The visionary proposal for the development of Prague is once again in Lucerna after a hundred years

Prague - The project of the ideal form of Prague by architect Max Urban, the creator of the villa quarter and film studios in Barrandov, is exhibited in the Lucerna Gallery. It has returned here after one hundred years. This is the first comprehensive, although utopian, treatment of the development of Prague. Visitors can compare it with the Metropolitan Plan, which has been prepared by the Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague (IPR) since mid-2012. The initiator of the whole event and at the same time the architect is the head of the Metropolitan Plan Office at IPR, Roman Koucký. The exhibition titled Ideal Big/Small Prague, 1919/2019 is accessible from today until June 1.

Four panels based on the materials of Max Urban, which focus on the structure of the ideal Prague, public buildings, housing, and transportation, are on display. Opposite them, the creators have set up four panels representing the Metropolitan Plan and its main ideas in similar contexts. A part of the exhibition is also a 3D model of the height arrangement of Prague, which no plan has addressed in the 20th century, Koucký told journalists today.

Visitors can further view 24 original sheets of Urban's work and a facsimile of his entire oeuvre.

As part of the exhibition, on Wednesday, May 29, a discussion about the life and work of Max Urban will be held at the Lucerna Cinema between 09:00 and 14:00. His project Ideal Big Prague will be placed in a contemporary context. On this occasion, about a 30-minute montage of his film work will also be screened.

The exhibition is accessible for free, on weekdays from 14:00 to 19:00, and on Saturdays from 09:00 to 19:00.

The project Ideal Big Prague consists of 30 pages of handwritten text and 79 images. Urban worked on it between 1915 and 1918. In April 1919, he publicly presented it in Lucerna. "This event received significant publicity in the newspapers," said historian Markéta Žáčková to ČTK. However, the grandly conceived proposal did not meet with public understanding. A large number of critical reviews appeared in the press. Karel Čapek was one of the authors of one such review.

Max Urban lived from 1882 to 1959. He married the first Czech acting star, Andula Sedláčková. Together they founded the ASUM company, which produced short documentaries as well as feature films. For this reason, he is considered a pioneer of Czech cinematography. After World War I, he mainly devoted himself to his original profession - architecture. He received the Grand Prize at the International Exhibition of Art and Technology in Paris in 1937 for the Barrandov project.

The Metropolitan Plan, and thus the future spatial plan of the capital city, represents the development of the city for approximately the next 20 years. It is currently being discussed by the city hall, and it is expected to be approved by the city council in 2022. It should come into effect starting in 2023.