ČVUT bought the building of the Fragner Gallery on Bethlehem Square

Prague – The Jaroslav Fragner Gallery at Bethlehem Square, which focuses on the presentation of architecture, has been purchased from the Czech Architecture Foundation by the Czech Technical University (CTU). The gallery is located in a building that has thus become part of the school’s complex, which also includes the Bethlehem Chapel. This chapel was reconstructed in the 1950s according to the design of architect Fragner, a prominent representative of Czech functionalism. The purchase of the building was reported by the university’s spokesperson Andrea Vondráková. The price of the transaction has not been disclosed by the parties involved.

According to her, the primary goal of the purchase is not profit for CTU, but rather the creation of a cultural space in the historic center of Prague. "Such a place will not only revitalize the existing cultural environment but will also enhance public awareness of CTU and attract new students to us,” said CTU rector Vojtěch Petráček.

By combining all spaces and linking the Bethlehem Chapel with the gallery, a whole will be created that will allow exhibitions to be combined with musical events in the gallery, the Bethlehem Chapel, or the student club, the school believes. This connection will also facilitate the organization of conferences in the area.

CTU is one of the largest and oldest technical universities in Europe. Currently, CTU has eight faculties and more than 18,000 students enrolled.

Jaroslav Fragner is one of the most significant representatives of Czech functionalism. However, most people are more familiar with his reconstructions of historical buildings. He managed to rebuild a sacred structure, namely the Bethlehem Chapel, during the difficult 1950s. His significant mark can also be found on Karolinum, the university’s seat. According to Rostislav Šváchy, a respected historian of modern architecture, the UK rectorate is one of the best Prague buildings of the 1960s.

The Czech Architecture Foundation was established in 1997 through a separation from the Czech Arts Fund Foundation, which was a joint organization for visual artists and architects. Since 2001, it has managed the Fragner Gallery.

Fragner, a personality inspiring generations of architects, passed away in 1957. Because of his stances in the 1950s, when he refused to conform to the dictates of socialist realism, he was considered a highly respected figure, according to Šváchy. The historian also recalled his contribution to the promotion of the metro in Prague in an earlier interview with CTK. From the 1920s to the 1940s, Fragner built numerous villas in Central Bohemia in the style of functionalism and modern classicism. Some of his buildings deviate from classical Czech functionalism, leaning towards a more organic expression inspired by travels to the USA and constructions by Frank Lloyd Wright, for example.

Fragner was a member of the Purist Quartet, made up of CTU students. Since the 1920s, he also focused on other structures - with a project close to realization and a team of avant-garde architects, he participated in the 1927 competition for the building of the Czech Press Office on Opletalova Street. In Prague, a prominent building by Fragner is the Merkur Palace at the end of Revoluční Street, for which Prague has been trying to find a suitable counterpart for decades.