The Dancing House is the most famous new building in the Czech Republic among the global public

Prague - Dancing House on the Prague waterfront is probably the most well-known building of post-1989 Czech architecture among the global public. However, it cannot be said that it has made contemporary Czech architecture famous in the world - its authors are the American architect Frank Gehry and the Croatia-based architect Vlado Milunič. In the Czech Republic in the 1990s and at the beginning of the 21st century, other famous creators also built here, but the local environment cannot be compared to the world architectural elite. The reasons are various, but primarily they include the solvency of potential investors.
"Among the global public, Dancing House may be the most famous contemporary Czech building because it was designed by a world-renowned architect, but I equally value other Czech buildings that nobody knows about in the world," said architectural historian Petr Kratochvíl to ČTK. "Quality architecture is often less conspicuous; buildings that make it into the top ten rankings are those that stand out in the media, are eye-catching, and original, but those are not key criteria for architectural quality," he stated. "Architecture is not a competition," he added.
Dancing House, also known as Ginger and Fred, was built on one of the last vacant lots that emerged after the bombing at the end of World War II. The plot was purchased in the 1990s by the Dutch insurance company Nationale Nederlanden, which constructed the building from 1994 to 1996. The unusual project was created based on the character of the surrounding building facades, which gave the impression that towers were integrated into them. Therefore, the architects decided to incorporate towers into the new building as well. To avoid blocking the view of Prague Castle from the neighboring balconies and bay windows, one of the towers is curved.
Some of the most famous world architects have also designed projects in Czech cities, including Jean Nouvel (Golden Angel), Ricardo Bofill, Richard Meier (project for the skyscrapers in Pankrác), and outside Prague John Pawson or the atelier Mecanoo. "However, it cannot be said that when a famous person builds a house, it will certainly be an exceptional and great building," said architecture theorist and publicist Pavel Halík to ČTK.
According to him, Dancing House and Golden Angel are unique architectural phenomena, mainly associated with styles closely tied to famous personalities. The architecture of the most acclaimed creators, according to Halík, is primarily a matter of wealthy clients, who are still not very prevalent in the Czech Republic. He cited Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, completed three years ago for over $75 million. He believes it is debatable to perceive similar "exclamations" as peak architecture.
However, according to Halík, there are many quality buildings in the Czech Republic today; often, they are private villas whose owners do not seek publicity. "Residential villa architecture here is of a high standard; that's a higher standard," Halík said. Due to the local history and architectural history, preference is given to buildings set in their environment, he notes. "Architects here don't have much sense or reason for striking out; the environment does not allow for it," he concludes.
According to modern architecture historian Zdeněk Lukeš, the Czech Republic's contemporary architecture can measure up to other post-communist countries. "We cannot even begin to compare ourselves with countries that today represent the top, like the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Austria, Switzerland, or Slovenia," he believes. When it comes to the highest quality buildings, he thinks the Czech Republic is not doing too badly. However, this only applies to buildings created by architects based on commissions from enlightened investors. They undoubtedly withstand any comparison with the world. According to Lukeš, this is about five percent of buildings.
Czech architecture will only become world-renowned when there is demand for Czech architects abroad. So far, this is not the case, unless you count architects of Czech origin Eva Jiřičná and Jan Kaplický, who work in Britain. Foreign architects still come to the Czech Republic primarily to see functionalism - the residential complex in Prague's Baba, Loos's villa, or the Brno Tugendhat villa.
The shape of contemporary architecture now has the chance to be influenced by the new National Library building. The jury in the international architectural competition is chaired by one of today's most famous architects Zaha Hadid, and even the mentioned Kaplický has not ruled out participation. "It depends on the jury what they accept, but the Prague environment is still very limiting. It's not that the building should adapt, but it must always respond to its surroundings," Halík said regarding the possibilities for the new building.

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DANCING HOUSE / Frank Gehry, Vlado Milunić

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