Prague Walking Guides, Czech Building Tours, Architecture Walks, Architects Praha City Visit

Prague Architectural Walks

Czech Republic Architecture Walking Tours – CZ Capital City Guide

post updated 17 September 2022

Contact Isabelle Lomholt on isabelle(at)e-architect.com

Prague Architectural Walk

Prague city panorama from the south, from the left Petřín Hill with a watchtower, Prague Castle, black roof of the National Theatre to the right. Vltava river weirs provide a navigable, wide and decorative river surface, with numerous river islands, here three of them:

photograph © Ivan Andera

Prague Walking Tours

Prague Functionalism:

Prague New Town water tower (1495), rebuilt in 1591 and 1648, with baroque bulb roof. Functionalist annex (1928-1934) of the Manes Association of Fine Artists (restaurant, club rooms, showroom and offices), by architect Otakar Novotný, project was supported by president T.G. Masaryk. Built in place of the former medieval river mill:

photograph © Ivan Andera

Functionalist villa, plenty of which are spread around Czech Republic:

photograph © Ivan Andera

Prague Castle: Founded about 880 by Prince Bořivoj of Premyslides, acc. to the Book of Guinness Records it is the biggest castle complex in the world (70 000 sq.m), listed in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Architectural styles reach from Romanesque to contemporary modifications. It is also the country ruler’s seat serving continuously for more than thousand years (approx. 1133 years, for princes, kings, emperors and presidents) till today. Reportedly, this is also the longest continuous service period in the world:

photograph © Ivan Andera

An unusual contemporary Czech building by famous Canadian architect (based in Los Angeles) Frank Gehry, a key stop on our Prague Architectural Walks:

Dancing House Prague

photograph © Ivan Andera
After Jean Nouvel turned down invitation for cooperation by Vlado Milunic, Czech author and initiator of the project, Frank Gehry accepted. He nicknamed the project Fred and Ginger. Some interiors of the investor’s offices were designed by Czech architect Eva Jiricna. Completed 1996, first very controversial for the Prague citizens, now widely acknowledged piece of art.

To the south there is Český Krumlov, Renaissance pearl of South Bohemia, UNESCO historical town reserve since 1992 (172 km). Cesky Krumlov is located on Vltava River meandre, so one may see it from a canoe/raft round trip.

Český Krumlov buildings:

photograph © Ivan Andera

Concrete spires of the Emauzy (Gothic Abbey and Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Jerome and Slavic Saints), built after 1945 bombardment of Prague (Abbey founded by Emperor Charles IV in 1347):

photograph © Ivan Andera
Prague Church Building

Closer to Prague there is Třeboň (140 km), another Renaissance pearl, centre of the UNESCO biospherical reserve (since 1972) – a landscape basin full of ponds of various sizes among the pine forests, ideal for biking, lots of pubs with excellent beer in almost every village.

Český Krumlov architecture:

photograph © Ivan Andera

Prague Walking Tours – Traditional, Contemporary or Both

Prague Architectural Walks – Synopsis

A) TOURS BY LOCALITIES/SYSTEMS – Archaeological localities (Prague settlement development from Stone Age)

Prague UNESCO Historical Reserve (8.66 sq. km):
– Prague Castle & surroundings
– Lesser Town
– Old Town
– Jewish Town + synagogues + museum + cemetery
– New Town (14th century urban development)

– 19th century urban development (industrial suburbs)

– 20th century urban development (Garden City principle, social housing, post-war housing estates, latest trends)

– Contemporary landmark buildings

– National Gallery buildings (reaching from Gothic to functionalism), art galleries

– Towers and hills, parks, water streams and ponds

– City infrastructure (river, city transport + museum, railways & historical stations, sewerage system + museum, water distribution system + museum, heat distribution system + heating and power stations)

– Industrial architecture (see above, power plants, goods station – proposed historical monument, redevelopment of former production plants & areas – brewery, river port, etc.)

– Beer (small and big breweries + pubs)

B) TOURS BY ARCHITECTURAL STYLES

– Romanesque (incl. underground)
– Gothic (incl. underground – mostly wine restaurants)
– Renaissance
– Prague Baroque
– Classicism + eclectic styles of 19th century
– Art Nouveau
– Cubism
– Functionalism
– Post-war development, contemporary

Medieval earth dam, strengthened by oaks, of the biggest Czech ponds, Rožmberk, near Třeboň in South Bohemia. The dam saved many during floods in 2002. Not only is it the biggest pond in the Czech Republic, but according to Czech Union of Fishers it is the biggest known pond in the world (water surface 489 ha, catchment area 1,375 sq.km, built 1584-1590):

photograph © Ivan Andera