The exhibition maps the history of settlements that changed the face of Prague

Prague - An exhibition on the history and appearance of panel housing estates, which became a symbol of the socialist era, will open today to visitors in the Architects' Hall of the Old Town Hall in Prague. People will see previously unpublished plans and photographs documenting the largest Prague housing estates, such as those in the South and Southwest City.
      The aim of the exhibition is to show, without condemnation or celebration, why and how Prague's housing estates were created, the organizers stated on www.salarchitektu.cz. Given the extent of the topic, however, it does not provide a comprehensive overview of the issues. "It can rather be considered one of the 'first swallows'," it states on the website.
      The housing estates began to be built in the 1950s. The first Prague panel building is from 1955 and is located in Ďáblice. The most significant transformation of Prague's face occurred during the intensive construction from the 1960s to the 1980s. At that time, panel towers encapsulated the city like an impenetrable wall, and their uniform and anonymous environment became a subject of resistance, the organizers claim. Nevertheless, the Prague housing estates currently house 470,000 people, or forty percent of Praguers.
      The centerpiece of the exhibition is an unbuilt model of the Southwest City from 1980 featuring a trio of atypically shaped Solar Houses, energy-efficient residential buildings with commercial podiums. The exhibition will last until mid-September.

Model of Solar Houses in the main square of Southwest City, 1985