.

10:00 – 12:00 Stanislav Zima
12:00 – 16:00 Petr Metelka and guest Ivo Pospíšil
16:00 – 19:00 Filip Týc

Thanks to the rich accompanying program, those interested in the tour will have the opportunity to see the interior of the former Expo 58 restaurant on May 31 - June 1 and June 21 - 22 from 10:00 to 18:00. Guided tours will take place on those days at 16:00 led by Josef Vomáčka.

Brussels Dream – Czechoslovak Participation at the World Exhibition Expo 58 in Brussels and Lifestyle of the First Half of the 60s can be seen until September 21 at the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague - Municipal Library. Visitors to the exhibition have the opportunity to experience the essential aspects of the "miraculous presentation" of contemporary engineering, history, sciences and literature, applied arts, and the revolutionary Laterna magika. The exhibition will also familiarize visitors with everyday life in Czechoslovakia during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The exhibition has a reprise at the Moravian Gallery in Brno - at the Museum of Applied Arts from November 20, 2008, to March 1, 2009.
The Czechoslovak exhibition at the World Exhibition in Brussels in 1958 received an extraordinary and unexpected top award "Golden Star" and another thirteen significant awards in the overall evaluation in the international competition. Given this remarkable success, it was decided that the structures of this exhibition be moved to Prague. The former restaurant Expo 58, now the headquarters of the advertising agency Euro RSCG, celebrates the open doors for the public marking this year's 50th anniversary of the Czechoslovak success at the world exhibition in Brussels.
The Prague EXPO 58 restaurant is considered one of the most beautiful Czech buildings constructed in the second half of the last century. Together with the exhibition pavilion, it comprised the Czechoslovak exhibition, which gained the highest recognition in Brussels - the Golden Star. Architects František Cubr, Josef Hrubý, and Zdeněk Pokorný also took home two Grand Prizes: one for the architecture of the Czechoslovak pavilion and another for the design of the pavilion and restaurant interior.
Based on these successes, the Czechoslovak government decided in 1959 to relocate both structures to Prague. The pavilion was placed at the Holešovice exhibition grounds, where it burned down in 1991. The restaurant, moved to Letenské sady, experienced a period of great glory especially in the 1960s, but has since not been renovated and has deteriorated.
In the first half of the 1990s, the building became a victim of privatization speculation, was unused, and fell into complete ruin. A turning point came in 1997 when it was acquired by Austrian investor A.I.V., who began the renovation of the restaurant into office spaces. Four years later, the first tenant became the Prague branch of the global network of communication agencies Euro RSCG.
The investor and tenant agreed during renovations that the exterior would remain unchanged, while in the interior, they would try to preserve as many original elements as possible. Among these are the central staircase with walls covered in ocean-colored mosaics, which still enchants visitors today. The new interior was designed by Barbora Škorpilová and Jan Padrnos, with the selection of furniture involving the agency's director, Gilles Bérouard.

The event is held under the auspices of the Mayor of the Capital City of Prague, Pavel Bém, and the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, Alexander Vondra.

Organized by: Arbor vitae societas, Museum of Applied Arts in Prague, Moravian Gallery in Brno, and the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague in collaboration with the National Technical Museum

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