The architect Pavel Kupka has died

Significant architect Pavel Kupka, who dedicated his entire life to the reconstruction of historically protected buildings in Prague, passed away on May 22, 2019, at the age of 82. His sensitive approach was evident in the baroque palaces - Nostický, Toskánský, or Lichtenštejnský, but he also contributed to the restoration of the National Theatre, for example. The farewell will take place on June 3, 2019, at 2 p.m. in the large ceremonial hall of the Crematorium in Prague-Strašnice.

Pavel Kupka was born on July 15, 1936, in Opava. In 1960, he graduated from the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering at CTU in Prague and then joined the State Institute for the Reconstruction of Historic Towns and Buildings (collaborators Bohumil Blažek and Jana Hrdličková), where he worked until founding his own studio in 1991. In 1966, he completed a six-month professional internship in Paris. From the 1960s onwards, he regularly collaborated with sculptor Karel Nepraš.

In the 1990s, he became famous for the rehabilitation and restoration of Prague's baroque palaces – the Lichtenstein and Hartig palaces in Malostranské náměstí (HAMU), the Nostický palace in Maltézské náměstí (home to the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic), and the Toskánský palace in Hradčanské náměstí (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic). In the late 1970s, Kupka contributed to the restoration of the historical building of the National Theatre and the design of its new operational building (in addition to the New Stage) and then focused on reconstructions and developments in Václavské náměstí (including completing the construction of the subway station vestibule, the development of the so-called Mouse Hole, the pedestrian zone, etc.). His signature was also evident in the reconstruction of the Gothic wing of the St. Agnes Convent and the Černín Palace at Loretánské náměstí (home to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic). Among his last projects was the restoration of the Trauttmannsdorf Palace in Malá Strana. He also frequently participated in architectural competitions; in 1990, he received the highest award for his altar design for the mass of Pope John Paul II at Letná.