NPÚ published a book about the Prague Intercontinental Hotel

Prague - The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) has prepared a publication that examines the Prague Intercontinental Hotel from architectural and historical perspectives. Today, representatives of the institute and other institutions involved in the monograph presented the book. The publication is part of a project focused on Czech architecture of the 1960s and 70s, which has already produced books about the Kotva department store, the Vítkovice station in Ostrava, and a publication about the now-demolished Transgas building will be released soon.

"The architecture of this period was, and I believe still is somewhat, undervalued," stated the director of NPÚ, Naďa Goryczková. She added that in addition to the institute's staff, experts from ČVUT, VUT, the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Academy of Sciences, and independent architectural historians also contributed to the publication. Matyáš Kracík from NPÚ mentioned that the book itself was created over two years, but the institute's team has been working on the building since 2015.

"The monographs being produced are very interesting and comprehensive. They aim not only to document the historical development of these objects but also to offer a contextual placement, whether global or local," said Goryczková. She added that the project focused on modern architecture of the second half of the 20th century will conclude this year, and the upcoming book on Transgas will be the last released within this framework.

The hotel was constructed in the then-popular brutalist style between 1968 and 1975 in collaboration with three different architectural collectives led by Karel Filsak. The publication includes testimonies from living witnesses, co-authors of the building, visual artists, or their descendants, as well as memories from hotel staff.

In January of this year, the hotel was purchased from the Slovak group Best Hotel Properties by the R2G fund controlled by Oldřich Šlemr, Pavel Baudiš, and Eduard Kučera. "I am flattered to be a co-owner of a building that books are written about," said Šlemr today. He added that they bought the hotel also because they value it from an architectural and artistic perspective and that they want it to remain preserved as it is. He mentioned that he would not mind and would even be pleased if the building received heritage protection.

The new owners are preparing a renovation of the hotel's interior, which will be operated by the Fairmont hotel chain starting in May, with its name changing to Golden Prague Hotel (hotel Zlatá Praha) after the hotel restaurant. The hotel also includes parcels on Paris Street and Dvořák Embankment, as well as a piazza, which the city renamed to Miloš Forman Square last year.

The owners plan to modify the area around the building, intending to create a new square slightly below the level of Paris Street on the site of the current indoor pool, which will be relocated. The square is to be connected to the Vltava River through a tunnel under the embankment, which should extend Paris Street all the way to the river. Additionally, the project proposes the construction of a glass building on Miloš Forman Square at the corner of Paris and Bílkovy streets. The possibility of development in the piazza has previously sparked resistance from experts and the public.