Two houses in Prague 9 will be connected by a locomotive according to Černý's design

Prague – Two high-rise buildings are set to rise on Lihovarská Street in Prague 9, connected by a bridge in the shape of a locomotive designed by sculptor David Černý. The design of the bridge is intended to reference the 1895 accident at the Montparnasse train station in Paris, where a train failed to stop at the terminal, barreled through the hall, and crashed through a glass station wall.

"The wreck will connect two opposing buildings, allowing passage from one side to the other," stated Černý. The investor, the company SEN development, is awaiting the completion of the building permit process. If the building authority grants approval for construction, work could begin this year.

Černý collaborated on the design of the wreck with his colleague, architect Tomáš Císař from the studio Black n’ Arch. The two high-rise buildings were designed by the Jiran and Partner architects, and the entire project is endorsed by SEN development, which rents several other properties in Lihovarská. It has its own headquarters, a spacious restaurant named Beseder, and Gallery Hall C.

Eugen Roden, the owner of SEN development, intends to establish apartments and offices in the buildings and wanted the houses to evoke the history of the Kolben factory, which stood nearby. "David Černý started playing with the idea of returning to the era of industrialist Emil Kolben and the later ČKD Lokomotiva factory. I liked the idea because few people remember that more than 8000 locomotives were produced in the factory,” said Roden.

For Černý, this will not be his first architectural project. He previously designed an information center with a robotically serviced restaurant near the Nové Butovice metro station in Prague. The two-story center named Cyberdog resembles a sitting dog and was opened at the end of 2018.

Černý has gained public recognition for other works as well. One of them was the controversial sculpture Entropa, which he installed at the European Council's Brussels headquarters on commission from the Czech presidency in 2009. The work depicted stereotypes associated with each of the EU27 countries and generated significant responses across Europe, as well as diplomatic complaints. In 1991, Černý painted a Soviet tank from World War II pink in Smíchov, and at the end of the 90s, he hung a horse upside down in the Lucerna Palace and placed St. Wenceslas on its belly. Soon after, his giant black babies began to climb the Žižkov TV Tower.